The 23 best World Cup players so far — Unstoppable Harry Kane shares top spot

The 2018 FIFA World Cup has not disappointed.

The quarterfinal fixtures are fast approaching and boy, has the tournament created drama.

We've watched the 2014 champions Germany get dumped out of the competition, a game-of-the-year nominee in France's 4-3 thrashing of Argentina, and England — finally — winning a World Cup penalty shootout. And there's still plenty more to come.

So who are the key players so far?

Business Insider has put together a power ranking of the 23 best soccer players in Russia using statistical data from number-crunching soccer site whoscored.com. The website grades players based on how the individual performs relative to his position, and ranks each player out of a maximum score of 10. In the interest of fairness, we have only counted players who have made at least two World Cup appearances.

Keep scrolling to see who made the list, ranked by score in ascending order.

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23. Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel — 7.51.

You have to feel for Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who excelled in his country's Round of 16 match despite suffering a penalty shootout defeat to Croatia.

That match, on July 1, should forever become known as the Battle of Novgorod — yet the battle was really contested by only two men, the goalkeepers, who provided the last line of defence in a sudden death scenario that would determine the fate of both nations.

Schmeichel lived up to his iconic surname, summoning his father's shield-like gloves to beat out an extra-time penalty from Luka Modric, before shootout saves against Milan Badelj and Josip Pivarić.

See former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel's reaction to his son's glorious saves right here:

22. Russia striker Artem Dzyuba — 7.52.

Artem Dzyuba came into his own in Russia's 3-1 win over Egypt, after getting overshadowed by teammates Aleksandr Golovin and Denis Cheryshev in Russia's 5-0 rout over Saudi Arabia in the previous game.

Against Egypt, Dzyuba displayed exceptional lone striker traits like strength and providing a clear focal point for attack. Dzyuba won countless aerial challenges, attracted fouls, and got himself a goal.

Dzyuba also netted Russia's only goal in the 1-1 draw with Spain, a result that eventually saw the team progress into the quarter-final stages — at the expense of the much-favoured 2010 World Cup champions.

Watch Dzyuba's powerful penalty here:

21. Sweden midfielder Viktor Claesson — 7.53.

Viktor Claesson is perhaps one of the most unheralded heroes in this Sweden side.

He did not strike the winning goal in the Round of 16 like Emil Forsberg, or lead from the back like star captain Andreas Granqvist, but Claesson is a consistent 7.5 / 10 soccer player.

In every game at the 2018 World Cup so far, Claesson has delivered with a succession of interceptions, clearances, and knowing where to be at precisely the right time.

Against England, in his country's must-win match on Saturday, it is likely he will continue to deliver as the country's top midfield mind.