'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
National teams across the world have been involved in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers since 2019, and many players have left their marks while representing their countries.
Hosts Qatar alongside 2014 champions Germany were the first teams to confirm their participation in the competition billed to be held in November 2022. They were soon joined by Denmark, reigning world champions France, 2010 champions Spain, Serbia, 2018 finalists Croatia and the number one ranked team in the world Belgium.
Brazil booked their place from the CONMEBOL region, making them the first and only team from the region to qualify for the competition so far
Some great individual performances have helped teams in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers
Several teams have benefitted largely due to certain consistent performers within their ranks. On that note, here is a list of five players who surprised everyone with their performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
#5 Felix Torres
Ecuador's 24-year-old defender Felix Torres has been one of the stars of the South American nation's impressive performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The Santos Laguna defender has made an immense difference for his national team as they aim to reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The defender has played in seven of the 13 qualifying matches and helped his team keep clean sheets in five of them. He has maintained a passing accuracy of 81 per cent across the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for his side. Notably, he also scored the opening goal of a 2-0 win over Paraguay in the 88th minute of the game. He has won 68 per cent of his contested duels and caught the eye with his assured displays, with zero errors committed in all his matches.
Torres completed 2.3 interceptions per 90 minutes for the Ecuador side that are currently in third place in the CONMEBOL standings behind Brazil and Argentina. Ecuador has only lost two of the matches Torres has played in in the CONMEBOL 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
#4 Enis Bardhi
Levante midfielder Enis Bardhi has been one of the most impressive performers in the UEFA region of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for North Macedonia.
The 26-year-old midfielder played a decisive role in helping his less-heralded North Macedonia side reach the playoffs for the first time ever after they finished second in Group J.
Bardhi scored four goals and made two assists in eight games for North Macedonia in Group J of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Three of his goals came in a 5-0 win over Armenia.
The midfielder created five big chances for his team-mates and memorably helped with an assist for Goran Pandev in their 2-1 win over Germany in March.
#3 Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez has been Chile's best player in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, a surprise given his form at club level with Inter Milan.
The forward has struggled with fitness and form since leaving Arsenal for Manchester United in 2018. That has not stopped him from performing consistently for Chile in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers though.
The 32-year-old has scored four goals and contributed three assists in only 10 games for Chile in their qualifying campaign. Notably, three of those goals have come in his last two appearances. With the contribution of Sanchez, Chile presently occupy the final automatic qualification slot for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup reserved for teams from South America.
Sanchez remains one of his country's most important players in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
#2 Aleksandr Mitrovic
Serbian striker Aleksandr Mitrovic is on arguably the best run of form of his entire career. The striker has plundered in goals for Fulham in the Championship this season after a dry spell last season in the English Premier League. More spectacularly, he scored eight goals in only five starts for Serbia in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
The most memorable of his goals, no doubt, is the one he scored in the 90th minute in front of a packed Estadio da Luz. His header from a Dusan Tadic cross sent his nation to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and condemned Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates to the lottery of the playoffs.
Mitrovic was the pantomime villain as Serbia missed out on a place at Euro 2020 after he missed the decisive penalty in their playoff shootout defeat to Scotland last November.
The emergence of Dusan Vlahovic as a brilliant, young Serbian striker saw further doubts cast over Mitrovic's future with the Serbian national team. However, the 27-year-old has silenced his doubters and is now Serbia's record goalscorer with 44 goals in 69 appearances for the country after the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
#1 Islam Slimani
Algerian striker Islam Slimani has gone through a lot in the last few years of his career. He joined Leicester City from Sporting Lisbon after the 2016-17 season but failed to impact the King Power Stadium before bouncing around on loan to Newcastle United, Monaco and Fenerbahce.
The 33-year-old trained with Leicester City's U-23s before securing a move to Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1 where he has got his career back on track.
Slimani has scored seven goals for Algeria in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers to lead the scoring charts in Africa. The striker is also Algeria's all-time leading scorer, with 38 goals in 78 appearances for the Desert Foxes.
Slimani appears a more mature striker and has helped his side greatly in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers with his experience and goals after a very tough spell.
