Premier League was No.1 again, at least when it comes to the number of players sent at a World Cup.
For the sixth consecutive time, the English top flight had the largest representation in the quadrennial tournament. There were 107 players from the Premier League who featured for their national teams in FIFA 2018, with England’s squad even composed purely of players from the said domestic league.
Sure enough, most of the standout performers in the FIFA competition were from the English Premiership, but we here at SBOBET pick only the five best Premier Leaguers that undoubtedly stood out the most in the month-long event.
Eden Hazard, Chelsea
If there’s one player who deserves the Golden Ball award besides Croatia’s Luka Modric, it’s Belgium’s speedy and electrifying forward Eden Hazard.
He ended up winning the Silver Ball, the award for the second-best player in the tournament, but it can be argued that he was just as pivotal for Belgium as Modric was to Croatia. Had the Red Devils reached the final, it’s possible that he’d be chosen as the best player of the World Cup.
Hazard’s statistical contribution also speaks volume of how crucial he was in leading Belgium to their best outing in the World Cup. He scored three goals and turned provider twice, finishing as the team’s second-highest scorer and joint-top assist man (along with Kevin De Bruyne).
The 27-year-old was also fun to watch throughout as he used his burst of speed and flawless running on the ball to destroy the opposition’s defence. If you want proof, you don’t have to look further than his performance against Brazil in the quarter-final at Kazan Arena where he broke up the rhythm of Selecao’s play multiple times.
Jordan Pickford, Everton
Thibaut Courtois and Hugo Lloris, perhaps, should have been on this list instead of England’s Jordan Pickford. After all, Courtois was the best goalkeeper of the competition while Lloris anchored the defence of the new World Cup champions.
However, considering the surprise factor, we have to go for Pickford this time.
Seriously, who would have thought that the Everton keeper would be in contention for the best keeper of the tournament?
Pickford had his best moment in the penalty shootout against Colombia, producing back-to-back monster saves to propel the Three Lions to their first ever World Cup shootout win. The 24-year-old then followed it up with a clean sheet against Sweden, eventually ending the tournament with a total of 17 saves.
Romelu Lukaku, Manchester United
Harry Kane brought home the Golden Boot, thanks to his three penalty goals, but Romelu Lukaku was probably the best striker in the competition—or at least the most entertaining.
Lukaku, put simply, was a beast in the World Cup. Often criticised for his lack of creativity and imagination of his movements, the Manchester United man proved his doubters wrong by providing a physical threat and showing intelligence on his runs.
He scored four goals to bag the Bronze Boot award, but his presence for Belgium was what was important. In fact, in their comeback win against Japan, his clever movements drew two defenders and allowed Nacer Chadli to fire home the winner.
Meanwhile, against Brazil, he was a consistent threat on the counter and eventually produced one of the best FIFA 2018 highlights when he assisted De Bruyne for a two-goal lead.
N’Golo Kante, Chelsea
If there’s one thing we learned in the World Cup, it’s that N’Golo Kante is a lucky man! Imagine winning the Premier League title in 2016 and 2017 then winning the World Cup in 2018.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t luck that brought Kante to the biggest show on earth. It’s hard work. And he did his part to help the France national team defy the FIFA 2018 odds and bag the nation’s second World Cup trophy.
There’s a reason why his teammates chanted his name when they returned to Paris and visited France president Emmanuel Macron.
Kante was the driving force behind France ‘s success, virtually stopping all the opposing attackers that he guarded. He had more than 50 interceptions throughout and was even credited for stopping Lionel Messi in their clash with Argentina.
Christian Eriksen, Tottenham Hotspur
Heading to the World Cup, Christian Eriksen was already looked upon as the hope of the Danish team. And boy did he live up to the hype!
He was at the centre of the Denmark offence and defence, and he did well in setting up the tempo of the team in every game. They may not have scored plenty of goals, finishing with just three in four games, but Eriksen has proven that he can lead the team.
He scored one goal and assisted on the other as Denmark made it past the group stage, second behind France in Group C. It’s a pity though that he failed to convert his penalty in their Round of 16 shootout again Croatia.
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