Admittedly, plenty of Bundesliga players flopped in FIFA 2018, though there are a few that really stood out.
It hasn’t been a good tournament for players from the German top flight, with the big names such as Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Thiago Alcantara and Timo Werner all failing to deliver results for their respective national teams.
Fortunately, a brilliant showing from some of the Bundesliga’s less heralded stars saved the league from complete disappointment. And today, SBOBET acknowledges five of the best footballers that stepped up among the 60 Bundesliga players sent to Russia to represent their nations.
Benjamin Pavard, VfB Stuttgart
Benjamin Pavard is undoubtedly the biggest revelation of the recent World Cup. He just won the trophy with France, after all.
The 22-year-old boosted his stock over the past month, and it’s no wonder why plenty of teams in the Bundesliga, Premier League and La Liga are interested in securing his services.
Truth be told, we knew little about Pavard heading into the tournament in Russia. Nevertheless, he quickly introduced himself to the football world, consistently anchoring the backline of the French team and even looked threatening in front of the goal.
And seriously, who could forget his equaliser against Argentina in the Round of 16? It was a work of art in all aspects and will forever be remembered as one of the best FIFA 2018 highlights.
Stuttgart’s sporting director Michael Reschke has nothing but praise for their versatile defender, especially after Pavard’s performance against Argentina.
“What he does so well is play football with a real instinctiveness, he’s at home on the pitch. Whether it’s his technique or his tactical understanding, he understands what the game is and how it works,” Reschke said via Evening Standard.
“Sometimes he’ll play an extraordinary pass—something outstanding—but even when he does that, he does it because it makes sense. He doesn’t do the outstanding things to shine; he does them because it’s the right solution at that moment. That’s what’s special about this guy.”
James Rodriguez, Bayern Munich (loan)
For Colombia, no other player was more important than James Rodriguez.
Put simply, it was Rodriguez who made the team click. In fact, the Cafeteros won the two World Cup games that Rodriguez started in—though he walked off the pitch after 31 minutes in the second one against Senegal.
Even more remarkable, the 2014 Golden Boot winner provided two assists for the Colombians as they thrashed Robert Lewandowski and Poland, 3-0, in their second game of the group stage.
In his absence, the Colombians were a different team. He didn’t start in their opener against Japan due to injury, and as expected, Colombia struggled and found themselves down to 10 men within three minutes. Rodriguez entered the game at the hour, but his efforts were not enough to overcome the numerical advantage.
Meanwhile, he didn’t play in the Round of 16 against England. And with their star man sidelined, Colombia lacked the creativity and offensive spark needed to take down the Three Lions.
Rodriguez can change the flow of any game and shift even the FIFA 2018 odds. He has done enough in the World Cup to prove that.
Alfred Finnbogason, FC Augsburg
Although Iceland didn’t win any game in their first World Cup appearance, Alfred Finnbogason still made his mark.
The 29-year-old Augsburg forward made history by scoring Iceland’s first ever goal in the tournament. His strike was also crucial for it helped the small nation to share the spoils against a highly favoured Argentina team that was expected to win the affair easily.
That was Finnbogason’s only goal of the competition as Iceland ended up scoring just two, but he was a consistent force up front and could have scored more in several instances.
Shinji Kagawa, Borussia Dortmund
If there’s one thing that Shinji Kagawa proved in Russia, it’s that he can still produce in big moments.
He may have failed to live up to his potential during his time at Manchester United, but the now Borussia Dortmund midfielder came to Russia on a mission. And man oh man, did he step up big time!
Kagawa sparked the Samurai Blue and guided them to the Round of 16 where they faced powerhouse Belgium. The 29-year-old scored his first World Cup goal against Colombia, which is perhaps his best showing in the competition.
He showed nerves of steel by converting from the spot and was effective throughout, creating plenty of scoring opportunities for Japan.
Meanwhile, against Belgium, Kagawa propelled the team to a 2-0 lead with his speed and skilful movements. He set up Takashi Inui for their second goal before Japan collapsed late in the game.
Ante Rebic, Eintracht Frankfurt
Ante Rebic wasn’t as pivotal as Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic for Croatia, but he did his job well to help the nation reach the World Cup final.
Save for some controversial moments that would have probably warranted a booking, Rebic played great and was decisive for the Croats at times. For one, his opening goal against Argentina set the tone for Croatia who eventually routed La Albiceleste 3-0.
He also performed well in the semi-final against England, finishing with three shots, two interceptions, four ball recoveries, 22 passes and four tackles.
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