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The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia has been quite unpredictable and has certainly increased the popularity of the sport to a large extent. Even those people who don't have much interest in football, in general, are watching the World Cup due to the dramatic results each game has produced.
With defending champions Germany exiting from the World Cup in group stage and Portugal, Spain, Colombia, and Argentina exiting in the knockout round, the World Cup is now wide open for any team to seize their chance. There still might be huge surprises in store for the audience in the knockout rounds remaining.
The players of big heavyweight teams who have bowed out of the World Cup should not take the entire blame on their shoulders for their sides dismal performance at the World Cup.
They should ponder over what went wrong for their team and think of a solution rather than be thinking of International retirement. They should consider themselves as a guide for the future generation and make their side a formidable team. Retiring at a time when their team is facing difficult hurdles will not be a wise decision on the player's part.
Let us have a look at 4 brilliant players who should not consider retiring after their sides debacle at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
#4 Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos by far was the best player for Die Mannschaft at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He played his playmaker role to perfection and was the driving force of Germany's midfield in the World Cup. Despite Germany getting knocked out in the group stage, Kroos gave Germany a chance to qualify when he scored a superb free-kick against Sweden to win the game 2-1 for Germany.
Having scored 1 goal from 3 matches, Toni Kroos completed 298 successful passes at an average of 107 passes per game. He dominated possession in the opponent's half with 89.2% passing accuracy. Despite such wonderful stats, the lackluster performance of German strikers in front of goal made all the efforts of Toni Kroos go in vain.
Hence, after a Germany's humiliating exit from the World Cup, Toni Kroos should not take all the blame on himself and retire. Rather, he should ponder on what went wrong for Germany and come out strong in the next tournament.
#3 Sergio Busquets
Sergio Busquets played decently for Spain at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Despite Spain getting knocked out in the Round of 16, he played the role of central defensive midfielder to perfection. He successfully broke the opposition's counter-attack and was the fulcrum of Spain's midfield.
Having played 4 matches and provided 1 assist, Busquets completed 291 successful passes at an average of 73 passes per game. His passing accuracy in opposition's half was 91.6%, committed only 5 fouls in 4 matches and won 56.1% duels.
Hence the above stats and his performance suggest that he is an important player for La Furia Roja and so should continue playing for them.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo was in excellent goal-scoring form right from the start of the World Cup. Having scored a stunning hat-trick in a 3-all thriller against Spain, he again proved to be Portugal's saviour as he scored an incredible header against Morocco in the 2nd group game.
Despite Portugal being a one-man army led by Ronaldo himself, they qualified for the Round of 16. They were beaten 2-1 by a strong Uruguay side and were hence knocked out of the World Cup. Having scored 4 goals in 4 games, Portugal are in dire need of a leader like him and hence he should wait and build a strong squad around him.
The current Portugal squad is weak and too dependent on him. Hence, Ronaldo should remove from his mind any plans for international retirement.
#1 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has incredibly kept the spotlight on himself despite exiting from the World Cup. Being regarded as the best player in the world, there are various gossips going around in the media about whether Messi will retire or not. It is like the entire nation's burden is on his shoulders and hence everyone thinks that the team's collective failure should be regarded as Lionel Messi's personal failure.
This certainly should not be the case since Messi was the sole reason that the game in which Argentina got knocked out became a thriller. His two assists made Argentina's score 3-4 against France and his efforts nearly levelled the score on that night. Messi can also help young and talented players like Pavon and Dybala and nurture them into world-class players.
Hence, Messi should not think about early retirement and consider the contribution which he can provide to the next generation of stars of Argentinian football.
Agree with our list? Disagree? Tell us in the comments below!
