Ismaila Sarr was a no-show for Watford over the weekend and his performances for Senegal at the World Cup will have increased his value.
Admittedly, most of the 26 Championship players at Qatar either did not play much or were part of a dire Wales side.
But Sarr is among five second-tier stars who enhanced their reputations at the winter tournament.
The idea for this feature has been nabbed from our World Cup XI of players whose transfer value has soared. So you kind folks make sure you read that next.
Krystian Bielik (Poland and Birmingham City)
Poland just about did enough to go through to the knockout rounds, but they did not set the world alight. Their 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia proved vital as Mexico cruelly missed out on goal difference.
Bielik started all three group games but his only full 90-minute appearance in Qatar came against Saudi Arabia and the defensive midfielder impressed against the slayers of Argentina.
The European side flattered to deceive at the World Cup and Robert Lewandowski was unable to carry them to glory.
But former Arsenal youngster Bielik has been a quality operator in the Championship with Derby County and Birmingham City in recent seasons.
It would be safe to bet that by the time the 2026 World Cup rolls around, Bielik will be a regular in the Premier League.
The 24-year-old has overcome a serious injury to rebuild his career in the Football League and he showed in flashes in Qatar that more is to come from him on the international scene.
Riley McGree (Australia and Middlesbrough)
The Socceroos were a breath of fresh air and their fans back home had quite the party after wins over Tunisia and Denmark got them out of Group D with finalists and 2018 winners France.
The Danes were expected to go through and were billed as tournament dark horses.
Yet McGree calmly played in Matthew Leckie who emphatically did the rest to get Australia’s goal in the 1-0 win over Denmark that sent them through to the knockout rounds for only the second time in their history.
McGree had a spell on loan at Birmingham before he joined Middlesbrough permanently earlier this year.
The 24-year-old is a manager’s dream as he can play in central midfield, out wide and up top. His work rate also made it so he was an indispensable part of Graham Arnold’s team at the World Cup.
Michael Carrick has already got Boro moving in the right direction and there is still a lot of time for them to secure a spot in the Championship play-offs. As one…
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