The 2022 FIFA World Cup Wrap

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Golden Ball – Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi had his greatest ever individual World Cup campaign, receiving his second golden ball recovering from the heartbreak of Brazil 2014.  He is now the third Argentinian captain to lift the World Cup, the first since the legendary Diego Maradona who won the trophy 36 years ago in 1986.

Messi scored seven goals and provided three assists, his highest individual contribution in five World Cup attempts.  He is now the first player to ever score in every knockout stage game, adding one more record to a career consisting of over 60 team and individual trophies.

Frenchman Kylian Mbappe received the Silver ball while Croatian captain Luka Modric received the Bronze ball in recognition of their stellar contributions to their nations in Qatar.

Golden Boot – Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe became only the second player in history to score a hattrick in a World Cup final, ending on a remarkable 8 goals in Qatar, a single goal ahead of Golden Ball winner and Paris Saint-Germain teammate Lionel Messi.

Mbappe had his sights on the first back-to-back World Cup victory in 60 years but despite his individual heroics was a penalty shootout away from two World Cup trophies before the age of 24.

Mbappe’s has now scored 12 World Cup goals, four behind all-time leading scorer, German striker Miroslav Klose. With so much football still ahead of the young phenomenon, it feels like a matter of time before Klose’s record becomes the Frenchman’s.

Golden Glove – Emiliano Martinez

Emiliano Martinez rise to World Cup glory has been nothing short of a fairytale.  Martinez spent nearly ten years as Arsenal’s backup keeper.  A lucky break following an injury to Bernd Leno provided the opportunity for Martinez to shine, with great performances earning him a move to Aston Villa, where he was finally able to get the attention of the Argentinian national team making his debut in 2021.

Martinez has shown his quality in all spheres of goalkeeping, displaying great distribution, shot stopping and most notably penalty shootout heroics.  The Argentinian stalwart conceded eight goals in Qatar while also managing three clean sheets.

Two penalty saves against the Netherlands in the Quarterfinals and denying Kinglsey Coman in the final cemented Martinez as the best goalkeeper at the tournament.

Young Player of the Tournament – Enzo Fernandez

Enzo Fernandez has been the breakout star at the World Cup beating the likes of England’s Jude Bellingham and Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol.  Lionel Scalloni originally opted for alternative midfield options with Fernandez being a late inclusion to the Argentinian World Cup Squad.

An inspired substitute appearance against Mexico – scoring a world class goal – forced Scalloni to change his tactics and include Enzo in the starting 11.  Fernandez improved with every performance, showing no fear and a level of composure few 21-year-olds possess in the most congested area of the park, becoming arguably Argentina’s most important midfielder.

FIFA Fair-play Award – England

The FIFA Fair-play award is awarded to the side that promotes the spirit of fair-play and compassion in the game, showing the best discipline and receiving the least yellow cards.

England may have been disappointed when eliminated by France in the Quarterfinals but will at least not go home empty handed, earning the FIFA Fair-play award after receiving only a single yellow card in Qatar.

Argentina received the most yellow cards, being shown a total of 17 at the tournament with Sevilla’s fullback partners Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel receiving three each.

Most Goals Scored – France

France were the most threatening in front of goal, scoring a total of 16 goals.  Kylian Mbappe’s golden boot winning tally of eight, alongside striker Olivier Giroud’s four were the largest contributors to their team’s leading total.

Argentina were a close second, scoring a total of 15 goals, with Golden Ball winner Lionel Messi’s seven and young striker Julian Alvarez’s four making up most of the team’s final total.

Most Goals Conceded – Costa Rica

Unsurprisingly, Costa Rica conceded the most of the tournament with Paris Saint-Germain’s Keylor Navas shipping a disappointing 11 goals in Qatar.  Conceding seven goals in their tournament opener against Spain made it nearly impossible to recover despite inspired performances against group E opponents Germany and Japan.

Switzerland had the second worst defense in Qatar after making a relatively strong start to the tournament, their 6-1 demolition at the hands of the Portuguese placed them on nine goals conceded in total.

Photo: Twitter/@BayernLM10

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Dylan Johnson