FIFA
World Cup 2022 top players: Lionel Messi claims Golden Ball
Messi collected the Golden
Ball award as the best player of the tournament moments before lifting the FIFA
World Cup 2022 trophy in Qatar. Kylian Mbappe and Luka Modric were among his
challengers. Lionel Messi has
won the Golden Ball award,
presented to the best player of the FIFA
World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
It is the second time the Argentine has claimed the
prize, having done so in 2014 in Brazil, but on this occasion, he also lifted
the World Cup trophy - the greatest prize in men's football - that
had eluded him for so long.
And it was anything but easy as Argentina squandered
a 2-0 lead over France in the final before eventually winning 4-2 on penalties.
Messi scored twice in the final, including in extra time,
at the end of a thrilling tournament.
Morocco, the first African team to reach the World
Cup semi-finals, was the surprise name in the final four along with Argentina,
Croatia, and holders France.
We selected one player from each of the teams in the semi-finals
as potential candidate for the coveted Golden Ball.
Lionel Messi's
history-making World Cup campaign
The fairytale came true as one of the greatest
players in history finally clinched the World Cup.
Lionel Messi's performances in Qatar were a testament
to just how much he wanted this, leading Argentina by example to glory.
No one expected the South Americans to fall 2-1 to
Saudi Arabia in their opening game, despite Messi putting his side ahead from
the penalty spot.
They went into their second game against Mexico
knowing anything less than a win would almost certainly consign them to an
early exit, but Messi - when his team needed him most - stepped up once more. A
goal and an assist in the 2-0 victory put them back on track ahead of their
final group game with Poland.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward was again at the
center of proceedings as Argentina booked their place in the round of 16 with a
2-0 win before scoring a wonderful goal to put them on the way to a 2-1 victory
over Australia.
In the quarter-final against the Netherlands, the
skipper scored a penalty before doing the same with his side's first effort of
the shoot-out.
And then in the semi-final, he scored again from the
spot before a superb assist which enabled Julian Alvarez to
score his second, and Argentina's third, against Croatia.
In a dramatic final, Messi opened the scoring with
another penalty to become the first man to score in each round of the knockout
stages since the round of 16 was introduced in Mexico in 1986.
After they finished level with France at 2-2 in
normal time, Messi also poked home in the second half of extra time for his
seventh goal of the tournament.
His PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe completed
his hat-trick to make it 3-3 and force a shoot-out, but Messi scored Argentina's
first penalty as they prevailed 4-2 to claim a third World Cup.
The 35-year-old had already written his name in the
history books in Qatar, overtaking the late Diego Maradona for
games played for his country at a World Cup tournament.
His assist in the Mexico win saw him become the first
player to set up a goal at five separate men’s World Cup tournaments - 2006,
2010, 2014, 2018, and now 2022.
Messi's semi-final spot-kick was his 11th goal in his
fifth World Cup, overtaking Gabriel Batistuta as
Argentina's top World Cup goalscorer. In
And the final took his World Cup appearance tally to
26, eclipsing the previous record held by Lothar Matthaus.
As well as the World Cup being at stake, the final
looked like a straight shootout for the Golden Ball between Messi and Mbappe.
And Messi being on the winning side, despite Mbappe's hat trick, arguably gave
him the nod.
·
Read more: What records have Lionel Messi broken at FIFA World Cup
2022?
Let's take a look at the numbers behind his
influential campaign...
Lionel Messi's FIFA World 2022 stats |
|||||||||
Lionel Messi |
Goals |
Assists |
Shots |
Shot on Target |
Passes |
Crosses |
Tackles |
Fouls Committed |
Fouls Won |
vs
France (extra time and penalties) |
2 |
0 |
5 |
4 |
54 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
vs
Croatia (90 minutes) |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
40 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
vs
Netherlands (extra time and penalties) |
1 |
1 |
6 |
2 |
45 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
vs
Australia (90 minutes) |
1 |
0 |
6 |
2 |
58 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
vs
Poland (90 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
7 |
4 |
70 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
vs
Mexico (90 minutes) |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
41 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
vs
Saudi Arabia (90 minutes) |
1 |
0 |
4 |
3 |
40 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
Total |
7 |
3 |
32 |
18 |
348 |
20 |
5 |
10 |
22 |
Kylian Mbappe misses out on the second World Cup triumph
At just 23, Kylian Mbappe is
well on his way to making the transition from potential superstar to all-time great.
The young Frenchman was not alone in firing his
nation to back-to-back World Cup finals, with Olivier Giroud and Antoine
Griezmann - reinvented as box-to-box midfielders - playing key
roles. But Mbappe is the Frenchman who set Qatar alight with his performances.
His performances against Poland, where he supplied an
assist for Giroud to become France's all-time leading male goalscorer before
scoring twice himself, were simply sensational.
England and then Morocco succeeded in keeping Mbappe
relatively quiet, and Argentina subdued him for 80 minutes in the final before
he exploded into life.
First, he converted a spot-kick before sweeping the
ball home moments later to level the match at 2-2 and force extra time.
After PSG teammate Messi looked to have secured
victory for Argentina, Mbappe scored again from the spot - under the most intense, pressure - to take the match into penalties and take his tally to eight
goals for the tournament, thus securing the Golden Boot award.
Mbappe calmly struck home France's first in the
shootout, but his teammates were unable to follow suit as Argentina prevailed.
He had already moved ahead of Pele for
most World Cup goals before the age of 24, finishing the tournament with 11 in
tournaments. But the PSG forward was unable to join the Brazilian great as the
only man to win two world titles before turning 24.
Mbappe will surely have more World Cups ahead of him,
but he had to give his best to Messi in this year's Golden Ball.
