مدير عام كرة القدم
The Club كأس العالم final is set: Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain take the pitch on Sunday, with a champion set to be crowned in FIFA’s expanded 32-team competition.
As the tournament comes to a close, it’s time to highlight some specific player performances. Al Hilal‘s breakout star Marcos Leonardo got the world’s attention, as did another young attacker in Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia, On the other end, defender Thiago Silva, 19 years older than Garcia, spearheaded a historic run from Brazilian side Fluminense as they made it to the semifinals.
There was a common theme across the tournament, though: Europe was king. Chelsea’s electric winger Pedro Neto and stalwart midfielder Moises Caicedo made their marks all tournament. The Parisian side also had attacking output from two unexpected players – Achraf Hakimi and Fabian Ruiz, both of whom were key in their run to Sunday’s final.
بالجم ranks the top performers from this summer’s Club World Cup.
The Club World Cup final is set: Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain take the pitch on Sunday, with a champion set to be crowned in FIFA’s expanded 32-team competition.
As the tournament comes to a close, it’s time to highlight some specific player performances. Al Hilal’s breakout star Marcos Leonardo got the world’s attention, as did another young attacker in Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia, On the other end, defender Thiago Silva, 19 years older than Garcia, spearheaded a historic run from Brazilian side Fluminense as they made it to the semifinals.
There was a common theme across the tournament, though: Europe was king. Chelsea’s electric winger Pedro Neto and stalwart midfielder Moises Caicedo made their marks all tournament. The Parisian side also had attacking output from two unexpected players – Achraf Hakimi and Fabian Ruiz, both of whom were key in their run to Sunday’s final.
بالجم ranks the top performers from this summer’s Club World Cup.
Caicedo has been lights-out all tournament for Chelsea, putting in a brilliant showing. Suspended for their quarterfinal match due to yellow card accumulation, he returned in the semifinals to run the show against Fluminense.
The Ecuador international is the key to Enzo Maresca’s entire system, as he navigated the center of the park with ease, controlling both the tempo and pace of the match while reading the game like no other on the pitch.
He’s featured in just four matches for the London-based club this tournament, but in each, he proved to be the most pivotal player. In their 4-1 victory over Benfica in the Round of 16, he registered a crucial assist in extra-time to secure their spot in the quarterfinals – and now, he’s on the verge of leading them to history.
The Brazilian had a tournament to remember for the Saudi Arabian side. Despite the club being full of star talent and former European superstars such as João Cancelo and Kalidou Koulibaly, it was the 22-year-old who stole headlines.
He scored four goals, including two in their heroic upset against مانشستر سيتي, as well as bagging their lone strike in a 2-1 defeat to Fluminense in the quarterfinals.
Despite being a relative unknown to most of the footballing world heading into the competition, he lit up the tournament and will be remembered as the striker who took down Pep Guardiola’s men at the Club World Cup.
Often out of the spotlight due to the star-studded attack of PSG and the Portuguese double pivot beneath him in the midfield – Vitinha and Joao Neves – Ruiz has quietly had one of the best midfield performances this tournament.
The Spain international has scored three goals and recorded one assist, helping lead the Parisian side into the final – including a spectacular brace against Real Madrid in the semifinals.
The 29-year-old has broken out under Luis Enrique and taken his game to new heights since joining PSG in the summer of 2022. Heading into the finals, he’s the dark horse attacker for PSG in the final-third, and could be the key to them lifting their first CWC title.
The young Spanish forward seemingly came out of nowhere to become the starting striker for Los Blancos when Kylian Mbappe was unavailable due to illness and then fitness issues.
During the Frenchman’s absence, Garcia scored four goals and recorded one assist. Heading into the final, he’s tied for the Golden Boot in the competition with Leonardo, Angel Di Maria, and Serhou Guirassy.
Through the quarterfinals, Garcia had either scored or assisted in each match as Los Blancos stormed through the competition – that is, until they met PSG in the semifinals. In that match, Garcia was handed a start alongside Mbappe, but the Spanish outfit were blanked 4-0.
Regardless, it was a tournament to remember for the Madrid academy product, who showed that he has what it takes to be a regular with the first team under Xabi Alonso this coming season.
A tournament to remember for the legendary Brazilian defender. At 40 years old, Thiago Silva bossed the entire competition, putting on a display that had him looking like he was 25 again.
He captained Fluminense to a historic semifinal run, helping them secure clean sheets against Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, while defeating Al Hilal in the quarterfinals after their victory over Manchester City.
Silva, who made a European career for himself with stops at Chelsea, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain, was lights out at central defense all tournament. He led with composure and ease, putting forth defensive efforts that every young footballer should aspire to replicate.
In Fluminense’s first five matches of the tournament, he had 55 defensive interventions – 15th most in the tournament – while also winning 79 percent of aerial duels. During that span, the club only conceded three goals.
If this was O Monstro’s last dance on the world’s stage, it was a heroic one.
The Blues’ Portuguese winger has been nothing short of sensational in this competition. He leads the team in scoring with three goals, and heading into the final on Sunday against PSG, ranks 10th in chances created with 10, and 13th overall in progressive carries forward with 43.
He’s been absolutely electric on the wing, wreaking havoc for defenders in each match.
The 25-year-old scored the game-winning goal against LAFC in their CWC opener, and then, in their lone defeat, bagged the lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Brazilian side Flamengo in the group stage. His third goal came in their round of 16 win over Benfica, when he scored the dagger that secured victory in extra time.
His most memorable moment of the tournament was a valiant performance against Palmeiras in the quarterfinals. Ahead of the match, he paid tribute to the late Diogo Jota and his brother, Andrea Silva. Neto and Jota were teammates at Wolverhampton and represented the Portuguese national team together.
Now, he’s spearheading a Chelsea attack that is looking to win the title in honor of both Jota and Silva.
“It’s been really difficult in the past few days and I just want say that this final is for him and his brother” Neto said after Chelsea’s semifinal match. “But I want to dedicate this final to him and his family and show my support in these difficult times.”
What a tournament so far for the Moroccan defender. Across six matches, the right-sided fullback has recorded a goal contribution in four. In other words, he has been otherworldly for PSG this tournament.
The 26-year-old has established himself as the best player in the world in his position and has carried the PSG attack and defense all tournament. In the semifinal against Real Madrid, he completed 90 percent of his passes while creating two attacking chances, one of which was an assist for Ruiz’s second in the game, and helped keep a world-class winger in Vinicius Junior, quiet all game.
In the quarterfinals, he did that and more to German Champions Bayern Munich and World Cup champion Kingsley Coman. Look at the footwork on this assist. It’s stoppage time and he’s played over 90 minutes, but somehow, Hakimi still has the engine to do this. What a player.
