Top Players And Standout Stars From World Cup’s First Week

From ageless wonders to breakout stars, the first week of the World Cup provided some outstanding performances. We’re to highlight, position by position, players who deserve some recognition after each of the 48 teams in the tournament have played a game.

Matteo’s Top Performers

Going with a 4-4-2 formation, there are plenty of recognizable names alongside players who will be worth watching the rest of the tournament. 

The 40-year-old kept the world’s second-ranked side scoreless, making seven saves in a 0-0 draw with Spain on Cape Verde’s first-ever World Cup appearance. No one older has played in a nation’s debut World Cup match, and no keeper at this tournament has had a better afternoon.

Morocco’s captain spent the night strolling through Brazil’s midfield and tearing up the left flank in a 1-1 draw that flattered the five-time champions. He’s now Morocco’s most-capped World Cup player, and still the most dangerous right back on the planet.

When Curaçao stunned Germany with an early equalizer, the Borussia Dortmund center back restored order, heading home his first international goal in a 7-1 rout. Left-footed, calm on the ball, a building block for Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann at the back.

The most underrated defender at the tournament held Bosnia’s line together against a relentless Canada — never rushed, never beaten in a duel that mattered. Then, with the game on the line late, he threw his body in front of a goal-bound Larin shot to rescue the point.

“Jedi” was the engine down the USA’s left in a 4-1 demolition of Paraguay, driving the ball forward for the move that teed up Balogun’s opener. Fulham’s asking price just went up on this evidence. He’s among the best left backs in the field.

The teenage right midfielder dribbled and ran at Ecuador relentlessly. He created five chances — more than any player at the tournament — in the Ivory Coast’s 1-0 win over Ecuador. No goal, no assist, didn’t matter; you don’t forget a debut like that.

The Brighton midfielder starred in a 5-1 thrashing of Tunisia with two long-range thunderbolts and ran the game in between. One of those strikes is already on the goal-of-the-tournament shortlist.

At 18, he sat in the middle of the park against Brazil and dictated, making Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães look a step slow in that 1-1 draw. Alongside Diomande, he’s the breakout teenager of the opening round — and he plays like he’s been doing it for a decade.

On a night Brazil looked ordinary, Vini cut inside and smashed an unstoppable strike into Bounou’s top corner to salvage a 1-1 draw with Morocco. He was the one Brazilian who actually looked like he belonged on the favorites’ list.

Two first-half goals — the second a left-footed beauty into the upper corner. He bullied Paraguay’s backline all night and finally looked like the No. 9 this nation has been searching for years.

He walked off with the official Player of the Match award against Tunisia, scoring once and setting up another goal. His partnership with Viktor Gyökeres looked like it could become one of the tournament’s best strike tandems.

Luis Miguel’s Top Performers

Let me just say that it was not an easy decision as many players deserved a nod. But in the end, these stood out to me not just for how they played, but for their approach and resilience.

Is there any need to think about anyone else? Having to deal with 27 shots and seven saves (six of them inside the box), the 40-year-old goalkeeper produced one of the best performances in recent modern World Cup history, helping Cabo Verde earn a historic point against mighty Spain. His Instagram following count is not too shabby either these days. 

In front of the aforementioned Vozinha stood Diney Borges, who alongside Roberto “Pico” Lopes, created a formidable center-back pairing in denying any attempt from Spain. Lopes was great but Borges? It was a steel-driven display from the defender, who plays for Al Bataeh in UAE’s Pro League. 

Freeman was undoubtedly the unsung, underrated gem in the USA’s imposing win over Paraguay. The 21-year-old defender (and son of Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman) practically won every battle, and it was thanks to his pass to Weston McKennie that started the sequence that led to the first goal. Freeman was very, very impressive. 

The Colombian full back is quite simply Sonic the Hedgehog. When he gets forward and out of nowhere, he can create magic out of nothing. Especially when he has distribution from Luis Díaz, who found the Crystal Palace man for a beautiful goal, which opened the scoring against Uzbekistan.

 Portugal just could not handle how to break through this man. After Pedro Neto failed, Rafael Leão entered – but again, Wan Bissaka stood firm. The tackle against the aforementioned Leão was a remarkable block. It was so good that the camera turned to Roberto Martínez, showing his frustrated reaction, knowing that Wan Bissaka and his Congolese teammates were simply not going to lose. 

I was at the game between Brazil and Morocco and let me tell you something, Bouaddi was exceptional. He created opportunities and driving runs, leaving the Brazilian midfield lost in disbelief. At 18 years old, Bouaddi, who was born in the north of Paris to Moroccan parents, was only allowed to play for the Atlas Lions last March when he was cleared by FIFA after France coach Didier Deschamps never called him up. Well, France’s loss is Morocco’s gain. What a talent. 

I wanted to give this spot to Australia’s Nestory Irankunda, but apologies, because Bellingham truly stood out against a tough opponent such as Croatia. And there has been so much talk about his role for England, from his positioning to his attitude. It’s all ridiculous, and I am glad he had the performance we witnessed on Wednesday, which included a goal with a statement. It was a wonderfully aggressive, determined solo effort that was there to prove a point.  

Balogun gave one of the best performances by an American male striker I have seen at the World Cup. It’s as simple as that. He became the first USA men’s player to score a brace in a World Cup match since 1930, but more than that, it was movement and creativity that opened the doors for other teammates to penetrate Paraguay’s box. Fantastic stuff from the Monaco forward. 

It was a match for the ages where Mbappé became France’s all-time top scorer after his remarkable brace in a 3-1 victory against Senegal. I was there to witness it and my goodness, the electrifying power of the Real Madrid star stood out in the second half and when he turns it on, it’s really quite a sight.  

Did you ever doubt I was going to include this man? I mean, what else is there to say? What other superlative could possibly exist that hasn’t been mentioned? 

Lionel Messi’s hat trick against Algeria broke multiple records and Algerian hearts but most importantly, it was a reminder that days before his 39th birthday, he reminded everyone of his genius as the greatest ever. Full stop.

Norway fans will be upset at me right now for not including Erling Haaland but I had to include Kane over the Manchester City striker due to two factors. One, the difficulty of the opponent. And two, their overall contributions. Kane was unbelievable against Croatia, proving why he is the greatest English male striker. 

Gary Lineker agrees after Kane’s brace leveled England’s record in World Cup goals. He also became the second England player to score in three different World Cups (after David Beckham.) But it was more than his goals. His overall game is so important for Thomas Tuchel’s game plan, opening the pitch and becoming a provider and protector.

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