Racing vs Flamengo: Huge gulf in squad value in Copa Libertadores | OneFootball

When night falls in Rio de Janeiro, Racing and Flamengo will face off in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores semifinals. While an exciting and evenly matched game is expected—since Gustavo Costas knows better than anyone that on the field it’s 11 against 11 (and he has already eliminated several Brazilian teams in a row)—there is an enormous difference between the two squads.

With financial engineering on par with Europe’s powerhouses, Mengao is valued, according to the specialized platform Transfermarkt, at 195.9 million euros, the result of the exorbitant transfers they have been making over several transfer windows to strengthen themselves and go for it all.

For an established player with a name in the Old Continent to pack his bags and return to these lands is an exception to the rule in Argentine football (Leandro Paredes, Ángel Di María, and Gonzalo Montiel, among other world champions) and a profound display of love. In Brazil, on the other hand, it’s commonplace.

Not long ago, for example, they signed Saúl Ñíguez and Samuel Lino (the most expensive of all, 22 million euros), both from Atlético de Madrid, as well as other stars like Jorginho and Emerson Royal, from Arsenal and Milan respectively. The podium of highest-valued players is rounded out by Pedro (20 million) and Giorgian De Arrascaeta (15 million).

With almost 120 million less, but with the mystique of being the most recent champion of the Copa Sudamericana and the Recopa, comes La Academia. Their squad is valued at around 77.2 million, much less than half of Flamengo’s, and they have never been accustomed to making astronomical investments during transfer windows, neither under Víctor Blanco nor now with Diego Milito.

Among their ranks, however, several key players stand out who could continue to increase their value: Juan Nardoni (11 million), Santiago Sosa and Marcos Di Césare (both 8). And there are leaders who show their true worth on the pitch, such as Adrián Maravilla Martínez (3 million).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.