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This is a World Cup full of surprises. Even before it began, it flabbergasted people with the fact that two big-name teams couldn’t make it to the main tournament as both Italy and Netherlands had to bow to out of qualifiers – hence missing out of the finals in Russia.
If you thought that that was the end of surprises then and there, you were perhaps never more wrong in life (except for when you thought Justin Bieber could be a great singer after discovering him on YouTube during his initial days).
As the tournament progressed, one shock followed another. It started with Germany as they lost to Mexico and South Korea to bow out of the tournament from the group round itself.
And now, four teams have been eliminated from the round of 16: Argentina, Portugal, Spain and Denmark. The first three teams are considered among the big names in football and now they are out as the World Cup continues to surprise people with its unpredictability.
There have been some great individual performances in this World Cup which has largely featured the progression of teams that play well as a unit. These players have not only seen their values increase but could also make big-money moves after the conclusion of the tournament.
And here are 7 such players who could be bought by big amounts after the end of the World Cup 2018.
#7 Hirving Lozano
When Mexico were preparing to take on reigning world champions Germany in their first group game, no one expected them to win. A draw was their best bet in a group which also featured Sweden and South Korea.
In the end, however, Mexico not only played well but also won against the Germans and took their first step towards qualification to the second round. In that match, Hirving Lozano stepped up and scored a goal for his nation.
Then in the next match against South Korea, he stepped up once again to provide a neat assist to Javier Hernandez, who then scored a goal that eventually turned out to be the winner for Mexico.
With Lozano announcing himself at the world stage - and it was about time - a host of clubs could battle for his signature to sign him for an expensive amount.
#6 Aleksandr Golovin
It is difficult to put this with a proper analogy but Golovin is the type of player who features on you ‘relatively unknown players to watch out for’ list and then while almost everyone from that list fails, he succeeds and gives you the bragging rights to claim yourself as one of the best keyboard scouts who deserves a shot at a professional club.
Aleksandr Golovin has been somewhat of a revelation for Russia in this year’s World Cup. For a team that doesn’t have many creative hubs, Golovin has been the player who is at the heart of everything beautiful Russia do on a football pitch.
The CSKA Moscow star put out a masterclass against Saudi Arabia as he scored a goal and made two assists against the Asian outfit. After a relatively quiet game against Egypt, he put in a great shift against Spain in a game which Russia’s sole plan was to play the penalty shootout and hope for the best.
With quite a handful of clubs circulating him – coupled with his good performances at the World Cup – he is set for a major move to a European giant.
#5 Heung-Min Son
While all the talk is about how Harry Kane is conquering the world at this year’s World Cup, his Spurs teammate also had a great tournament despite the fact that he only played in the three group stage games of the tournament.
Heung-Min Son is not only a wonderful player but also a beautiful personality, someone who wears the crest on his heart while playing. He gives it his 100% whenever he is on the pitch and this is why South Korea won so many hearts in this year’s World Cup.
He scored two goals for his nation at the World Cup, one of which was a peach of a long shot that came against Mexico in a losing cause and the other was a final stab of the dagger at the heart of Germany.
All of that coupled with his great season with Spurs and Daniel Levy’s stinginess on the negotiation table makes it all the more logical that he could cost a lot of money.
#4 Juan Quintero
After James heroics in the last World Cup, many thought that this would be another tournament where Colombia would rest on his shoulder as he once again plays at his best to take them as far as possible.
Injuries, however, didn’t help his cause as he missed most of the group stage due to injuries. In his absence, however, another Colombian stepped up and took it upon himself to show his nation the light.
Juan Quintero was dubbed as the next James Rodriguez when he was slowly starting to break into the scene. His performances this World Cup is perhaps a great indication as to why he was compared to the former Monaco man.
So far in this competition, he has scored a goal while also providing two assists to help Colombia qualify for the round of 16 after an initial scare against Senegal.
Wolves are already lurking around him and more suitors will follow if he continues his great form. Given that Porto have a tendency to extract as much money as possible from a sale, Quintero could become one of the most expensive signings of this summer.
#3 Alisson
Even before the World Cup began, the Brazil number one was being touted for a big-money move to a European elite. His season with Roma was excellent and he continued his brilliance with Brazil whenever called upon.
He hasn’t had to make many saves but looked assured whenever he needed to make one. Among the big-name goalkeepers, his performances have been the best and it is of little wonder as to why he is such a coveted shot-stopper in the world of football right now.
Brazil have only conceded one goal in the tournament thus far and has definitely added a few more millions to his already huge price-tag. With Chelsea being linked with the superstar, it is almost assured that he is set to become the most expensive goalkeeper in the history of football this summer.
#2 Eden Hazard
It is quite astonishing that Eden Hazard still plays for Chelsea. While the Londoners did win the league in 2016-17, this is as erratic a club as it gets. The season before they won the league, Chelsea finished 10th.
And this season, the Blues finished fifth, subsequently missing out on the Champions League next season. They have barely threatened in Europe with Eden Hazard in the team and it somewhat feels like the Belgian has stagnated as a player at the Stamford Bridge.
Before the start of the World Cup, Hazard revealed that he will make a decision about his Chelsea future after seeing what the club do in the transfer market this summer.
Given that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich hasn’t allotted much money for them this summer, there is a good chance that the Blues have another underwhelming window – which means that Hazard could leave the club.
And given that Hazard has been one of the best players in this World Cup, he will come at a huge cost.
#1 Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe has, for a while now, been the best teenage player in the world. He further consolidated his position as the best in this World Cup by a ripper of a performance against Argentina, where he scored two goals and also won a penalty for his team.
While he might have already made a big-money move to Paris-Saint Germain last summer, costing a mammoth €180 million for the French giants, he could once again move clubs this summer with Real Madrid lurking around.
Florentino Perez has a tendency to sign a young star player of a World Cup after the conclusion of the tournament. He signed Mesut Ozil in 2010 and James Rodriguez in 2014.
And now, among the players that don’t play for Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe is the sole standout young superstar as he has scored three goals from three starts and could make a move to the club he supported as a child.
