Fifa World Cup 2018: Big guns get ready for quarterfinal battles

France, Uruguay, Brazil and Belgium kick off the World Cup quarterfinals tonight

France, Uruguay, Brazil and Belgium, which kick off the fifa World Cup 2018quarterfinals tonight, offer the prospect of some tasty matches with teams ranked, respectively, 7,14, 2 and 3, taking the field*.

Expect at least one commentator to mention the sky-high values of the stars on display. For those who follow these things, France is the most valuable team at $1.2 billion-plus, based on the latest transfer prices. This number would be skewed by Kylian Mbappe, the French teenager of Cameroonian-Algerian origin whose explosive pace humbled mighty Argentina in the round of 16. Last year, he signed on with Paris St Germain for Euro 180 million.

That astonishing figure made him the most expensive teenager and the second-most expensive player in Europe. His histrionic club team-mate, Brazil’s Neymar, who Mbappe may or may not meet in the semi-finals, leads the table at Euro 222 million. Till Real Madrid denied the rumours Thursday, the 19-year-old striker was said to be in the running to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar in wantaway mode following arguments over his pay package.

It may sound astounding that a 33-year-old of no significant educational qualifications can earn over Euro 400,000 a week (that’s excluding his endorsement and sponsorship deals plus franchising his own CR7 brand). But when you know that this is only the sixth highest wage in the footballing world – Messi reigns with over Euro 500,000 a week – Ronaldo’s hissy fit isn't so unreasonable.

Here's why. The exorbitant wages that clubs pay to support the extravaganza that has come to characterise the footballing lifestyle – super lavish homes, sports cars, designer labels, supermodel consorts and so on -- have earned footballers a reputation for overpaid indolence. Don’t be fooled by this defiant profligacy. They earn every penny of their millions by leading lives of iron discipline in diet, physical training and rigid daily regimens.

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Ronaldo is a good example of the New Age footballer. At 33, he is at an age when most footballers used to think of hanging up their boots. But he’s at the peak of his game and vows to play till he’s 40. His regular shirtless appearances on the field testify to his splendid physical conditioning. Apart from hours on the practice pitch, he touches no alcohol, goes to bed early and eats the prescribed calorific and carb-fat-protein intake at all times, and gyms relentlessly. Since he’s short on pace at his age, he ensures that he keeps himself 2 kg below his natural weight. For this life of strict self-denial and the star performances it yields, he feels entitled to higher pay.