2022 FIFA World Cup Best Eleven: Argentina and Morocco are strongly represented among the standout performers after a massive tournament.
The 2022 World Cup came and went after a busy month, with Argentina’s legendary victory marking its conclusion.
While it was predicted that Argentina and Kylian Mbappé’s France would do well on the biggest platform in the world, other countries like Morocco and Croatia exceeded expectations, as did many of their players.
The month-long celebration of the finest players the beautiful game has to offer was remarkable, particularly on the pitch, despite arriving awkwardly in the middle of the European domestic seasons and disappearing in what felt like an instant.
With full high definition and as many computer-generated VAR offside judgement images as your eyes can bear, the game was stunning.
Lionel Messi carried the team and the entire nation on his shoulders the entire time as Argentina prevailed. In a remarkable run, Morocco became the first country from Africa to reach the semifinals.
The performances of established powerhouses were startlingly poor. We enjoyed a variety of things.
We’ll look at some of Qatar’s top individual performances. Exactly eleven of them. You will then have your Futballnews 2022 World Cup Best XI when those players are merged.
Here is our tournament team from Qatar:
Goalkeeper
Dominik Livaković, Croatia
On their journey to third place, The Checkered Ones put on another spectacular performance. They had one major contributor to their success, aside from Luka Modri (who for some reason didn’t make this squad): goalie Dominik Livakovi.
Livakovi was outstanding in goal for Croatia despite having the brilliant Joko Gvardiol in front of him (more on that soon).
Emiliano Martnez of Argentina is a deserving honorable mention.
Defenders
LB: Theo Hernández, France
Les Bleus didn’t miss a beat when Theo replaced his brother Lucas, who suffered an ACL tear just 13 minutes into France’s World Cup campaign.
Hernandez, one of the top-rated left backs who competed in Qatar (7.22, per WhoScored.com), gave France vigor and consistency down the wing.
Theo was the best left-back out of a group of generally average players, even though he wasn’t at his best against Argentina in the final and you may criticize his performance against England in the quarters.
CB: Romain Saïss, Morocco
Without an extraordinary team effort in which all the players gave everything they had to give, Morocco would not have made it all the way to the semifinals.
Romain Sass, the captain and center defender for this outstanding team, was one of its notable performers. Prior to the semifinals, putting together a team that allowed (checks notes) 0 goals in open play justifies a spot on the tournament’s best XI.
CB: Joško Gvardiol, Croatia
The masked man was a well-known figure before the tournament in Qatar, and his performance cemented his reputation as one of the top young defenders in the world of soccer.
Gvardiol was excellent even if he had the Lionel Messi Treatment against Argentina in the semifinals (he defended Leo well on that goal, for the record).
He possesses all the qualities you want in a dominant center back, including size, athleticism, placement, and a very menacing face.
He is currently at RB Leipzig, although not for long. The big boys will be coming for him sooner than later.
RB: Achraf Hakimi, Morocco
Achraf Hakimi is the star player on the outstanding Moroccan Atlas Lions team. The barnstorming fullback, who has the speed to keep up with colleague Kylian Mbappé of Paris Saint-Germain, was fantastic in Qatar and deserves more praise for the outstanding work he did in this team.
Oh, and he used a Panenka to convert the game-winning penalty against Spain in the round of 16 shootout. The best spice, earning a place in the Best XI.
Honorable Mention: Portugal’s Diogo Dalot
Midfielders
CM: Jude Bellingham, England
Jude Bellingham, the member of the Best XI whose country was eliminated first, was outstanding for England at the World Cup.
Bellingham, who is just 19 years old, appears to be a lock for many major tournament eliminations to come and will once again be the team’s finest player. Bellingham was a part of almost everything good England did, frequently driving the squad forward alone.
With an average rating of 7.58, he was the best central midfielder at the World Cup. Bellingham will offer the English reason to hope for the future, along with fellow prodigy Bukayo Saka (who narrowly missed this Best XI).
Honorable Mention: Croatia’s Luka Modric
CM: Sofyan Amrabat, Morocco
Jude may have won the World Cup’s best center midfielder award, but Mr. Amrabat was by far the most significant player.
Amrabat, along with the rest of the Moroccan team, won over the public’s affection and admiration for football with his tenacious play, neatness on the ball, and experience of a player who has won the largest award in the past.
Although Amrabat’s trophy collection is little, he may be proud of the joy he spread by leading Morocco to its first-ever semifinal appearance.
CAM: Antoine Griezmann, France
Not a lot was anticipated of Griezmann going into the competition. Griezmann had a difficult season at Atlético Madrid and was limited in his playing time for a period of the season due to the club’s contract with Barcelona for his services. However, pre-tournament injuries allowed Griezmann to play a larger part for France.
Griezmann performed admirably and appeared to easily shift into a do-it-all player for Les Bleus while playing as a No. 8, combining in attack and setting up a trio of offensive players with outstanding skill.
In addition, he tied for the tournament lead in assists with three and topped all offensive midfielders in critical passes with 22, average player rating at 7.52, and important passes per game.
Forwards
LW: Kylian Mbappé, France
Mbappé’s effort in the championship game, not to mention his entire tournament, was deserving of a World Cup victory. He was outstanding from beginning to end, and even if he might not ever be considered the “GOAT,” he is headed for extremely rarefied air.
Mbappé, who is only 23 years old, scored eight goals in seven World Cup games his route to winning the Golden Boot. Of the eight, his memorable dramatic equalizer in the championship game would have been deserving of winning this tournament on another day. He made one of his best ever strikes, and it was spectacular.
Mbappé established a new record by completing his hat trick in extra time, which had not happened in a World Cup final in more over 50 years.
Has the fact that he is 23 years old been mentioned? He still has three more World Cups left and might be remembered as the greatest performer ever on the biggest stage. Olivier Giroud undoubtedly agrees.
RW: Lionel Messi, Argentina
It was Messi’s competition. He might walk for the most of the game these days, but he still has a team that was made for him, allowing him to remain the best player in the world.
He required a tough, dedicated midfield to provide him the foundation, but with their help, he scored in every knockout game. With a stunning long-range strike, he changed the outcome of the important game against Mexico.
Before directing the second half, he grabbed a ball out of the air, started the move that resulted in Australia’s first goal, and finished it.
He provided the assist for Nahuel Molina’s goal against the Netherlands with a beautiful through ball, and he brilliantly ran to set up lvarez’s second goal against Croatia.
And finally, the final: his penalty, the ball that was kicked around the corner to set up the second goal, the close-range shot that made it 3-2, and all the other opportunities he created. The dedication of victory comes last.
ST: Olivier Giroud, France
Giroud, unfortunately, saved his worst tournament performance for the championship match against Argentina and was hooked before halftime. Some claimed that he was injured, but the French found the first 45 minutes difficult to accept.
But before that, he was the focal point of the France offense that carried that country to the championship game and tied for third in the Golden Boot race with four goals.
