Out went Karim Benzema, all $54m of him on the scrap heap to go with the $340m already there. Behold the maimed knees and hamstrings of Paul Pogba ($54m), Christopher Nkunku ($124m) and N’Golo Kanté ($46m). Survey the busted calves and Achilles tendons of Mike Maignan ($54m) and Presnel Kimpembe ($62m). Add a Ballon d’Or winner’s dodgy quad to the list for a grand total of $394m in damaged goods.
Do we trust in Transfermarkt? Probably not, but the Australian psyche needs something to hang its hopes on, even if it’s only as tangible as numbers crunched by volunteers.
