Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app.The biggest World Cup in history is in full flow, as are some of the biggest stars.Lionel Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria in the Kansas City dusk got reigning champions Argentina off to a flyer, followed up by a brace against Austria and a sixth of the tournament against Jordan; Kylian Mbappe scored four across France’s three group games while Erling Haaland matched that in Norway’s first two matches before being rested in the third; Harry Kane, another world-leading striker, notched a brace in England’s opening victory and got another against Panama on Saturday.They, and the sheer amount of football on show, have largely shifted headlines away from the myriad off-field issues which have plagued this summer’s tournament. FIFA will doubtless be happy for footballers to take centre stage.The World Cup is routinely held up as a showcase of football’s best players and, in theory, the bloating of the tournament from 32 to 48 competing teams should embolden the argument. More teams equals less chance of the best missing out.Identifying who ‘the best’ is, especially in football, an exercise in subjectivity. Who chooses how one player betters another, particularly when the simple fact of playing in a different position can make direct comparison impossible?One way to quantify it is to turn to a resource football seems exponentially in thrall to: money. In a game governed by cash, it stands to reason the most valuable players in the world should also be held up as the best.To fathom where the most value resides, The Athletic has enlisted the help of Twenty First Group (TFG), a sports intelligence firm which includes high-profile clubs, leagues and more among its client base and holds enough football data to make your head spin.Our request? TFG’s pre-tournament list of the 200 most valuable players on the planet, please.An important methodological interlude: