2018 Word Cup Team of the Tournament: Belgium’s creative star makes the cut

Continuing our run down of the World Cup team of the tournament, next up is Belgium and Manchester City sensation Kevin De Bruyne. 

The midfielder registered more assists (16) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues last season, and while his output wasn’t as notable as many had expected, with De Bruyne scoring one, that a fine hit against Brazil, and assisting two, it wasn’t for want of trying. 

The 27-year-old created more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities (7) than any other player at Russia 2018, with four of those coming in the third placed 2-0 playoff win over England, that the most in a game at the World Cup. Only Kieran Trippier (24) made more key passes than De Bruyne (23), but with 15 of those coming from open play, more than any other player, his assist return should have been higher than it was. 

De Bruyne, though, was the creative force in the middle of the park that pushed Belgium forward and instigated their attacks, his input in Nacer Chadli’s stunning counter-attacking goal against Japan a case in point. Having gained a WhoScored.com rating of 7.65, the Belgian sensation is good value for his inclusion in our team of the tournament.