Studded stars: World's most valuable soccer players

5. Kevin De Bruyne. Belgium.
Valued at €150million

When he was 11, Kevin told his mum out of the blue: “I want to study Latin for two years, then I’ll go to the Topsport School and when I’m 18, I will fully focus on my football.” It was a plan he stuck to. “Kevin was stubborn as hell, like a mule”, his youth coach Frank De Leyn recalls in an article in The Guardian, “but I also think that it is that stubbornness, that character trait, that has made him the player he is now”.

Saliva tests done by doctors on the eve of games reveal his stress levels to be very low. Outside football, Kevin loves nothing more than spending time with his family and a small circle of close friends. Recently, he revealed a secret to his sparkling form this season; his two-year-old is finally sleeping through the night.