·
Read more: Kylian Mbappe at FIFA World Cup 2022 - Records, goals, and stats
Kylian Mbappe FIFA World 2022 stats |
|||||||||
Kylian Mbappe |
Goals |
Assists |
Shots |
Shots on Target |
Passes |
Crosses |
Tackles |
Fouls Committed |
Fouls Won |
vs
Argentina (extra time and penalties) |
3 |
0 |
6 |
3 |
21 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
vs
Morocco (90 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
vs
England (90 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
27 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
vs
Poland (90 minutes) |
2 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
35 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
vs
Tunisia (Subbed on at 63') |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
23 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
vs
Denmark (90 minutes) |
2 |
0 |
6 |
4 |
31 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
vs
Australia (90 minutes) |
1 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
47 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Total |
8 |
2 |
31 |
14 |
200 |
25 |
0 |
7 |
9 |
Luka Modric: A
leader on and off the pitch
At 37 years old, it is safe to say that Luka
Modric defies age.
For club and country, he is an anchor in the middle
of the park - whether he’s assisting with the attack or holding down the fort
for the defense, he is everywhere on the pitch.
Modric was a key figure in the Croatian side who
exceeded expectations at the World Cup four years ago in Russia, reaching the
final. A 4-2 loss would see France lift the trophy at the end of 90 minutes,
but the Real Madrid midfielder went on to be named the Player of the Tournament
and took home the Golden Ball.
This time, they failed to reach the final but did
take third place after a 2-1 victory over surprise packages Morocco with whom
they had played out a goalless draw in their opening group game.
Croatia conceded early in their second group game
against Canada as Alphonso Davies scored in just the
second minute. But that merely spurred Zlatko Dalic's men
into action. Andrej Kramarić scored twice in a 4-1
victory to leave them needing a point against Belgium.
With Modric pulling the strings, Croatia was superb
in the first half. They had to be resolute in the second half as Belgium,
bolstered by Romelu Lukaku, threw everything at them. But
they held on for a 0-0 draw to advance to the round of 16.
The 2018 runners-up faced Japan which had stunned
Germany and Spain to reach the knockout stages. It finished 1-1 after 90
minutes with Modric withdrawn 10 minutes into extra time. Croatia went on to
win on penalties with Dominik Livaković inspired in
goal.
Then came pre-tournament favorites in the
quarter-finals. Croatia's central midfield trio of Modric, Mateo
Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic put in
another confident display with Josip Juranović outstanding
at right back. After no goals in normal time, Neymar’s moment
of magic at the end of the first half of extra time looked to have sealed
Croatia's fate. But Bruno Petković leveled for
Croatia to force another penalty shoot-out.
This time, Modric stayed on the pitch and converted
his side's third spot-kick to put them on the brink of a second successive
World Cup semi-final. And after more heroics from Livaković, Mislav
Oršić converted to send Croatia through.
Argentina would prove a bridge too far in the
semi-finals with Modric outshone by his opposite no.10 Lionel Messi. He was
substituted with 10 minutes in the 3-0 defeat but received a standing ovation
from a packed-out stadium.
And Modric played his part in the third-place match
victory over Morocco, marshaling the midfield as only he can.
This is almost certainly the little magician's last
World Cup, but he has led his country impeccably on and off the pitch.
Luka Modric FIFA World 2022 stats |
|||||||||
Luka Modric |
Goals |
Assists |
Shots |
Shot on Target |
Passes |
Crosses |
Tackles |
Fouls Committed |
Fouls Won |
vs
Morocco (90 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
67 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
vs
Argentina (81 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
77 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
vs
Brazil (extra time and penalties) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
115 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
vs
Japan (100 mins) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
71 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
vs
Belgium (90 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
53 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
vs
Canada (90 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
48 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
vs
Morocco (90 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
86 |
9 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
Total |
0 |
0 |
6 |
4 |
517 |
31 |
18 |
13 |
15 |
Hakim Ziyech
and Morocco's magical run
Morocco was the breakthrough side of this World Cup,
becoming the first African side to reach the semi-finals before taking fourth
place.
It was a fairytale story for Walid
Regragui’s side but this was no fluke. An unforgettably committed
display against Spain in the round of 16 sent them through on penalties to the
quarter-finals where they produced more heroics to see off Portugal.
While Yassine Bounou was
formidable in goal, Nayef Aguerd, Achraf
Hakimi, and Romain Saïss outstanding in
defense, and Sofyan Amrabat was resolute in the center
of midfield, Hakim Ziyech was instrumental in an
attacking sense
The Chelsea winger was a handful down the right flank
against Portugal, but perhaps his most important contribution came in the group
stages.
Ziyech assisted on one of the two goals they needed
in their stunning 2-0 win over highly-fancied Belgium before scoring in their
2-1 win over Canada which saw the Atlas Lions finish top of their group.
As the first Arab team to progress so far in a World
Cup, Morocco was almost the home side in Qatar in the knockout stages. Despite
that vociferous support and having the better of the game for long periods,
they found France too strong in the semi-finals.
They were unable to end on a high in Qatar, going
down 2-1 to Croatia in the third-place match. But Morocco's exploits at this
World Cup will live long in the memory.
Hakim Ziyech FIFA World 2022 stats |
|||||||||
Hakim Ziyech |
Goals |
Assists |
Shots |
Shots on Target |
Passes |
Crosses |
Tackles |
Fouls Committed |
Fouls Won |
vs
Croatia (90 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
62 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
vs
France (90 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
55 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
vs
Portugal (82 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
23 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
vs
Spain (extra-time and penalties) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
33 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
vs
Canada (76 minutes) |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
34 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
vs
Belgium (90 minutes) |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
25 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
vs
Croatia (90 minutes) |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
31 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
Total |
1 |
1 |
7 |
2 |
262 |
30 |
11 |
12 |
7 |
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