After the completion of the 64 games of the FIFA World Cup, we take a look at the players who have been outstanding in their respective positions.
Unsurprisingly, only players who made it to the semi finals made the cut but there are also players who didn’t reach the stage that were outstanding in the tournament but unfortunately, only eleven players can be named.
Here is our best XI for the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup…
TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT
Goalkeeper : Dominik Livakovic of Croatia
Most saves in the tournament. Joint most shout-out penalties saved in the history of the tournament. Two clean sheets but man, Dominik Livakovic made some impression for himself in the tournament.
Many will feel he should have been named the best Goalkeeper ahead of Emiliano Martinez but just like Gvardiol and Fernandez, playing in the final does gives you an edge.
Left back : Theo Hernandez of France
Theo got lucky thanks to the unfortunate injury to his brother, Lucas but did earned his right to the spot from the onset.
Even though France kept just one clean sheet in the tournament, he played his part both in defence and attack, adding a goal and two assists to his name in Qatar.
Center Back : Josko Gvardiol of Croatia
Lost out on the young player of the tournament on a merit that Enzo Fernandez played and won the final but Gvardiol was so good in the tournament one would think he has more than 20 years.
The RB Leipzig defender also scored a goal in the third place play-off, making him the youngest goalscorer ever, for Croatia in the tournament.
Center Back : Nicolas Otamendi of Argentina
Nicolas Otamendi was a force in the Argentina backline on their way to claiming the title in Qatar with his reliable and composed defending.
Led from the back and assisted a crucial opener in their quarter final win over Australia. In addition, Argentina kept three clean sheets on their way to the final and he was a handful for opposition strikers.
Right back : Achraf Hakimi of Morocco
The PSG defender gave his all to help his side deliver history as the first African nation to reach the last four of the tournament, keeping four clean sheets, the most in Qatar 2022.
Hakimi also showed his prowess in attack and hardly will anyone fault his impact, as well as place in the tournament’s best XI.
Center Defensive Midfielder : Marcelo Brozovic of Croatia
Before the semi final loss to Argentina, Marcelo Brozovic had been the player with most distance covered in every FIFA World Cup match he had played in.
Against Japan, he covered more ground than any player in the history of the FIFA World Cup, a record he previously owned but bettered this time by reaching 16.7 kilometers, which is more than 16.3 kilometers he set against England in 2018.
He was subbed off injured against Argentina just after the restart and missed the third place playoff against Morocco but his impact had already earned him a place here.
Center Midfielder : Sofyan Amrabat of Morocco
Amrabat was one of the most standout performers for Morocco as they achieved the unexpected in Qatar. The Fiorentina midfielder made 57 recoveries, more than any other player in the tournament.
Amrabat had an outing to remember in Qatar and a lot of clubs must be impressed and might potentially be considering moving for him. Even France president, Emmanuel Macron was impressed by this Atlas Lions Maestro.
Attacking Midfield : Antoine Griezmann of France
Antoine Griezmann is one of the stars of the tournament albeit things didn’t go well for him in the final. He was the best playmaker out there and created more chances than anyone throughout.
The Atletico man also registered three assists, joint most in the tournament. Under Didier Deschamps, he isn’t the Goalscoring minded player and has become more of a creator in chief and he surely did that to perfection in Qatar.
Right Wing forward : Lionel Messi of Argentina
Best player of the tournament. Lionel Messi missed out on the golden boot award by just a goal and was joint top for assists registered with three.
The final match was his 26th in the FIFA World Cup, making him the most featured player in the tournament’s history. He also took five penalties in Qatar (excluding shootouts), making him the player with most penalties taken in a single edition in history.
More importantly, he led Argentina to their first title in the competition since 1986 and deservedly won the golden ball, becoming the first player to win the award twice.
Striker : Olivier Giroud of France
The French striker didn’t even manage a shot on target in the 2018 edition when France won the title but in Qatar, scored four important goals, including the winner against England in the quarter finals.
In fact, only Kylian Mbappé has more open play goals than the AC Milan man in the just concluded tournament and even if it was a close one between himself and Julian Alvarez, he in the pick here having played fewer minutes of the two.
Left Wing Forward : Kylian Mbappé of France
Top scorer of the tournament with eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final, Kylian Mbappé came agonizingly close leading France to back-to-back success but it wasn’t to be.
First player to score a hat-trick in FIFA World Cup final since Geoff Hurst for England in 1966, the world is not ready for what this player could achieve with his talent.
Could have easily been named the best player of the tournament too but he got the silver ball this time, and still has the time ahead of him to win that and more.
Honourable mentions
Luka Modric of Croatia
Yassine Bonou of Morocco
Bukayo Saka of England
Enzo Fernandez of Argentina
Bruno Fernandes of Portugal
Azzedine Ounahi of Morocco
Julian Alvarez of Argentina
Author: Kehinde Hassan Afolabi
