Who Disappointed The Most At The 2022 World Cup? There Are 10 Applicants On The List
World Cup 2022
1 PLACE
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
In truth, Ronaldo was disappointed even before the start of the World Cup. A few days before the tournament, the star football player gave a scandalous interview that cost him his place at Manchester United. What did Cristiano remember in Qatar? The fact that he earned a controversial penalty, which he himself converted in the game with Ghana (3:2). And also by the fact that by all means, he tried to “rewrite” the goal of Bruno Fernandes on himself in the match with Uruguay (2: 0).
It seemed that it was not so important who scored, the main thing was the victory of the team. But the star veteran has his own opinion on this matter.
World Cup 2022
Without Ronaldo at the base, Portugal gave out their brightest match in the tournament – they destroyed Switzerland (6: 1) in the 1/8 finals. True, the team of Fernando Santos flew out following the results of the game, which Cristiano started on the bench.
2ND PLACE
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
Romelu came to the World Cup not in the best condition. He missed the first leg with an injury and only played nine minutes in the second game. In the 3rd round with Croatia (0:0), the coaching staff gave Lukaku the entire second half, and this time was enough to get into the list of disappointments.
The Belgian missed at least three 100% chances in a situation where it was enough to score one goal. The forward never became the savior of the team and got into various ratings of the oddities of the tournament. Surely each of these moments he will see in his terrible dreams.
3RD PLACE
National team of Denmark
Perhaps this team disappointed more than others. A year and a half ago, the Danes performed well at the European Championships (bronze medals), and then excellently qualified for the 2022 World Cup. Yes, and twice slammed France in the League of Nations. Some experts, not without reason, believed that the Danes would prove themselves in Qatar. In fact, the team did not leave the simple group and took the last place. In three matches, the Scandinavians lost just one goal, and even that was scored by central defender Andreas Christensen.
4TH PLACE
Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
Four years ago, the Belgians for the first time in history were in the top three winners of the World Cup. But in Qatar, they failed in full – scored four points, but took only third place in the group.
The diligent De Bruyne did not score a single point in the “goal + pass” system. He also gave an interview that led to conflict within the team. Kevin said that the Belgian team is too old to win the 2022 World Cup, although he later explained that his words were taken out of context. As you understand, not everyone in the team liked such sharp statements by the midfielder.
5TH PLACE
Lautaro Martinez (Argentina)
I immediately recall an episode from the match of the 1/8 finals Argentina – Australia (2: 1), when Lionel Messi dragged the ball to someone else’s penalty area and rolled out under the blow of Lautaro. It remained just to hit the target, but Martinez struck the podium. The striker ruined one moment after another and deservedly lost his place at the base. While he was sitting on the bench, young Julián Alvarez took full advantage of his chance.
It got to the point that the coaching staff of the Argentina national team did not release Lautaro in the semifinal match with Croatia (3:0), however, he provided some time in the final. As a result, for the entire tournament, the Inter striker did not score a single point in the “goal + pass” system, although he became the world champion.
6TH PLACE
Manuel Neuer (Germany)
In Qatar, the goalkeeper was not a model of reliability. Neuer conceded four goals in matches with Japan (1:2) and Costa Rica (4:2), while playing in episodes far from the best. In the game with the Japanese, Manuel interrupted the cross, but exactly on the leg of the opponent, and in the meeting with the Costa Ricans, he hit the ball straight in front of him, which Yeltsin Tejeda took advantage of.
As a result, the Germans performed ingloriously at the tournament and left it at the end of the group stage. To all the troubles of Neuer, one more was added. The Bayern goalkeeper injured his leg while skiing and was out for the rest of the season. Terrible end to the year!
7TH PLACE
Darwin Nunez (Uruguay)
The first World Cup in the career of a 23-year-old football player has developed in such a way that he probably does not want to remember it. The Uruguayan team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006, and Nunez himself showed terrible statistics for a striker – zero goals, zero assists. Uruguayan fans had high hopes for Darwin as Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani aged noticeably. But all that the Liverpool player remembers is a yellow card in the final game of the group stage with Ghana (2: 0). And in general, Darwin’s team is doing so-so so far – 16 matches, three goals.
8TH PLACE
Federico Valverde (Uruguay)
The Transfermarkt portal estimates the Real Madrid midfielder at € 100 million. Naturally, you expect a very productive game from players with such a price tag, but Valverde did not live up to expectations. Federico has been playing for the national team for more than four years (47 matches), but in Qatar he looked completely different than in the club. Perhaps the fact is that Valverde’s partners in the national team do not correspond to the level of Real Madrid stars. Federico went home after the group stage and is now calmly preparing for the second part of the season.
9TH PLACE
Joao Cancelo (Portugal)
Yes, the Portuguese national team reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup, but Cancelo flew out of the main squad at the end of the group stage. He played rather pale and did not show everything that he demonstrates in Manchester City. As a result, for the entire tournament, the flank defender did not make a single effective action.
And I also remember the pictures in the Portuguese media, when almost all the substitute players celebrated the first goal against Switzerland (6:1) in the 1/8 finals. And only Canselu remained in his place and watched the joy of his compatriots with a sad face.
10TH PLACE
Nikola Milenkovic (Serbia)
For three matches, the defense of the Serbian national team conceded eight goals, that is, more than two goals on average per game. With such an indicator, it is difficult to count on leaving the group. Milenkovic himself did not look his best, quarreled with his opponents, and at times was frankly rude. His hard tackle put Neymar out of action, but had no effect on the final result. The Serbian national team has a great selection of players in the attacking group, but the defensive line leaves much to be desired.
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