Biggest winners and losers from the 2018 Men's World Cup

Brazilian superstar Neymar has probably already put the World Cup out of his mind, potentially ahead of completing a big-money move to Real Madrid. His theatrics and dives during the tournament tarnished his reputation and legacy, and his antics turned him into a meme and a challenge . Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe may have replaced Neymar as the next contender to the throne currently shared by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. 

Tottenham Hotspur were the most represented club in the semifinal round with nine players featuring for three different nations. That's quite an advertisement for manager Mauricio Pochettino and what he has achieved with Spurs. His stock continues to rise. 

Mohamed Salah entered the World Cup as Egypt's best player after becoming a revelation while helping Liverpool qualify for the Champions League Final. As CNN's John Sinnott and Alireza Hajihosseini explained, Salah apparently considered quitting the national team after a picture with Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov caused controversy. According to Goal's Mahmoud Abdel Rahman, Egypt Football Association executive manager Tharwat Sweilem attempted to pour cold water over those rumors earlier this month. We'll have to wait and see. 

It's understood some American viewers missed seeing and hearing Ian Darke call the action, but the Fox crew deserves a standing ovation for their efforts. John Strong became, as Deadspin's Kevin Koczwara described, "America's Voice For An America-Free World Cup." The commentary team of Derek Rae and Aly Wagner was a massive hit. Kelly Smith emerged as the star of pre- and post-match shows. A+. 

AS Argentina reported on July 11 that Argentina head coach Jorge Sampaoli will not take charge of Argentina's U-20 side for a tournament later this month. It's the only logical conclusion to a story that began with Sampaoli naming a curious squad for his specific tactics, decisions that left a leaky back line exposed and wasted the final World Cup of Lionel Messi's prime. 

Had England not joined Belgium in the semifinals, Roberto Martinez would be leaving Russia as the tournament's top redemption story among managers. The former Wigan boss who flopped with Everton guided Belgium's golden generation to within a goal of extra time in a semifinal versus France, and he was widely praised for tactics that propelled his squad to a comeback against Japan and a 2-1 win over Brazil. 

No names, please, but you critics of England's Raheem Sterling should have to take the rest of the summer off from commenting on football until the Premier League returns. His finishing left plenty to be desired, sure, but he more than proved his worth, especially in the semifinal. Replacing Sterling with Marcus Rashford against Croatia was one of the few things Gareth Southgate got wrong.  

France's N'golo Kante doesn't generate SportsCenter headlines with interceptions and perfectly-played passes that create attacking sequences. He's merely a consistent midfield boss who gets better and better with every outing. He's earned himself no less than a pay raise from Chelsea. 

Senegal's loss to Colombia, coupled with the Fair Play rule that needs to be reexamined before the next major international tournament, guaranteed that no African nation qualified for the knockout stages of this year's World Cup. It was, per the BBC, the first time since 1982 for such an occurrence for the continent. 

The sky is the limit for 24-year-old Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford after multiple stellar performances with England. Pickford saved the Three Lions on several occasions, and he could serve as the England No. 1 for the next two World Cup tournament if he works to improve ahead of signing for a larger club down the road. 

Iceland's stunning win over England at the 2016 UEFA European Championship made them a worldwide sensation, and they seemed on the cusp of another impressive run after holding Argentina to a 1-1 draw in their World Cup opener. A 2-0 loss to Nigeria erased the luster of that first result, though, and Iceland then fell to Croatia at the death to quietly exit Russia after only a trio of games. 

Of course the 19-year-old wonderkid hit the back of the net in the final. Kylian Mbappe showed a worldwide audience why he is football's next big thing and potentially the next most expensive transfer in history. It's a matter of when, not if, he'll be starting for Real Madrid. 

As ESPN's Tom Marshall explained, Mexico dropped their seventh straight round-of-16 World Cup match when El Tri suffered a 2-0 defeat to Brazil. There's no shame in losing to Brazil, but the 3-0 thumping Mexico endured at the hands of Sweden sent the two countries to different ends of the bracket. Oh, what could have been. 

Kieran Trippier is a role model for anybody struggling with following his or her dreams. Trippier was a Manchester City flop and a second-choice option behind Kyle Walker at Tottenham Hotspur. He became an England mainstay who scored a brilliant free-kick goal in a semifinal, and his value has never been higher. 

It only takes a few to ruin the bunch, so goes the adage, and that was the case throughout World Cup contests. According to Reuters/ESPN, Mexico, Russia, Serbia and Morocco were all handed fines for different reasons, including discriminatory chants and crowd disturbances. It was reported on July 12 that FIFA had opened an investigation into chants shouted by England fans during the team's loss to Croatia. 

Wide playmaker Emil Forsberg became a hero for Sweden during the World Cup, and his deflected goal against Switzerland booked his nation a spot in the quarterfinals. Forsberg, with RB Leipzig as of the end of the tournament, could be on his way to the Premier League. 

The video assistant referee (VAR) system wasn't a complete disaster at the World Cup, but that doesn't mean it was successful. As it exists today, VAR unintentionally ices goalkeepers before penalties, it causes avoidable stoppages in play and it's far from flawless in getting decisions right. 

Russia reminded fans that defensive and "boring" football often creates great theater. The hosts' shocking victory over Spain in the penalty shootout was a historic moment, as was the late equalizer scored by Mario Fernandes versus Croatia. A side that qualified only because of where the tournament occurred was a shootout away from the semifinal round. 

Poland named 47-year-old Wisla Plock new national team boss following the country's three-and-out World Cup showing. He's got quite a bit of work ahead of him. Poland were dreadfully poor, most notably during a 3-0 defeat to Colombia, and the nation would be contenders for biggest disappointment of the tournament if not for the 2014 winners. 

Say whatever you will about the "Three Lions" tune that shot up the UK charts during the World Cup. It was probably in your head at least once in early July. The memes, the chants and the song, itself, brought football home, even though not exactly as England supporters hoped after their squad qualified for the semifinal. 

La Roja were a dumpster fire before the World Cup when the country's football federation sacked manager Julen Lopetegui days before the squad's first game after he accepted the Real Madrid gig. On the pitch, Spain's only victory in four matches came against lowly Iran, and they were unceremoniously dismissed from the competition by Russia in a shootout. Will tiki-taka's latest alleged demise last?

Gone are the days of taking the greatest midfielder of the 2000s for granted. If there's justice and honesty in the sport, Luka Modric won the Ballon d'Or with his play at the World Cup. The Golden Ball trophy was the least he deserved. 

Cristiano Ronaldo will be 34 years old next February. Lionel Messi turned 31 in June. To put things in perspective, Sweden left 36-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Los Angeles with the LAFC this summer. The two greatest players of their generation may never again feature in a World Cup. 

England coach Gareth Southgate, waistcoat and all, is a national treasure after ushering a squad that began the World Cup with low expectations to within a Kyle Walker headed clearance or Harry Kane goal from the Final. The man who famously missed from the spot during a shootout at the 1996 European Football Championship took the Three Lions further than most imagined. 

Knowing all that we know now, the defending 2014 World Cup champs should've gone on summer vacations. At least that Toni Kroos goal was pretty cool. Too bad it had zero value by the end of the group stage.