Brazil overtake Spain and Belgium as world's most-expensive national team

Philippe Coutinho's €160 million switch to Barcelona has seen the Selecao surpass Spain asthe most costly national team in world football Philippe Coutinho’s transfer to Barcelona this month saw Brazil surpass Spain as the most expensive national team in world football.

The Selecao star cost the Catalan club around €160 million and saw him become the second most expensive signing in the history of football.

The most expensive, of course, was Brazil star Neymar, who left Barcelona last year to join French giants Paris Saint-Germain for a jaw-dropping €222 million.

Coutinho’s switch means the 11 starters for Brazil have fetched a market value of around €530 million, which edges them past Spain (€520million) and Belgium (€510 million) Indeed, football transfer website Transfermarkt values Brazil as the most valuable collection of players in the world in terms of current market value, too, at a staggering €789.5 million.