Price Does Not Guarantee a Football Team's Victory
The Indonesian U-23 national team will be almost perfect if they beat more expensive teams in the Asian Cup. Price does not guarantee victory.
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Inter Milan attacker, Marcus Thuram, took action during the Italian League match between Inter Milan and Genoa at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan, on Tuesday (5/3/2024).
There is an interesting story after Inter Milan won the 2024/2025 Italian League. In the midst of the revelry, Marcus Thuram, the Inter striker, called a number of his teammates using a video application on his cell phone.
Watched by millions, Hakan Calhanoglu, Lautaro Martinez, Federico Dimarco and several other Inter players joined in. They joked and endlessly teased each other, proudly celebrating.
However, before the phone was hung up, Inter Milan President Steven Zhang joined the conversation. Zhang could not attend the celebration in Milan at that time. He claimed that he was feeling unwell.
In the video call broadcast live on the social media account, Thuram said, "Mr President, you brought me and Hakan for free, right?"
Calhanoglu replied, "Even a cup of coffee costs more than us."
Also read: Politics is Gone, It's Time to Celebrate the U-23 National Team
Inter Milan midfielder, Hakan Calhanoglu, celebrated after scoring a goal in the Group C Champions League match between Inter Milan and Barcelona at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, early Wednesday morning WIB. Inter defeated Barcelona, 1-0.
Thuram with his sunglasses on then said, “President, we both cost 0 euros. You have to give us gifts.”
The three of them laughed uncontrollably. Steven Zhang immediately responded by saying, "It seems like a big mistake for me to be invited to go live with you guys."
The story confirms the greatness of Inter Milan this season. They sealed their 20th Serie A title with a super economical squad. They sold goalkeeper Andre Onana, wing-back Achraf Hakimi, and even let go of Romelu Lukaku.
As a substitute, although worth IDR 1.042 billion, Thuram came at no cost from Borussia Monchengladbach. Calhanoglu, worth IDR 695 billion, was also obtained for free a year earlier from city rival, AC Milan.
However, they still excel. The coach Simone Inzaghi's concoction, who has never led his team to a league championship, has yielded sweet results. Inter's anomaly contrasts with teams that have spent big this season.
Manchester United player, Mason Mount.
CIES Football Observatory data, for example, states that Manchester United is the club with the most expensive squad value in the Premier League. The nominal value is even the most expensive in the world.
The "Red Devils" squad has brought in Mason Mount, Andre Onana, and Rasmus Hojlund. The new players complement the stars Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and Marcus Rashford. The value of United's squad reaches 1.15 billion euros.
Next up is Chelsea, a fellow English team. The squad value of "The Blues" is 1.134 billion euros.
Todd Boehly, the owner of Chelsea, has brought in Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, and Robert Sanchez, as well as Moises Caicedo, one of the star players from last season. Previously, the team had Enzo Fernandes, the best young player in the last World Cup edition.
Also read: Proof of the Best "Chef" from the City of Milan
Aston Villa player John McGinn (left) vies for the ball with Chelsea player Moises Caicedo during an English Premier League match at Stamford Bridge Stadium, London, on Sunday (24/9/2023). Villa won with a score of 1-0.
However, money cannot guarantee success. Both United and Chelsea failed to become the best. Both teams have not been cohesive. Winning the English Premier League is only a dream for both of them this season. The high price tag is considered wasteful by some football fans.
In the German League, wealthy teams that are frequent champions, such as Bayern Munich, have also failed to win the championship. A team worth Rp 16,181.4 billion, according to Transfermarkt data, was defeated by Bayer Leverkusen, valued at Rp 10,334.25 billion. Leverkusen has yet to be defeated this season.
U-23 Indonesian National Team
U-23 Indonesia team manager, Endri Erawan (second from the left), took a selfie with a number of Indonesian players after the match against Jordan on Sunday (April 21, 2024) at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar.
The Indonesian U-23 national team also almost perfected this phenomenon this year. Indonesia worth Rp 83.43 billion defeated more expensive teams in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. After defeating Australia (Rp 116.02 billion), the national team won against South Korea (Rp 168.17 billion).
Indonesia's step came to a halt when defeated by Uzbekistan. The former Soviet Union country is too strong. Valued at Rp 301.57 billion, almost four times larger, Uzbekistan leads 2-0 against "Garuda Muda".
However, the phenomenal story is not over yet. Failing to become the champion but having a dream to enter the Olympics after 68 years is still possible. Indonesia will be challenged by Iraq to compete for the third place and one ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Indonesian player, Witan Sulaeman (left), passes through the obstruction of South Korean player, Kang Seongjin, in the quarterfinal match of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar, on Friday (26/4/2024) early morning WIB. Indonesia defeated South Korea through a penalty shootout. This victory led Indonesia to advance to the semifinals.
Although relatively lower than Australia and South Korea, Indonesia is not the cheapest. "Garuda Muda" even became the most expensive in Southeast Asia. The Malaysian national team, for example, is worth IDR 36.5 billion, Vietnam (IDR 37.98 billion), and Thailand (IDR 36.94 billion).
The high value of the national team cannot be separated from the presence of four naturalized players. Above them all is only captain Rizky Ridho. The defender from Persija Jakarta is worth IDR 6.95 billion.
Football defender Justin Hubner, who plays for the Japanese team Cerezo Osaka, is valued at Rp 3.48 billion. Jenner, who is trained by the Dutch team FC Utrech, is worth Rp 5.21 billion, while Tjoe-A-On, who comes from Hereeveen, a team from the Netherlands, is worth Rp 6.03 billion.
Struick, who strengthened ADO Den Haag from the Netherlands, is the naturalized player with the lowest value. The player who scored two goals against South Korea is only worth Rp 1.3 billion.
Nathan Tjoe-A-On kisses the Indonesian flag after becoming an Indonesian citizen, in Jakarta, Monday (11/3/2024). Nathan will strengthen the Indonesian national team.
So far, at that price, Indonesia has proven the best in Southeast Asia. This fact is clearly not a disappointment.
However, the proof of the price and quality comparison will still continue as Indonesia competes for third place against Iraq. The value of this team is much cheaper, at Rp 34.33 billion.
Although titles are not everything, if they can win, the national team does not need to follow United or Chelsea, who are often criticized as expensive teams that are still struggling to find their best form.
See also: Garuda Muda's two paths to the Paris Olympics after being defeated by Uzbekistan
