The World Cup is approaching, and players from around the world have just announced themselves on soccer’s biggest stage.
It’s been a great year for midfielders, with the men in the middle of the park deciding entire matches for their teams with some outstanding performances. But who were the best midfielders in this World Cup?
Let’s dive in for a closer look.
A big tournament for Brighton Man / Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
It’s easy to forget that when you’re playing like Lionel Messi. Mind you, it’s a little easier to stand out when you’re Argentine and your name is Mac Allister.
The Brighton man was outstanding during Argentina’s run to World Cup glory, working hard for the team and displaying the creativity that has made him one of the most popular midfielders outside the Premier League’s top six.
Modric has rolled back the years once again / Alex Pantling / Getty Images
It was Luka Modric’s fifth World Cup. Impressive, yes – but the truly amazing thing is that you could see him making it to another World Cup.
The 37-year-old has been phenomenal as usual in Qatar, running the show in midfield for his side and ranking among the tournament leaders in both possessions won and passes advanced.
Modric has confirmed that he intends to delay his international retirement until the upcoming Nations League, but after that, who knows?
Amarbat could be the player of the competition/Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
In January 2022, Spurs fans were so outraged by rumors of their club signing Sofian Amrabat that they started an entire Twitter hashtag to stop the deal from happening.
11 months later, the outrage is starting to look a little silly. Amarbat has been absolutely mesmerizing this World Cup, flying into challenges like a madman and avoiding the press with his impressive close control. Sure a transfer is on the cards?
Griezmann has been a revelation / Visionhaus / GettyImages
Griezmann wouldn’t have been classified as a midfielder in 2018, so his inclusion on this list speaks to his adaptability and range as a footballer.
Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud have grabbed the headlines with their goalscoring exploits, but Griezmann has been at the heart of everything good in France and has rebranded himself as Les Bleus’ creative outlet. What a change.
Griezmann wouldn’t have been classified as a midfielder in 2018, so his inclusion on this list speaks to his adaptability and range as a footballer.
Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud grabbed the headlines with their goal-scoring exploits, but Griezmann was at the heart of every good performance for France leading up to the final and rebranded himself as Les Bleus’ creative outlet. What a change.
Fernandez was brilliant / Jam Media / Getty Images
Considering that Benfica knew that Enzo Fernandez’s time at the Estadio da Luz was likely to be limited, they will be happy to know that he was a key part of Argentina’s World Cup win and that something else is worth it. Can add zero.
Spare a thought for Wolves who came agonizingly close to signing the tournament’s official Young Player in the summer.