Top 5 most valuable players at Tokyo Olympics 2020 (one per country)

#3 Richarlison (Brazil, €55m)

Richarlison in Day 1 of the Tokyo Olympics

The first €50m+ addition on this list, Richarlison belongs to an elite group of highly sought after players, appearing in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The 24-year-old dribbling wizard broke into the Brazil squad following a solitary season with Watford, where he announced himself to the footballing world.

Subject to a €100m bid from Barcelona in the winter of 2020, Richarlison is being linked to a move to Real Madrid, following his former coach Carlo Ancelotti's appointment at the Bernabeu.

He has been instrumental for Everton, chipping in with 42 goals in 3 seasons with the Toffees. Versatile enough to be deployed on the wings as well as the center, the Brazilian has successfully silenced all his doubters with some stellar performances.

Sevilla are interested in signing James Rodriguez this summer. Richarlison wishes to sign for Real Madrid but Everton are hopeful they can keep him at the club this season(@Eurosport 🌘) pic.twitter.com/usgcnZFNYb

— Everton Talks Nsno (@NsnoTalks) July 20, 2021

Being one of the most experienced players of the Seleção at the Tokyo Olympics, alongside Dani Alves, Richarlison will be his team's go-to player for goals. Having won gold in the last edition of the coveted games, the defending champions will be looking to build a formidable plan-of-attack in an attempt to retain their title.

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#2 Franck Kessié (Côte d'Ivoire, €55m)

Ivory Coast's performance at the Tokyo Olympics would centre aro Kessie

Côte d'Ivoire's current 59th position in the latest FIFA rankings makes them only the 12th best side at the Tokyo Olympics, on paper at least. Nevertheless, the African nation possesses one of the most talented squads in the competition and AC Milan playmaker Frank Kessié is arguably the crown jewel of the team in terms of talent as well as value.

At the heart of a resurgent AC Milan, Kessié played a total of 50 games for the Rossoneri last season, clocking a colossal 4,171 minutes on the way. The 24-year-old Ivorian even pitched in with 20 goal involvements from the defensive midfield. Milan's unofficial spot chief, Kessié found the net 12 times out of 14 penalty attempts last season.

Franck Kessié: “I want to stay at AC Milan forever. I’m proud of this club and I’m not planning to leave AC Milan, absolutely”, he told Gazzetta dello Sport. He’s in advanced talks to extend his contract. 🔴🤝 #ACMilan

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 25, 2021

After an eight-year absence from the Champions League, AC Milan finally qualified for the evasive competition, with a second-place finish last season. Kessié played a pivotal role in the Italian giants' upturn. He could now prove to be the deciding factor in Ivory Coast's bid to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics as well. Should they win gold, it will be their first international title in over six years.

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#1 Pedri (Spain, €80m)

Pedri's impact could be game-changing in the Tokyo Olympics

An obvious conclusion to the list, Pedri's rise to prominence has been nothing short of amazing. In just a single season, the former Las Palmas player has managed to establish himself as one of the first names on the team sheet, for both Spain and Barcelona. Therefore, Pedri is not only the most valuable football player in La Roja's 22-man squad but also holds the aforementioned title at the entire Tokyo Olympics.

Coming off a record-breaking debut season with Barcelona, Pedri received little time to rest before picking up his boots again to represent his nation at Euro 2020. The Spaniard appeared in each of his country's six games at the tournament, spending all but one minute on the pitch. At the tender age of 18, Pedri pulled the strings from the center of the park for Spain, contributing to a massive 4.5 long balls per game, all the while maintaining a 91.3% passing accuracy.

Pedri is 18 years old.In his first senior season he played in 52 of Barcelona’s 54 games, starting 40.He then went straight to the Euros and only missed one minute of Spain’s six games.Now he’s in Tokyo, and he just played 90 minutes of Spain’s first game at the Olympics 🤯 pic.twitter.com/q2fz1qvMRw

— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 22, 2021

Bought for a paltry sum of €5m by the Catalan giants, Pedri's updated market value rates him at a whopping €80m. With this kind of consistency and athleticism at such a young age, the midfield maestro is poised to fare well at the 2021 Golden Boy awards. If the youngster can lead his side to glory in the Tokyo Olympics, his 20/21 season will be etched forever in the history books of football.