World Cup 2018: 5 Players Whose Value Has Skyrocketed

Aleksandr Golovin

2018 FIFA World Cup Quarter-finals: Russia vs Croatia

It seemed as if Russian midfielder Aleksandr Golovin was destined to leave CSKA Moscow before the World Cup had even begun. But fortunately for CSKA, the playmaker’s performances on world football’s grandest stage will have done nothing if not inflate his value.

Many had predicted that Russia – the competition’s lowest ranked team – wouldn’t even make it past the group stage, but the home nation proved all naysayers wrong by progressing through to the quarter-finals. There, they would ultimately go out to Croatia, but they’d impressed many along the way – not least in how their spirited side knocked out Spain in the last 16. And throughout it all, Golovin was the man so often pulling the strings.

Throughout the tournament and beyond, Golovin has been linked with a slew of top-tier European sides, and at times it seemed as if Chelsea was his most likely destination. Now though, it looks as if the creative, free-flowing 22-year-old could well find himself lining up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus next season.

In Golovin's four World Cup appearances, he was at the heart of everything positive about the Russian side - amassing one goal and two assists.