The World Cup starts on November 20, and the biggest soccer stars in the world will be competing to make their country the best in the world for the next four years.
The beauty of the World Cup is that because it’s played every four years, it’s so prestigious that it’s not guaranteed that a worldwide great will win the title. Sure, Pelé and Diego Maradona have experienced greatness with their national team, but guys like Johan Cruyff and Ferenc Puskàs never did. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo haven’t won the World Cup, and this is their (likely) last chance to win.
While those two haven’t made this list, there’s greatness all over. These are the five best players (in alphabetical order) in the 2022 FIFA World Cup:
Karim Benzema – France
The reigning Ballon d’Or winner will turn 35 the day after the World Cup Final, but he plays like a 28-year-old. Benzema wasn’t on the French squad that won the World Cup in 2018 and that didn’t sit well with him. Four years later, Benzema may very well use his skill and the anger from being left off to lead France to victory this year.
Kevin De Bruyne – Belgium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XaiAIUisq4
Belgium is in a strange spot. They’re currently second in FIFA world rankings, but they’ve been at the top for the majority of the last four years. Yet, they’ve never won anything and their squad is old. If Belgium is going to contend, it’ll be due to free-kick and assist specialist Kevin De Bruyne. He is a game-changer every time he’s on the pitch, and he tends to get somewhat overlooked. Just when you overlook him, he’ll force you to look at his greatness.
Harry Kane – England
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdSz-u3f-NU
Pretty much the total package you would want in a complete striker. The 2018 World Cup Golden Boot winner is lethal inside the box and on the penalty spot, which is huge for someone on the English squad to have. But once an opponent commits to stopping him, Kane has the ability to find the open man and get the assist.
Kylian Mbappé – France
He’s the youngest player on this list, but Mbappé is also the only player on this list with a World Cup. He’s also already one of the top players in the world. While he’s exclusively plied his trade in France or Monaco, he’s close to setting off to either La Liga or the Premier League. Then the rockets will really be strapped onto the 23-year-old and arguably the future of the sport.
Neymar – Brazil
The 2014 World Cup should’ve seen Neymar’s dream come true. Brazil hosted the World Cup and were favorites, but a broken vertebra suffered in the quarterfinal sidelined Neymar and Brazil suffered their worst World Cup loss ever in the semis. Eight years later, Neymar is in the prime of his career and hasn’t forgotten what happened. That motivation might be the thing that gets Brazil their sixth World Cup trophy.
