There were several big names at the tournament that simply failed to live up to the bidding and cost their team the chance to go further.
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The FIFA World Cup in Qatar concluded only on Sunday and the world held its breath as Argentina edged out France on penalties after the match ended 3-3 after extra time. The final match of the tournament was just as fascinating as the rest of the competition, which saw thrills, spills, and some exceptional individual performances. Yes, the beautiful game is a team game, but there always are a few players that just lift the quality of their teammates. One of the best football World Cups ever was played in Qatar, where teams like Morocco and Saudi Arabia pulled off significant upsets. Josko Gvardiol of Croatia, Jamai Musiala of Germany, and Jude Bellingham of England made their marks on a big stage during the tournament, but star players like Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a lacklustre performance.
It was not just Ronaldo that underperformed. There were several big names at the tournament that simply failed to live up to the bidding and cost their team the chance to go further into the competition. The Belgian and German sides have plenty of players who were just not good enough on the biggest stage of them all. There were also certain players whose teams might have gone a long way, but their individual performances lacked teeth. Here are some of the worst performing players at the 2022 world cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the star player for Portugal, could hardly have had a worse tournament given his name, reputation, and the drama he had sparked with an explosive pre-tournament interview. Okay, so he scored from a penalty kick against Ghana to become the first player to score in five different World Cups, but other than that, nothing went well for the player who is currently unemployed. In the round of 16, he was benched against Switzerland and Morocco after attempting to claim a headed goal against Uruguay but failing. He also displayed a poor attitude after being replaced against South Korea, which irked his coach. After Portugal’s 1-0 defeat to Morocco, which put an end to his World Cup career and left him with just one goal overall, he sobbed.
Gareth Bale was among the worst players at the World Cup, which was the first for the Wales in 64 years. Wales hadn’t qualified for the World Cup since 1958, and it was hardly worth the wait as they finished last in Group B behind England, the United States, and Iran, earning just one point and scoring just one goal—from the penalty spot—to board the first flight out of Qatar. Bale was almost completely absent despite leading the line as captain and scoring the lone goal from 12 yards.
Belgium’s poor campaign in the 2022 FIFA World Cup could have been somewhat salvaged had they defeated Croatia in their last group game. After an unconvincing victory against the Canadians and a shock defeat to Morocco, the Red Devils were in a must win situation in the final group match against Croatia. Coach Roberto Martinez had brought Romelu Lukaku in the second half after the score remained 0-0. The ex Manchester United and Chelsea man wasted four golden opportunities to score the winner within a short span of time, some of which were open goals. It was these spurned chances that ultimately saw Belgium knocked out of Qatar.
