Portugal was the country with the most international signings in 2022 – Observer
Portuguese clubs controlled the largest number of international signings of professional footballers in 2022, a total of 901, according to a study released this Thursday by FIFA, which confirmed the resumption of the market after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The global transfer report reveals an increase of 11.6% compared to 2021, for a total of 20,209 international transactions, showing Portugal as the fifth country that received more moneywith 532.6 million euros (ME), value converted from dollars at this Thursday’s exchange rate, and the not who paid morewith 160.5 ME.
For the first time, Portuguese clubs controlled more signings than any other association, with a total of 901 during 2022. Brazil, on the other hand, transferred the most out of the country, with a total of 998″, indicates the study from FIFA.
Brazil ‘sent’ 338 players to Portugal, the greater flow of transfers between two countriesfar superior to the second most voluminous, in the opposite direction (from Portugal to Brazil), in a total of 166, which helped to make national clubs the fourth main ‘exporters’, with 677 athletes, just behind Brazilians (998), English (836) and Spaniards (778).
These numbers do not have a proportional reflection on the financial inflow, since Portugal is the fifth country that received the most money, behind France (681.2 ME), Germany (588.2 ME), Italy (568.6 ME) and England (552.7 ME), despite having two transfers in the top 10 most valuable.
The signing of Uruguayan Darwin Nuñez by Liverpool earned Benfica 75 ME (up to 100 ME) and was only surpassed when Frenchman Tchouaméni moved from Monaco to Real Madrid (80 ME, up to 100 ME), while Colombian Luis Díaz, transferred from FC Porto to Liverpool for 45 ME (which could reach 60 ME), was the ninth largest business.
The ‘top 10’ of transfers in motion 12.5% of the overall amount spent last year and six of them were led by English clubs, confident to place clubs in this country in the outstanding leadership of those who invested the most in strengthening squads, with 2,024.3 ME spent.
Italy followed, with 619.7 ME, and Spain, with 545.1 ME, while Portugal ranked ninth in this classification, with 160.5 ME, in a period in which 6,000 ME were moved, plus 33.5 % than in 2021, but still far from the 2019 record (7,350 ME), the last year before the pandemic.