World Cup surprise packages: three players who have unexpectedly impressed in Qatar
As the World Cup narrows down to the last eight teams of the competition, there have been the typical big names around the globe that have stood out. Beyond these picks, though, there have been several players who have raised a few eyebrows in Qatar.
Harry Maguire (England)
Even the most devoted of England fans would have been surprised to see Harry Maguire’s name on this list before a ball was kicked in Qatar. Struggling for form at Manchester United and clearly out of favour under new manager Erik ten Hag, there had been many calls for him to be excluded from Gareth Southgate’s squad entirely. However, he was called up and started in England’s opening day drubbing of Iran, and only conceded due to feeling unwell on the pitch following a head injury which saw him brought off after 70 minutes.
Fast forward to the quarter-finals and an England defence that hasn’t conceded a goal in three matches. The Three Lions’ blockbuster last-eight tie against France will be their toughest test yet, though, with England vs France odds firmly in the favour of Les Blues. Maguire is tipped at 6/1 to get in on the action with at least one headed shot on target, although it is in defence where the United man will be most needed, which boasts the nation’s leading ever scorer in Olivier Giroud.
😁🏴 pic.twitter.com/OBQdLUHRc5
— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) November 23, 2022
Antoine Griezmann (France)
Ahead of the quarter-final meeting between two noisy neighbours, it is only right to include an entry from the Blue side of the Channel. While Antoine Griezmann was always going to be a crucial part of Didier Deschamps’ France set up given his experience and success with Les Bleus at previous major tournaments, few would have expected him to star as he has.
Part of an offensive three but dropping to a slightly deeper midfield role as games progress, Griezmann has benefited from the extra space to pull the strings with his impressive range of passing. His assist against Denmark on matchday two was an exquisite piece of skill that epitomises the 31-year-old’s new lease of life in Qatar, as he now looks to affect the game from much deeper. Despite just the one assist, Griezmann has been one of France’s more influential players. He will hope to continue his displays when they go against England in defence of their world crown.
71 consecutive appearances.
Antoine Griezmann will break a France record against Poland—he hasn’t missed a game since 2017 👏 pic.twitter.com/lsXzxcLdba
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 4, 2022
Richarlison (Brazil)
Towards the other end of the draw, Brazil may be considered one of the favourites, but they have a somewhat underrated star to thank for their results in Qatar. Richarlison had missed many of Tottenham’s games before the World Cup through injury and is yet to register a Premier League goal all season. As a result, Canarinha boss Tite was criticised for his selection of the Spurs man ahead of the likes of Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino.
Now, with three World Cup goals to his name in his first ever international tournament, Richarlison has more than repaid his manager’s faith. The 25-year-old scored a brace in nine minutes in Brazil’s 2-0 opening day win against Serbia, the second of which came in the form of a stunning bicycle kick. Having been out of the goals for a few games, the Spurs forward found the net in quite some style against South Korea, as the Canarinha danced their way into the World Cup quarter-finals and could yet set up a mouth-watering semi-final tie against rivals Argentina.
Bora 🇧🇷!!! pic.twitter.com/QOgn0xvglb
— Richarlison Andrade (@richarlison97) December 5, 2022
As we enter the business end of the tournament, teams featuring in the last eight will be hoping these overperforming stars can go one better. Up for grabs is a place in the nation’s history and a spot on the podium of the world’s grandest footballing stage.
