World Cup 2018: Top 10 players in the tournament
From Russia's emphatic 5-0 win over Saudi Arabia on the opening day to France's historic 4-2 win over Croatia in the final, this World Cup has been nothing short of spectacular. Considered by many the best ever edition, this World Cup surpassed expectations with each passing game.
Reputations were made and some individual performances were etched in the living memory. From Cristiano Ronaldo's sensational hat-trick against Spain to Kylian Mbappe's arrival on the big stage against Argentina, the Russian carnival provided us with some brilliant displays.
Now that the World Cup is over, it is time for analyzing the best performers that have dazzled for their respective countries. In this segment, we will take a look at the top 10 players from the 2018 FIFA World Cup who have been judged on consistency and influence to their respective sides:
Honourable mentions
1) Harry Kane (England)
The Golden boot winner finds it tough to find a place in this elite top 10 list. Kane scored 6 goals in the tournament and was England's talisman in their run to the semis. But his failure to light up the knockout stages eluded him a place in the top 10 players list in Russia.
2) Yerry Mina (Colombia)
The centre-back scored three towering headers in four games and was a major reason behind Colombia's run to the round of 16. He was a dangerous presence in set pieces and made the most of his physicality and aerial prowess to score three crucial goals. After an impressive World Cup, a move to the Premier League awaits the defender.
3) Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
The great man scored a stunning hattrick against Spain and followed that up with a match-saving goal against Morocco. He became the oldest player to score a hattrick in the World Cup finals and also had the most shots per game ratio for any player in the competition.
#10 Denis Cheryshev (Russia)
From a Real Madrid reject to being the poster boy for the World Cup hosts, Denis Cheryshev has well and truly marked his name on the game. Coming on as a 24th-minute substitute for Alan Dzagoev in the first match against Saudi Arabia, Cheryshev scored a delightful brace.
He again scored against Egypt and was an influencing personality in the 3-1 win. Cheryshev then got on the scoresheet against Croatia in the quarterfinals which was the finest of his four and one of the best in the competition. The tireless running of the 27-year-old combined with an eye for goal made Cheryshev Russia's most valuable player in their emphatic run to the final eight.