PULSE PICKS: Top 10 players at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Completed barely a week ago, the 22nd edition of the tournament – won by Argentina – presented us with lots of exhilarating performances from players that took a break from their clubs, to fly their country’s flag in Qatar.

From goalkeepers to forwards, and not restricted to positions, here are the ten brightest shining stars we watched at the 2022 World Cup.

Morocco were undoubtedly the underdog story of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, and part of this is largely thanks to the shifts put in by their goalkeeper Bounou a.k.a Bono. Beyond his group stage performances, the Sevilla man was the hero during the penalty shootout win against Spain helping the Africans past the last 16 for the first time in their history. Against Portugal, too, he was superb as Morocco held on to create yet another history as the first African team ever to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

From his astute defensive performances that helped Morocco keep four clean sheets to his audacious panenka penalty against Spain, Hakimi lived up to his hype in Qatar. The Paris Saint-Germain right-back played a vital role in Morocco’s studded defence, as they made a fairytale run to the semi-finals, one he continually celebrated with heartfelt embraces with his mother throughout the tournament.

Crowned as the goalkeeper of the tournament after Argentina’s victory over France, Martinez’s performance in Qatar is one that would be told for ages. Vital saves including a one-on-one stop on Randal Kolo Muani in the final moments of the final, another against Australia’s Garang Kuol in the round of 16 and more, in penalty shootouts against the Netherlands and France were one of the reasons Argentina have their third-ever World Cup title.

If any goalkeeper gave Martinez a run for his money in Qatar. It had to be the Croatia stopper. Thanks to Livakovic’s saves, Croatia earned two clean sheets in the group stage, with the goalkeeper, further inspiring them to the semi-finals after penalty shootout wins over Japan and Brazil. What’s better? Although Livakovic saved as many penalties as Martinez did, this 27-year-old performed so well that he conceded lesser goals despite facing more shots.

Behind Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud’s goals that spurred France to the World Cup final, Griezmann was the engine for both players, and others in the French squad. From defending effectively in his box to attacking in the opposition’s, the midfielder was so instrumental that he ended the tournament as the most creative player.

Number three on the goalscorers’ chart for the 2022 World Cup was Olivier Giroud, who started the tournament on a great note, scoring two of France’s six goals in the group stage. The 36-year-old also spearheaded France’s attack in the knockout stages scoring in their round of 16 and quarter-finals victories over Poland and England. The impressive stuff about Giroud’s performance at this World Cup is that, on the contrary, he failed to register a shot on target or score a goal at the last World Cup in Russia in 2018.

Of all the praises that would go to Morocco for their impressive fairytale run to the World Cup semifinals, Amrabat is allowed a large chunk. The Fiorentina midfielder was both active in defending and attacking helping Morocco to steal a group stage draw against Croatia, and stun Belgium, Canada, Spain and Portugal.

At just 20 years of age, Gvardiol was one of the biggest head-turners for the month-long football party in Qatar. The RB Leipzig centre-back inspired Croatia to concede just one goal in the group stages and two more in the last 16 and quarter-finals. Despite being disgraced by Lionel Messi and eventual winners Argentina in a 3-0 semifinal defeat, Gvardiol still played his part as Croatia picked up a vital third-place finish against Morocco.

Winning the golden boot was no mean feat, yet, it was something that Mbappe did with such ease in Qatar. The 23-year-old scored in two of France’s three group games, assisting his teammates on two occasions, while also becoming the second player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. It was thanks to the Paris Saint-Germain man’s brilliance in the final that France did not lose in normal regulation time nor extra time but on the lottery of penalties.

No one that played at the World Cup in Qatar, contributed to more goals than Messi did. The 35-year-old rightly played the role of a captain, and led his team to the trophy by scoring seven goals – just one short of Mbappe – and assisted his teammates three times. Messi showed so much edge at the World Cup that his performances earned him five man-of-the-match awards from seven games. He finished the tournament as the golden ball winner.