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The group stages of the World Cup 2018 concluded three days ago and the tournament now has 1 teams instead of 32. It is kind of sad, isn’t it? For four years, we wait for this grand tournament to begin and within a month’s time, it is gone. Over.
Another four years. Another long wait.
In the middle, there are some tournaments like the Euros and Copa America, but they are nowhere near the World Cup when it comes to uniting the world with all its glory and cultures.
The World Cup is not just a spectacle of football, it is an amalgamation of different cultures – a world united revelling in the glory of the beautiful game. This is why the FIFA World Cup is the greatest competition of all time and will forever hold that tag.
But now, more than half of the tournament is over and there are only a handful of matches remaining.
The group stage holds the majority of the matches and is a good indication of which player has had a good tournament. So, here are the 10 best players of the group stages…
#10 Hyun-woo Cho
Spoiler alert: he is the only player on this list whose team failed to qualify for the round of 16. South Korea’s failure to qualify for the second round is one of the most heartbreaking moments of this World Cup.
This is a team that played some fine football but in the end, couldn’t realize their dream. While Tottenham’s Heung-Min Son came to the World Cup with the expectations of being Korea’s best player, it was Hyun woo Cho who stole the show.
The shot-stopper was simply unbeatable against Germany and absorb the barrage of shots that were directed at the goal – which is a total of 6 shots on target. The more saves he made, the more damage was done to the German confidence.
Against Sweden, it was through a penalty that the Swedes could beat him.
In conclusion, Hyun-woo Cho – and South Korea – deserved more.
#9 Cristiano Ronaldo
Had it not been for his penalty miss against Iran, he might have been higher on this list. At the end of the day, it could turn out to be a very costly miss as Portugal find themselves in the difficult of proceedings in the World Cup.
Nevertheless, one can never really count out the fact that Portugal are in the round of 16 largely because of his four goals. The hattrick against Spain was something not many players could do.
The sheer grit he showed against his Iberian rivals saved Portugal from the blushes in that match. Against Morocco, he scored another goal to give his team all the three points.
#8 Diego Godin
What can I say about this man? He is like wine, ageing so beautifully that there are no words to describe the sophisticated taste it produces. The Atletico Madrid defender’s progress chart is just going upwards as he is continuously bettering himself as a centre-half.
Uruguay are yet to concede a single goal in the World Cup. And the credit for that goes to the astute leadership of Diego Godin. While he has a brilliant partner in Jose Gimenez, Godin uses his experience in a way that no other defender does.
The Uruguayan has made 2.7 tackles-per-game and 2.3 interceptions-per-match for his team. He also averages four clearances and long balls per-appearance. This is a man in form and could carry Uruguay to new heights.
#7 Andreas Granqvist
The only defender that has been as good or better than Diego Godin is Andreas Granqvist. The center-back took over the captaincy of the Swedish national team from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and has already led his team to more glory than Ibrahimovic ever could with Sweden.
Apart from being a cool penalty-taker, Granqvist has produced his best at this World Cup – and that, too, at the age of 33. His resolute presence at the back has made it incredibly difficult for the attackers to break through the Sweden backline.
The Swedish captain has, despite being a defender, made four long balls in every game along with 1.3 key passes. He has also made 1.3 tackles and interception in every game, each, while also clearing the ball 5.7 times in every game.
#6 Coutinho
When the World Cup began, a lot of expectations was placed on the shoulders of Neymar as he was deemed as Brazil’s best player. However, all he has been able to do in this World Cup is set up a record of the number of rolls a player has given after falling to the ground.
In the meantime, Coutinho has been saving Brazil as the Barcelona man has either scored or assisted in each of the three games at the World Cup in the group stages – the only player to hold this distinction in the tournament.
With two goals and an assist in three games, he has also been Brazil’s creative hub in attack with 3.3 key-passes-per-game.
#5 Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku won the hearts of football lovers with his beautiful story on The Players Tribune. The hardships that he had to go through to be where he is today is a story that oozes inspiration.
He backed up his brilliance in the World Cup by some phenomenal performances in the two games that he played. He is in the contention for winning the Golden Boot as he has scored four goals from two games.
He has also made a key pass in every game and is the focal point of Belgium’s attack as they seek to win their maiden World Cup trophy.
#4 Harry Kane
England are enjoying their best World Cup in this millennium thanks to the breath of fresh air provided by Gareth Southgate. The brand of football that England have played has given hopes to their fans, despite the fact that they fell in a relatively easy group.
And Harry Kane has led them like a captain should. While he might have scored a few of his goals via penalty, the England captain is leading the Golden Boot race with five goals from two games.
And there is no reason to believe why he won’t win it by the end of the tournament.
#3 Isco
Spain have been largely disappointing in the World Cup. It was, however, expected. After the sacking of Julen Lopetegui took place just a day before the World Cup began, many expected Spain to implode.
While they were great against Portugal and have shown their pass-and-move brilliance in spells, they are yet to hit their best. One player, however, is already performing at his optimal form.
Isco Alarcon Suarez.
The Real Madrid man has been magical for his team, building plays and connecting the dots for La Furia Roja. He has scored a goal in the tournament and has made 2.3 key-passes in every game that he has played.
He also averages 99 passes-per-game with an accuracy of an astonishing 92.9%.
#2 Eden Hazard
While Eden Hazard’s club career might have stagnated with Chelsea – which, in turn, has stopped his growth as a player – he has shown what he could truly be capable of when he plays with better team-mates.
So far in this tournament, he has outdone Kevin De Bruyne and has been the best player for Belgium in the World Cup. Hazard has scored two goals and provided an assist in two games at the World Cup.
He has also averaged three key passes-per-game and has been the fulcrum of Belgium’s attack in this World Cup.
#1 Luka Modric
And the best player of the group stages in this year’s World Cup was Luka Modric. When someone like Robert Prosinecki – who is regarded by many as the best Croatian player ever – claims that you are the best the country has ever produced, it just shows the impact you have made in the game.
Luka Modric has already cemented his place as the best Croatian player in the history of the game. An argument can also be made about him being the best midfielder of the modern era.
For that, however, he will need to take Croatia far in this World Cup – and his form, thus far, has been promising.
He has been the midfield engine of Croatia in the tournament and is the soul of their system. He averages 1.7 key-passes and 3.7 long-balls-per-game. On top of that, he not only scored a great goal against Argentina but has also made 1.7 tackles and 1.3 interceptions-per-game, forging his place as one of the game’s best all-round midfielders.
