All Whites-Italy, money talks
By TONY SMITH in Johannesburg - Stuff Last updated 05:00 20/06/2010
Some say money isn't everything but it reflects the gap between the All Whites and Italy, New Zealand's World Cup rivals tomorrow in Nelspruit.
The Italians likely lineup boasts four players who were part of the squad which won the 2006 World Cup final in Germany.
Captain Fabio Cannavaro - at his fourth World Cup finals - heads a starting 11 worth a cool
$313 million on the international transfer market.
Ryan Nelsen is the most highly valued of the All Whites at $6.5m and his team's combined worth is just under
$20m with strikers Chris Killen, Rory Fallon and Shane Smeltz and man of the moment Winston Reid, the Denmark-based defender who scored Wednesday's winning goal against Slovakia, as the only players above the $1m mark.
Market values (as listed on
www.transfermarket.co.uk).
ITALY
Goalkeeper: Federico Marchetti (Calgliari) $21m
Defenders: Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan): $7.6m
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) $52m
Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus) $9.4m
Domenico Criscito (Genoa) $21m
Midfielders: Simone Pepe (Udinese) $16.8m
Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma) $65m
Claudio Marchisio (Juventus) $29.5m
Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina) $34.1m
Strikers: Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus) $28.4m
Antonio Di Natale (Udinese) $28.4m
Total value:
$313.2m (starting XI only, not including injured superstars Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo, both valued at around $40m.
ALL WHITES
Goalkeeper: Mark Paston (Wellington Phoenix) $852,000
Defenders: Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland) $2.3m
Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn Rovers) $6.5m
Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town) $568,000
Midfielders: Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix) $852,000
Simon Elliott (unattached) $473,000
Ivan Vicelich (Auckland City) $947,000
Tony Lochhead (Wellington Phoenix $852,000
Strikers: Chris Killen (Middlesbrough) $1.9m
Rory Fallon (Plymouth Argle) $2.8m
Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast United) $1.5m
Total value:
$19.5m