Has Mbappe been France's best rated player at the World Cup?
France qualified for back-to-back World Cup finals after beating Morocco 2-0 on Wednesday night. They have only tasted defeat once in, winning their other five games
Here, we run down their top performers at this year’s tournament, and who made the difference in pushing Les Bleus to the final.
Though he was absent in the semi-final, there is no denying that Adrien Rabiot has played his part in getting France this far at the World Cup. He bagged the equaliser in the opening match against Australia, and followed that up five minutes later with an assist for Olivier Giroud to give France the lead, setting them up for the perfect start. His tireless effort in the middle of the park has been his biggest contribution however, with his 10 tackles only bettered by five other players in his team, while his pass success rate stands at a steady 86.5%.
In the 2018 World Cup, Olivier Giroud didn’t even score in France’s route to glory, but heading into Sunday’s clash with Argentina, he has every chance of ending this tournament as the top scorer. With four goals to his name, three of which have given France the lead including the decisive winner against England in the quarter-finals, he has been one of the main goal threats in the tournament, supported by his 16 shots, which rank as the joint third highest in Qatar and his total of eight headed shots is the highest of any player. Not only a scorer, Giroud’s role as a hold up striker is pivotal in the France attack and no player has more accurate flick ons in Qatar than his six.
Originally Theo Hernandez wasn’t meant to be a starter, only replacing his brother Lucas in the first group game due to injury, but he has since performed wonders both defensively and offensively for France. He managed to claim two assists in his first two games and in the semi-final, he managed to score with a superb effort. He has made 13 tackles, only bettered by Ibrahima Konate (15) in the France team, and is only being dribbled past once per game. Furthermore his one cross per game is only bettered by Antoine Griezmann (2.7) Ousmane Dembele (1.2), and his 11 key passes is the joint third highest at the tournament.
Despite not scoring himself, there is no denying that without Antoine Griezmann, France would have been far less effective in attack. His three assists rank as the joint most in the tournament, while his 21 key passes is three more than the next highest Lionel Messi (18). He has played a lot deeper than we are used to seeing from him and this has seen him involved more defensively, making 1.8 tackles and one interception per game, both of which rank high within the France squad.
He was the best young player in 2018 and four years later, he could be named the best overall, while also potentially winning the Golden Boot. His five goals are level with Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring charts for the tournament. He also has two assists to his name, only one off the most by any player. His scoring abilities are renowned, as are his abilities on the ball, which he has demonstrated yet again in Qatar, making more successful dribbles than any other player (21) to cause a constant threat to opposition defences.
