The FIFA World Cup, from the day of its inception, has been a platform where many young payers announced themselves on the global stage.
From Kylian Mbappe for France in the 2018 World Cup to Pele for Brazil in 1958, the quadrennial tournament has always produced and showed new young heroes who step up for the teams at a greater stage.
As the 2022 edition concluded in Qatar, five young players made a mark in this World Cup.
#1 Jamal Musiala (Germany)
The World Cup in Germany failed to qualify for the knockouts in case of second-successive edition. However, in the World Cup of mostly negatives for Germany, Jamal Musiala stood out as one of the best things for the four-time world champion.
Musiala is a 19-year-old midfielder who plays for Bundesliga Champion Bayern Munich, which caught everyone’s attention at the Qatar World Cup.
Musiala was hyped to be one of the top young midfielders in the World Cup. He was compared to the likes of Gavi, Pedri, and Bellingham ahead of the World Cup. But as we are all well aware, the youngster marked his individual identity with his skill and creativity in the German midfield.
Musiala created 8 chances for Germany all through the campaign. It was not easy for him to score a goal but indeed provided great assistance to Niclas Fullkrug, who scored right in the 83rd minute against Spain and equalized well for Germany. However, when it was time for a crucial point, Germany’s hopes of staying in the World Cup eventually ended despite securing a 4-2 win against Costa Rica in the last group match.
Musiala is an impressive ball dribbler with a penchant for finding that killer pass in the final third that splits open the opponent’s defense. However, the sad news for him and Germany was that the forward line was not impressive in this World Cup. Musiala’s game needed improvement, like his decision-making, but he has ample time to sharpen his skill sets.
#4 Jude Bellingham (England)
After countless records at the club level, English youngster Jude Bellingham engraved his name in the record books for England as he became the second-youngest scorer for his country at the World Cup. First, he scored 6-2 in England’s win against Iran in the group stages. Then, in the Round of sixteen matches against Senegal, he became the first teen to assist during the knockout stages.
Bellingham is a 19-year-old midfielder who plays for one of the top prospects in global football today, Borussia Dortmund. His skill, vision on the technical, and ball aptitude for the game is quite rare for someone at a tender age. However, despite being at the early stages of the player’s career, Bellingham’s mature approach to the game makes Bellingham an exceptional talent.
Apart from his one assist and goal each, Bellingham created five chances throughout the campaign. The player, however, is not just an attacking threat. He is known to have 31 recoveries to his name, which is quite impressive.
#3 Enzo Fernandez (Argentina)
The 21-year-old player is known to be one of Argentina’s most important players on the road to the World Cup final. However, the Benfica midfielder did not start Argentina’s opening against Saudi Arabia, where La Albiceleste had lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia. It was among one of the biggest World Cup upsets.
However, the head coach Lionel Scaloni started him against Argentina’s second group match Mexico, and he hasn’t looked back since then. He announced himself in one of the most stylish ways by scoring his World Cup goal against Mexico with wonderful finesse shot to give his team a 2-0 lead.
Fernandez is widely known to play the main role of an anchor in the midfield for the team (Scaloni). The player’s presence alone upgraded Argentina’s transition play from defense to attack. In addition, his game-reading and vision abilities have also proved useful for his nation in this World Cup.
One of Fernandez’s big assets is known to be his mental ability. Despite conceding a late goal against Australia, he soldiered to help the team and maintain their lead. He also worked hard to put in a brilliant shift in the semi-final match of Argentina against Croatia.
#2 Josko Gvardiol (Croatia)
The player is known to be Croatia’s 20-year-old center-back who played every minute of his country’s World Cup campaign. He started as the player who noticed a mask on his face (it was a precautionary measure for an injury he suffered) and left the World Cup as one of the top players.
The towering presence of the player in the heart of Croatia’s defense was one of the major reasons why the player conceded just three matches out of five. The player is a no-nonsense defender who does not shy away from tackles. Apart from his defensive solidity, Gvardiol is an asset in his excellent understanding of positioning. It is one of the crucial aspects to anticipate attacking threats from the opposition.
#1 Aurelien Tchouameni (France)
At last, in the plethora of talented players, Tchouameni is France’s midfielder who has been a surprise element for Les Bleus in the World Cup 2022.
The 22-year-old midfielder, who also plays for Real Madrid, was anticipated to be one of the most enthusiastic youngsters to watch out for in the World Cup 2022.
With the absence of France’s midfield stalwarts, N’Golo and Paul Pogbo, due to injury, Tchouameni came into the tournament with a fair amount of attention. However, it is fair to say that the youngster has coped well to play well.