FIFA World Cup 2022 : Top 5 Young and Emerging players of the tournament

1. Julian Alvarez – The Argentina number 9 has been the key behind Argentina’s journey towards the final. He has played the supporting role of Lionel Messi very well and has performed very well in clutch moments. Whenever he has been on the pitch, Argentina have never looked dull. It is because the pace he has and the ability to take on defenders. After netting two goals against Croatia in the Semi-final, the 22-year-old became the second youngest player since Brazil’s Pele to score a brace in a WC semi-Final. The Argentine has quick feet, great game awareness and punishes the opposition whenever he gets a chance. He blew up into the scene while playing for Argentinian club River Plate. He caught the attention of English giants Manchester City last season thanks to his emphatic numbers for his former club. Not only is he a great goal scorer but he also has an amazing sense of setting up goals for others in the team.

2. Jamal Musiala – The German national team has a huge treasure in Jamal Musiala, reminds of Thomas Muller from the 2010 World Cup. Unfortunately, Germany could not get past the Group stages but Musiala has been a great revelation for them in this tournament.  The 19-year-old was a key figure for Germany as manager Hansi Flick has already managed him during his stint with Bayern. He already has 3 Bundesliga titles and 1 UEFA Champions League trophy. This season the bright youngster has made 14 appearances in the German top-flight racking up 9 goals and provided 7 assists. In the World cup, Musiala played all of Germany’s matches and his performance against Costa Rica was simply sensational. He made 12 successful dribbles, the most by any teenager in the WC history. When the next world cup arrives in 2026, Musiala will be 23 and he will become a mature player.

3. Aurelin Tchouameni – The Real Madrid Central defensive midfielder has filled the void left by N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba. He has been a key figure for Didier Deschamps‘s side as his decisive defending has helped France immensely. The 22-year-old has taken the responsibility very well and has connected the defense and attack very well. He even found the back of the net against England in the Quarter-final and has a passing success rate of 93% in this edition. Tchouameni has also won 0.7 aerial duels per match and blocked 7 shots on goal. He is a well built DM, who has attempted 33 tackles with 27 out of them being successful. With a tackle success percentage of 82%, Aurelin Tchouameni will be key for France on Sunday.

4. Phil Foden – The English Attacking Midfielder has fitted really well under Pep Guardiola‘s system at Manchester City. Since making his debut in 2017/2018, Foden has developed to become a very mature and influential player for his side. However, he is yet to fix his spot in the England playing 11 but Gareth Southgate did feature him in 4 WC matches and Foden turned up for the occasion. The 4-time Premier League champion scored 1 goal and provided 2 assists. Despite missing out from the Semi-finals, Phil Foden’s talent is very promising. With Manchester City, he has scored 7 goals and registered 3 assists in 14 top flight appearances. His talent is immense and he will be at his prime at USA 2026 FIFA World cup and England could have a chance because they also have Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Mason Mount among others.

5. Goncalo Ramos – The Benfica forward did what Cristiano Ronaldo could not in 514 minutes of FIFA World cup knockout stages. Ramos replaced CR7 from the starting 11 during the quarter-finals and became only the second player since Miroslav Klose to score a hat-trick in WC debut. And also joined Ronaldo as the second Portuguese to score a World cup hat-trick. Fernando Santos did take a brave decision by fielding him the Starting 11 and Ramos paid off as well. In 4 WC outings, he has scored 3 goals and provided an assist. He will be 25 when the next world cup comes and whoever comes next in Portugal’s managerial post, he will look to find ways to utilize Goncalo Ramos’ ability and talent.

Also Read – From dreaming of playing with Lionel Messi to join him in the score sheet, Julian Alvarez is living the dream