With Luka Modric being named the World Cup 2018’s best player it’s worth looking at who his competition was and if he deserved the award.
10) Harry Kane
It’s difficult to leave the top goal scorer out of the top 10 but the truth is he only just makes the list. Kane’s performance in the tournament wasn’t his best but he was able to score half of England’s goals and was the competition’s top scorer.
9) Romelu Lukaku
The Belgian forward wasn’t too far off Harry Kane with his four goals and was on frightening form in the first two games scoring all four in just 180 minutes. Unfortunately, that was the last we heard of the Belgians goals, he did provide a crucial assist in Belgium’s quarter final victory over Brazil and performed well enough to be named in the top 10 players.
8) Benjamin Pavard
Undoubtably the surprise package of the competition, Benjamin Pavard was France’s diamond and played a large part in winning his nation the tournament. I’m not afraid to admit I hadn’t heard of the young Frenchman before the competition but he managed to start all but one of France’s seven games and scored this goal:
7) Domagoj Vida
Croatia shocked a lot of people when they went all the way to the final of the 2018 World Cup and Vida certainly played a big in getting the team there. Like Pavard, Vida played in six out of seven games and provided a goal and an assist from the back. He was part of the Croatian defence that shut out Argentina and a true warrior throughout the competition.
6) Harry Maguire
England’s strong point in this tournament was not their defence, ironically their best player was a defender however. Clean sheets didn’t come easy for England but they did make their opposition work hard at times and no one did more at the back for England than Harry Maguire. Despite his inexperience at international level, Maguire stepped up for his nation and helped them achieve a memorable World Cup.
5) Eden Hazard
Hazard was already seen as a world class player before the World Cup but his performance in the tournament has carried on into this season and is proving just how good he is. The Belgian scored three times and gained two assists in a fairly successful World Cup. His positive attacking playstyle helped the team achieve third place and the only game they failed to win in the whole competition was against the eventual winners France.
4) Raphael Varane
It has been an incredible season for Raphael Varane, a Champions League winner and now a World Cup winner. The 25-year-old proved his worth as he helped his side eventually lift the trophy. Varane started every game for France, earning his side four clean sheets and he also managed to find the back of the net in the quarter final. The Frenchman showed the world his quality on the most prestigious stage in world football.
3) Thibaut Courtois
The golden glove winner earns third place on this list. The Belgian goalkeeper was rock solid in goal for his nation and managed to keep three clean sheets in the seven games he played but was key to making sure his side seen games through. Belgium managed to reach the semi-finals but many of their games were won by one goal thanks to his saves helping scrape his side through. He was named goalkeeper of the tournament for a reason and wasn’t far off being named player of the tournament in my opinion.
2) Kylian Mbappe
For a 19-year-old, Kylian Mbappe seriously impressed in the 2018 World Cup. He became just the second teenager to score in a World Cup final, the other being Pele. He scored four goals in the competition and also got an assist but his presence alone was huge for France. Mbappe was very diverse in the tournament playing multiple positions and for a teenager to keep some of the great French players out of the starting 11, it is no wonder he got young player of the tournament and was close to being the single best player.
1) Luka Modric
There is no doubt who the best player was, the man that the critics voted and I think most fans would agree. Modric captained Croatia to their first ever World Cup final and was the star throughout. He scored goals, set them up but his passing, dribbling and even defending were all on point. He was almost flawless throughout the tournament, a missed penalty in the last 16 tie with Denmark was his only real low throughout the entire competition and he’ll forever be remembered as the best player in the Russian 2018 World Cup.
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