Marcos Leonardo ($4.0m) is no stranger to the big stage and the bright lights. Two years ago in Argentina he was one of the stars of the FIFA U-20 World Cup™. Even with Brazil falling in the quarter-finals he managed to finish as the tournament’s second highest scorer, having found the target in four of the five matches that his nation played.
Barely a year after that tournament, the starlet made the second move of his young career, shifting from SL Benfica to Al Hilal. He wasted little time in winning over the Blues faithful, bagging 17 goals in 24 matches in his first Saudi Pro League campaign.
He’s carried that form into the FIFA Club World Cup™ where, in the absence of injured striker Aleksandar Mitrovic ($7.5m), the 22-year-old has been tasked with leading the Al Hilal line.
Lead it he has. After having scored the late settler in a 2-0 win over CF Pachuca to seal the Blues’ spot in the Round of 16 he then went on to play a star role as they rolled European heavyweights Manchester City. With two goals, two shots on target and the scouting bonus, he bagged 14 points to end a dramatic evening as the highest-scoring Fantasy player of the day – and at a rock-bottom price.
Elsewhere, Fluminense FC’s impressive 2-0 win over FC Internazionale Milano saw their defensive assets again prosper, with goalkeeper Fabio ($4.6m) now the highest scoring keeper in the game. Defenders Juan Pablo Freytes ($4.1m) and Samuel Xavier ($4.2m) are also both in the top four of their position and loom as great value picks for the quarter-finals.
With two European heavyweights departing the tournament, so too we farewell some of the highest-owned options, with forward Erling Haaland ($11.0m) and Denzel Dumfries ($6.3m) among those who will no longer take part and who also cost plenty of owners the extra two points on the Qualification Booster.
FC Internazionale Milano 0-2 Fluminense FC
GK Fabio (Fluminense, $4.6m) – 10 points
DEF Samuel Xavier (Fluminense, $4.2m) – 9 points
DEF Thiago Silva (Fluminense, $4.7m) – 9 points
DEF Denzel Dumfries (Inter, 6.3m) – 1 point
GK Yann Sommer (Inter, $5.4m) – 1 point
FWD Lautaro Martinez (Inter, $9.8m) – 3 points
Manchester City 3-4 Al Hilal
FWD Marcos Leonardo (Al Hilal, $4.0m) – 14 points
FWD Malcolm (Al Hilal, $7.0m) – 12 points
MID Bernardo Silva (Manchester City, $6.7m) – 10 points
GK Ederson (Manchester City, $5.6m) | -1 point
DEF Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City, $6.1m) | -1 point
MID Jeremy Doku (Manchester City, $7.0m) – 2 points
Real Madrid C.F. v Juventus FC
Borussia Dortmund v CF Monterrey
FWD Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid, $11.0m) – 27.4%
DEF Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid, $6.4m) – 25.8%
MID Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, $9.3m) – 20.8%
FWD Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund, $9.0m) – 18.9%
GK Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, $6.0m) – 17.5%
After that pair of heavyweights fell on the penultimate day of Round of 16 action, those who deployed the Qualification Booster will be hoping for perhaps more smooth sailing here, and that’s reflected in the hefty ownership of both Real Madrid C.F. and Borussia Dortmund assets.
Even with that pair, there’s still differentials to be found though with Madrid starlet Arda Guler ($6.5m) hovering right around the cut-off for the scouting bonus and, although above that mark, breakout forward Gonzalo Garcia ($5.1m) has had a tournament to remember and looks likely to once again feature up front for Xabi Alonso’s side.
Their opponents, Juventus FC, have both forward Randal Kolo Muani ($8.0m) and attack-minded full-back Andrea Cambiaso ($5.3m) well-priced and lowly owned and therefore appealing options.
Finally, the two probable attacking midfielders for Dortmund, Karim Adeyemi ($8.0m) and Jobe Bellingham ($5.7m) could also be sound investments for a clash with CF Monterrey that they’ve favoured to win.
