FIFA World Cup 2018: The players carrying the 'biggest weight on their shoulders'

Going purely by the monetary value of a player, the Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has the biggest weight on his shoulders. Salah, valued at €171 million, constitutes nearly three-fourths of the total squad value of the Pharaohs which is pegged at €232 million.

Similarly, South Korean striker Son Heung-min valued at €90 million constitutes 73% of the total valuation of the Asian nation's World Cup squad by the CIES Football Observatory. The football research portal pegs the South Korean squad worth €123 million.

France has reached Sochi with the most valuable squad worth €1,410 million. Its striker Kylian Mbappé worth €186.5 million is also the third most valuable player set to play during the FIFA World Cup 2018. Though the Frenchman constitutes only 13% of the national squad value.

England and Brazil with a valuation of €1,386 and €1,269 respectively are the next most valuable teams. Englishman Harry Kane, who is also the most valuable player according to CIES Football Observatory, and Brazillian wonder Neymar are the most valuable players for their respective teams, both constituting 15% of the squad valuation.

Out of the 32 teams which are going to play at the 21^st FIFA World Cup, there are three teams who have almost no players employed by clubs in the most competitive leagues: Panama, Saudi Arabia and Iran. These three teams are also the least valued among them.

The top 10 most valued squads are either European or South American, not surprisingly, as these two continents are the powerhouses of world football.