The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup showcased some of the best footballers currently active in the world today.
Legendary names such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe, and Luka Modric all led their countries in hope of world cup glory.
Unfortunately, not everyone can win, and not everyone performed the way they’d like, that’s not their fault, it just happens in football.
Here are 3 players that had an underwhelming world cup.
3. Paulo Dybala
La Joya (The Jewel) has been one of the best Argentine attackers in world football for over a decade.
He has plied his trade in Italy mostly coming to acclaim in parma before becoming part of one of the most dominant Italian sides ever in Juventus.
Now he seeks to help Jose Mourinho rebuild Roma into a force to be reckoned with and has shown why he is regarded as the jewel. This season he has added another attacking dynamic to Roma giving them an option they never had.
He won the world cup with Argentina but he only played 17 minutes in total, for a player of the standard of Dybala that must be disappointing, but the team comes first.
2. Trent Alexander Arnold
Trent Alexander Arnold has been one of the best Right Backs on the planet for the past 5 years, he recently started getting the acknowledgment he deserves.
The English star has revolutionized the way a defender is seen as he acts as an extra midfielder and attacker with his accurate deliveries and Gerradesque passing stealing the show weekly.
In 2020 Trent Alexander-Arnold broke his own record for the most assists by a defender in a single Premier League season with a 13th.
He was selected as part of the three lions squad for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World cup after speculation he was dropped. He went on to participate for only 33 minutes in the entire world cup which shocked many legends of the game.
“I don’t understand. He has the quality, dribbling, pace, but it’s always the same story, they say you are not defensive enough and you remain out,” Cafu told Football Italia.
“They used to say the same about Roberto Carlos and me, but I think we won something. Unfortunately, full-backs are too robotic these days, they get the ball, pass it, and run, I don’t see movements without the ball and no one-two passes.”
Klopp will be glad to receive his player back without injury as he intends to climb rapidly up the table.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo was the center of attraction before the world cup kicked off. The Portuguese megastar had just finished his infamous interview with piers morgan where he called out the entire Manchester United for stagnation and tension among other things.
He was shortly released from Manchester United and started the tournament as a free agent . e had stated that if Portugal won the world cup he would be considering retirement, unfortunately, things don’t go the way we plan it.
He played the entire group stage scoring one goal before tension with Portugal head coach Fernando Santos resulted in Ronaldo being benched for the round of 16 and quarter finals where Portugal would be eliminated from the competition by Morocco with Ronaldo in tears.
He has since been training in Real Madrid training facilities as he awaits the next chapter in his legendary career.
Marseille ambassador Basile Boli confirmed that there were talks to sign Ronaldo.
“He was in talks with Marseille. I think he should have come to Marseille. He would have brought something to the French league. He’s a talented player although he’s a bit old. In a league like the French league, I think he could still send shivers down teams’ spines,”
There is also talks of a massive saudi deal worth reportedly 200 million per year.
