The round of 16 is over, and the business end of the World Cup is looming large.What better time to revisit The Athletic’s ranking of the top 50 players at the tournament? These are informed by our player-ratings model, which provides an objective assessment of each individual’s contribution in a match.The list will stay at 50 names throughout the World Cup. Players will not simply vanish as their teams are eliminated in the knockout rounds, though they may well be leapfrogged by others who get more time to show what they can do on the sport’s biggest stage.Please feel welcome to direct your thoughts and complaints to the comments section.Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app1. Lionel Messi — Argentina/Inter Miami (same)Messi was minutes away from losing top spot in this list. Then he walked out to the right flank and started clipping in crosses that crumbled last-16 opponents Egypt and generating two goals to resurrect Argentina and atone for his second missed penalty of this World Cup. His team are still alive, and he is still peerless.Lionel Messi, penalties aside, remains peerless (Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images)2. Kylian Mbappe — France/Real Madrid (same)Deserves extra credit for not rising to all manner of Paraguayan provocation, either side of a composed penalty that saw France into the quarter-finals. Mbappe remains one slightly sub-par Messi performance away from taking over in first place. It’s that close.3. Harry Kane — England/Bayern Munich (+1)Kane followed up his DR Congo heroics with another big-time performance against Mexico, peeling two defenders away for Jude Bellingham’s first goal, then unselfishly squaring the ball for the Real Madrid man to slide in his second. Then, having flicked the ball on for Anthony Gordon to win a penalty, he converted it nervelessly.4. Erling Haaland — Norway/Manchester City (+3)Managed to pull off football’s equivalent of a brutal dunk and a pull-up three-pointer in the same game to take out Brazil, getting one over on his Premier League nemesis Gabriel in the process. Win or lose against England in Saturday’s quarter-final, Haaland and Norway have made an indelible mark on this World Cup.Erling Haaland and Norway have made a fine impression on this tournament (Al Bello/Getty Images)5. Achraf Hakimi — Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain (same)Hakimi got himself another assist as Morocco dismantled Canada, but also picked up a booking that leaves him walking a disciplinary tightrope today (Thursday) against France. His consistency in this World Cup makes him an undeniable fixture in the top 10.6. Michael Olise — France/Bayern Munich (-3)Hugely unfortunate to pick up a ridiculous yellow card that France attempted to appeal, but Olise slips here after enduring his quietest game of what had previously been a brilliant personal World Cup against Paraguay. Didier Deschamps will hope he rediscovers his groove against Morocco because when he is flying, he gives France a gear no one can match.7. Jude Bellingham — England/Real Madrid (+8)Bellingham is a big-game player, so it was no surprise to see him step up against Mexico in the cauldron of intimidation that was the Estadio Azteca. Aside from his goals, some of his ball-carrying evoked comparisons with the great Zinedine Zidane. He and Kane are the foundation of England’s hopes this summer.Jude Bellingham has leapt up our rankings with another superb performance (Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)8. Vinicius Junior — Brazil/Real Madrid (-2)Vinicius Jr was probably the Brazilian least deserving of elimination against Norway, and would have registered a sensational assist if Endrick had not fluffed his lines in the second half. Brazil have plenty of problems but he is not among them, and he can go home with his head held high.9. Aymeric Laporte — Spain/Athletic Club (+3)Spain’s defence, still yet to concede after five matches at this World Cup, deserves top-10 recognition having shut down Portugal in the round of 16. Laporte is the leader of that back line, polished enough to enhance their possession game and physical enough to handle opponents who try to take him on.10. Pau Cubarsi — Spain/Barcelona (+9)Laporte’s centre-back partner has performed with awesome composure for a 19-year-old. A faded Cristiano Ronaldo could get nothing out of him on Monday. Bigger tests are coming for Spain in this tournament, but the strength of the Laporte/Cubarsi defensive core should give them real confidence.Cristiano Ronaldo could squeeze little change out of Pau Cubarsi (left) and Aymeric Laporte (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)11. Ousmane Dembele — France/Paris Saint-Germain (-3)Dembele’s highs at this World Cup have been very high, but on his quieter days he still looks like a slightly uncomfortable fit shunted out to the right flank of France’s attack. Paraguay largely shut him down, though he never stopped trying to make an impact.12. Ismael Saibari — Morocco/Bayern Munich (-3)The strength of Morocco’s collective has become clearer in the knockout phase, and Saibari has not been as prominent as during the group matches, but the fluidity of his movement and combination play in the final third remains integral to their attack. He departed the last-16 victory against Canada early through injury and will be a big miss against France.The 4 players dominating the World Cup Golden Boot raceDean Jones13. Dayot Upamecano — France/Bayern Munich (+1)Upamecano has been ever-present at the heart of a French defence that has been highly impressive in its own right, though not quite as impenetrable as that of Spain. He defends in space better than just about anyone and passes the ball reliably too.14. William Saliba — France/Arsenal (+7)It is only right to have Saliba next to his regular national-team partner Upamecano, who sits one spot above him by virtue of having made one more appearance in this tournament. He can often fly under the radar, as the best defenders do, frequently snuffing out danger before it has a chance to truly develop.Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba swarm around Sweden’s Viktor Gyokeres (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)15. Diogo Costa — Portugal/Porto (+3)Portugal may be out but Costa further enhanced his reputation in the last-16 loss against Spain, making a series of excellent saves before substitute Mikel Merino managed to sneak the ball under him for the game’s only goal in the final minutes. He should get more opportunities to avenge this disappointment with his national side.