With 2022 FIFA World Cup now over, it is time to reflect on the stand-out stars of the tournament in this best XI.
In a tournament packed with penalty howlers, wonder saves, magical goals and plenty of entertainment, there have been numerous players who would walk into any 2022 FIFA World Cup best XI of any fan which made this selection super tough to call.
Nevertheless, I have been impressed by these 11 players more than any other player based on a mixture of consistency and magic, so here is my official 2022 FIFA World Cup Best XI plus individual breakdowns of selection.
Goalkeeper – Yassine Bounou (Morocco)
At the start of this World Cup, I certainly didn’t expect Morocco’s Yassine Bounou to be one of the stand-out goalkeepers yet he has been the most outstanding keeper by far ahead of France’s Hugo Lloris and various other goalkeepers.
May it be stunning saves against Croatia (albeit in their Group F clash), Portugal or crucial penalty saves against Spain in Round of 16, Bounou has just been sensational in goal all tournament – even if he rode his own luck at times in the Third-Place Play-Off defeat.
In fact, his overall consistency made it impossible to snub him although honourable mentions should go to Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic and Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez, who both enjoyed fantastic tournaments, especially when it came to penalty shootouts
Defence – Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Raphael Varane (France), Josko Gvardiol (Croatia), Theo Hernandez (France)
In a tournament packed with plenty of stunning defensive performances, I have found making this selection quite tricky because so many players have done enough to earn a spot in this XI.
Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi though has been the clear stand-out right-back with gutsy defensive performances, whilst also displaying impressive link-ups with Hakim Ziyech on the right across seven matches without picking up injury unlike his fellow Moroccan defenders.
Across at left-back, France’s Theo Hernandez has like Hakimi been just been a regular presence with his defensive ability, whilst also forming impressive link-ups with Kylian Mbappe up Les Bleus’ left-flank and even chipped in with a brilliant goal against Morocco in the semi-finals.
In central defence, Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol is an instant pick because he has just been unbelievable in just his second major tournament with fearsome physicality and marking to trouble quality players like Kevin De Bruyne, Neymar and Messi with just one clear error across the entire World Cup.
France’s Raphael Varane completes the defensive line-up because whilst it is easy to argue for Harry Maguire, Nicolas Otamendi or Dejan Lovren, Varane has quietly been France’s defensive rock with solid performances across the tournament after he sat out their win over Australia.
We also shouldn’t forget that Varane hadn’t played for a month in the run-up to this tournament due to a thigh injury, so could of been viewed as a gamble yet he turned up and delivered the defensive rock that France needed when many important players were absent due to injuries.
Midfield – Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina), Jude Bellingham (England), Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Following his strong start to the season for Brighton, Alexis Mac Allister has certainly been one of the surprise midfield stars of this tournament with his hard-working midfield performances on and off the ball, especially in terms of his creative spark which has been key to Argentina’s run.
I in particular have been impressed by how determined he has been in his attacking press yet didn’t negelect his defensive duties when needed, whilst also managing to maximise his pace in his passes and runs to play a crucial role in several Argentinean attacks.
England’s Jude Bellingham meanwhile has simply been the complete package in terms of his midfield in how he used his aggressive movement and agile pace to trouble defenders, whilst creating quick crucial passes and most importantly being fearless in his defensive support of his teammates.
Whilst easy to put Lionel Messi up front because of his fantastic attacking displays, he has had moments where he disappeared in games before delivering clinical magic to make the difference – which I feel he has been lucky in doing because his AWOL moments could easily cost any other team.
Nevertheless, Messi has simply been a class act at 35 years-old throughout this tournament but with the forward selection having been competitive, I felt that a midfield spot suited him in this XI albeit in an attacking position.
Forward – Julian Alvarez (Argentina), Olivier Giroud (France), Kylian Mbappe (France)
With so many forwards playing impressive football across the tournament – albeit benefitting from taking place during Northern hemisphere’s playing season – there has been several stand-out stars but Julian Alvarez, Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe have been a class above the rest.
Although he only made substitute appearances against Saudi Arabia and Mexico, Argentina’s Julian Alvarez has enjoyed an unbelievable tournament in which he raised his game to another level that I hadn’t seen from him at Manchester City this season.
Whilst Messi was off floundering around the pitch, Alvarez just seemed to lift his play despite mainly playing deep and got involved in various attacks with some sensational positioning, whilst his solo goal against Croatia underlined just how crucial he has been to Argentina’s attack in recent games.
Olivier Giroud meanwhile has been one of the most dangerous central forwards at this tournament with all four goals, of which were purely created from his own excellently intelligent positioning in and around the box to pounce on various passes with a clinical finish.
It is therefore difficult to not include Giroud in this XI because although he hasn’t exactly been a playmaker, he has displayed such presence up front to create opportunities when his teammates can’t which underlines just how fantastic he has been in terms of his positioning and touch at 36 years-old.
Mbappe meanwhile has just been epic to watch all tournament because his physicality, ball control, playmaking and pace has been unbelievable, whilst his finishing has been mightily impressive en-route to eight goals and the Golden Boot so it is impossible to ignore him.
Manager – Walid Regragui (Morocco)
For many, it is just easy to plump for Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni or France’s Didier Deschamps as manager of the tournament, yet I feel that those two are the superficial options because Morocco’s Walid Regragui deserves higher credit as the best manager of this tournament if consider context.
Whilst Scaloni and Deschamps have been in charge of their countries for contrasting extended periods of time prior to this World Cup, Regragui was only appointed as Morocco manager on 31 August yet somehow guided his team to fourth place with little preparation time.
That achievement therefore deserves major applause especially given that this is his first role as an international first-team manager, yet his compact robust defensive tactics frustated many teams – especially in a group which they somehow topped ahead of Croatia, Belgium and Canada.
In fact, Regragui’s impact is simply incredible given that he only had three friendlies to prepare his squad yet he created wonderful unity and trust, which both were evident in the effective performances of his players who executed his tactics to an ability beyond any expectations.
Although it would of been nice to see Regragui’s Atlas Lions go on to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy, they can be proud of their historic run for an African team because a mixture of unlucky injuries and quality difference just cost them in the end.
Regragui ultimately deserves to be recognised for producing a gutsy underdog team who showed little fear throughout a tournament where they constantly overcame giants, yet showed unbelievable spirit until the very end with a strong work-rate even when defensively worn down.
Whilst this tournament will be best remembered for Messi’s glory amidst various cupsets, Morocco and especially Walid Regragui shouldn’t be forgotten because they’ve been the feel-good underdog story of the tournament.
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