Player of the year

They will play no role at the World Cup anymore: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the best footballers of the world of the years 2008 – 2017. Can another star of the tournament in Russia take the title off? Five suggestions.

Since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo themselves took control of all the football, it has been no longer necessary to become the world champion in order to get the highest individual award. FIFA has elected the World Player of the Year since 1991. And by 2010, the titleholder had always come out from the World Cup Champion’s squad (1994 – Romário, 1998 – Zinédine Zidane, 2002 – Brazil's Ronaldo, 2006 – Fabio Cannavaro).

Meanwhile, the Champions League gained so much in importance that 2010 Messi and 2014 Ronaldo were nominated as World Players of the Year, although their performance at the World Cup, let's say, was conventional. And so the Portuguese could win again this year and become the Champions League winner and a four-time scorer in Russia. But why not someone else? Below, you can see five candidates listed from among the World Cup squads that reached quarter-finals who could be at an advantage during the upcoming World Player of the Year election by the end of the year.

Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium, Manchester City, 27 y. o.)

Those who have not read yet the declaration of love for the assist with the outside of the foot of Kevin De Bruyne in the match against Panama should be sure to do it. It emphasizes the versatility of the English champion, who combines speed, dynamics, pass accuracy, a total control over the field, an effective scoring, and excellent performance standards.

After eight goals and 16 assists last season for Manchester City, the World Cup statistics appear sobering with just one assist, but De Bruyne is often the player who is penultimate to pass. As great as Romelu Lukaku in the 3:2-win match against Japan, De Bruyne did also everything right in the counterattack with the pass on Thomas Meunier. In Belgium, Eden Hazard is often greeted as the main player, and De Bruyne is still playing somewhere offside. Completely wrong.

Harry Kane (England, Tottenham Hotspur, 24 y. o.)

In Kane’s case, particularly the figures impress. The striker increased his goal total in the past four years from 21 goals to 25 and from 29 up to 30 goals in the 2017/2018 season. He scored seven goals in the Champions League and topped the scoring list of the World Cup with six goals before the quarter-finals. You can rely on Kane: his right foot is great with both the inside and outside, and he can head the ball well and an uncompromising penalty taker. Kane’s club speaks against him; and playing for Tottenham, it will be more difficult for his national team to win the World Cups in the coming years.

Kylian Mbappé (France, Paris Saint-Germain, 19 y. o.)

Since the 4:3 win in the match with Argentina in the World Cup last 16, Mbappé has been compared to Pelé. He seemed to be as fast as Usain Bolt on the first meters. And soon the Frenchman could become the most expensive footballer in the world if he moves to Real Madrid. No superlative is inconceivable for the French striker at the moment. Moreover, Mbappé is only 19 years old.

He had scored three goals by the match vs Uruguay. At this World Cup, he has been allowed to play through only once so far, and coach Didier Deschamps cautiously brought him to the effective playing limit. It was interesting to see how Mbappé would beat Uruguay with less space for his sprints and more tackling.

Luka Modric (Croatia, Real Madrid, 32 y. o.)

While Mbappé still has much time as a professional player, Luka Modric has probably the last chance to get the World Player of the Year title. And the publicity-shy midfielder will not mind that as long as the Croat remains with his national team in the tournament and within the squad continues the success of the golden Croatian generation started by Davor Suker, Robert Prosinecki or Zvonimir Boban. At the 1998 World Cup, Croatia became third thanks to top scorer Suker.

There are many excellent players in the Croatian team, but Modric surpasses each one with his strategic skills. The four-time Champions League winner determines the pace; his sense of the moment to make a through pass inside is unique. During the World Cup, Modric is also famous as a two-time scorer and cannot feel satisfied with the missed penalty in the last 16 in the match vs Denmark. A few minutes later, he took the field again and got his confidence back during penalties.

Neymar (Brazil, Paris Saint-Germain, 26 y. o.)

It is clear for the Brazilian striker who will be the next World Player of the Year when Messi and Ronaldo are no longer top players. "Being absolutely modest, I consider myself the best player in the world today, because those two are from another planet," Neymar had said before the World Cup on the YouTube channel "Desimpedidos". By the match vs Belgium, he had had good chances to become the World Champion.

Similar to his predecessors, Neymar is a global phenomenon, which is certainly beneficial to the profit-driven FIFA system. His tricky aggressive play style and the ability to win matches playing for Brazil single-handedly polarize with his theatrical endowment, and that is what makes him a favorite in this quintet.

Source: spiegel