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The beautiful game has been graced by many world-class players across various positions and from many different countries over the years.
These players have entertained fans with their skills on the ball, metronomic passing prowess, rugged defence or brilliant goalkeeping. In the process, they have helped their clubs and countries to achieve success. The definition of success could vary, though, depending on the pedigree of the club or national team.
Nevertheless, with football being a global game, players from all six habitable continents have made a mark on the biggest stage. That could mean excelling at the FIFA World Cup or playing in one of Europe's top five leagues, which boosts a player's profile and valuation.
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On that note, here's a look at the most valuable players from each of the six continents at the moment:
#6 Oceania and Australia - Chris Wood (€8 million)
Chris Wood has had a fairly successful career in the English top flight. Currently playing for Burnley, the 29-year-old New Zealand attacker has racked up almost 150 appearances in the Premier League.
He has scored 49 goals in the competition for three different clubs. Wood notably made WhoScored's Premier League Team of the Month in April this year.
The 2015-16 OFC Nations Cup winner has also found success for New Zealand, scoring 27 goals in over 50 games. Earlier this year, he scored his first goal in international football in almost four years.
#5 North America - Alphonso Davies (€70 million)
Alphonso Davies is one of the modern game's classic rags-to-riches stories. Born to refugee parents, Davies has moved continents to become one of the most exciting young players in the game today.
Still only 21, Davies is a continental-treble winner and is already talked about as one of the best left-backs in the game. He has already made 100 appearances for Bayern Munich, scoring five times. However, he has been a different beast in Canadian colours.
Davies (10) doubled his international goal tally in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers. That has helped Canada edge closer to qualifying for the quadrennial competition after nearly four decades.
Davies will hope to replicate the same heroics at Bayern Munich and become more of a goal threat.
#4 Asia - Heung-min Son (€85 million)
Heung-min Son has had a successful career for club and country. The Tottenham Hotspur winger has been particularly dazzling in the Premier League, bagging 74 goals and 44 assists, all for Spurs.
The 29-year-old enjoyed a prolific league campaign last season, scoring 17 times and assisting 11 others. However, despite his exploits and that of Harry Kane, Spurs failed to qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League.
He has had a quiet start to his 2021-22 campaign, though, tallying only seven goal contributions (five goals, two assists) across competitions. However, Son will have a key role to play under new manager Antonio Conte as Spurs seek to end their long title drought.
The 2019 Asian Games gold medalist has excelled for South Korea, registering 30 goals and 17 assists in nearly a hundred appearances.
#3 South America - Neymar (€100 million)
This one may come as a surprise, but it's Neymar and not Lionel Messi who is the most valuable South American player at the moment. The valuation probably has a lot to do with the fact that Neymar is five years younger than Messi and has more time left at the top level.
The 29-year-old winger has won almost every major title in his club career. Neymar played a key role in Barcelona's continental treble in 2014-15. Now at PSG, he has registered over 100 goal contributions, winning multiple Ligue 1 titles and making one Champions League final.
Neymar has been a prolific scorer for Brazil, netting 70 strikes to close in on record goalscorer Pele (77). He scored nine times in the Selecao's successful FIFA World Cup 2022 qualification campaign.
The PSG winger has had a quiet start to his 2021-22 club campaign, netting only thrice across competitions. He'll look to rectify that in the company of Messi, who has joined him at PSG this summer.
#2 Africa - Mohamed Salah (€100 million)
Mohamed Salah, on current form, is arguably the world's best player at the moment.
The Egyptian ace has been on a tear this season, amassing 15 strikes and six assists across competitions. He has scored in a club-record ten consecutive games for Liverpool. Salah (107) recently overtook Didier Drogba (104) to become the Premier League's most prolific African goalscorer.
Salah has been sensational since arriving at Liverpool four years ago. He has played a key role in the Reds becoming a force to be reckoned with in England and Europe. He was one of their rare bright spots in an otherwise dismal Premier League campaign last season.
Considering his staggering exploits, Salah is one of the contenders to win this year's Ballon d'Or award.
#1 Europe - Kylian Mbappe (€160 million)
Kylian Mbappe is one of the best young players in the game at the moment. Still only 22, the Frenchman already has a burgeoning trophy cabinet.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has won four Ligue 1 titles and has scored over a hundred goals in the competition. Only the UEFA Champions League is conspicuous by its absence in Mbappe's impressive trophy haul.
Last season, the Frenchman plundered 42 goals across competitions. But PSG were pipped by Lille to the Ligue 1 title and were beaten by Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals.
After a quiet outing at Euro 2020, Mbappe has sizzled for France. The 2021 Nations League winner scored four times against Kazakhstan to confirm France's place at the FIFA World Cup 2022. In the process, he became the first French player in over six decades to net a competitive quadruple.
The 2021 Ballon d'Or contender has scored over 40 goals for club and country this year.
