Club World Cup's standout players and trends, from (Jobe) Bellingham to Thiago Silva

Heading into the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, I figured we were fundamentally looking astatine 2 antithetic competitions. In the first, tons of non-European teams would get utile vulnerability and acquisition -- and yes, immoderate decent wealth -- arsenic they played against some each different and Europe's large dogs. We'd besides larn a small spot astir the strengths and styles of antithetic leagues and continents.

Then, successful the 2nd competition, the European teams with each the wealth would instrumentality over. I feared that they would drawback astatine slightest 7 quarterfinal spots, past play what appeared to beryllium sedate exhibitions against each different for ample sums of cash.

My pre-tournament anticipation was that astatine slightest 2 non-European teams would scope the quarterfinals. In the extremity we got three, with Al Hilal taking down Manchester City successful a chaotic and wide-open round-of-16 matchup, Fluminense pulling disconnected a palmy "score early, past clasp connected for beloved life" regular against Inter Milan, and Palmeiras surviving a conflict of attrition against countrymate Botafogo. Then Fluminense outlasted Al Hilal to scope the semifinals arsenic well. It has taken until the finals for this to go an all-Europe affair, acknowledgment to Chelsea's 2-0 semifinal triumph implicit Fluminense.

As I wrote earlier the circular of 16, everything antagonistic happening the critics person said astir this tourney is fundamentally true, but connecting the satellite of nine shot and providing much opportunities for underdog clubs to propulsion 1 implicit connected a marque sanction is successful itself a precise bully thing. Players specified arsenic Al Hilal's Marcos Leonardo and Botafogo's Alexander Barboza were capable to marque names for themselves connected a immense stage, aged stalwarts specified arsenic Fluminense's Thiago Silva and Benfica's Ángel Di María turned backmost the clock, and younger big-club guys specified arsenic Borussia Dortmund's Jobe Bellingham and Real Madrid's Gonzalo García took vantage of premier opportunities.

For a tourney framed by critics arsenic a "filthy wealth drawback staged successful far-too-large stadiums," this has astatine slightest been a amusive 1 to follow, right?

As the last approaches, let's speech astir the tournament's astir memorable players and the lessons we've learned truthful acold from Gianni Infantino's expansive experiment.

The 10 astir memorable players from the Club World Cup

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Fluminense's awesome Club World Cup tally continues

How Fluminense defeated Al-Hilal 2-1 to scope the Club World Cup semi-finals.

We saw plentifulness of large names putting up large numbers successful caller weeks: Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Manchester City's Erling Haaland, for instance, combined for six goals and 2 assists successful a tidy 620 minutes of work. But they didn't precisely person a batch to beryllium heading into the proceedings. For the astir part, the players I'll retrieve astir from this contention are the ones who made the astir of their opportunities.

And aged guys. Lots of aged guys.

Old guys rule.

Alexander Barboza, DF, Botafogo

Defender stats are ever unfastened to monolithic interpretation. Some of the champion defenders successful the satellite are large interventionists, portion immoderate adjacent better defenders are truthful bully astatine positioning that they seldom person to intervene astatine all. To each their own.

In this case, (A) Botafogo's defence had to enactment harder than astir anyone, astir dragging the squad to the quarterfinals contempt an onslaught that scored lone 3 goals successful 4 games, and (B) each discourse aside, lone 2 players person made much than 74 antiaircraft interventions (ball recoveries, tackles, interceptions, clearances, blocked shots, blocked crosses oregon aerials won successful the antiaircraft third): Al Hilal's Kalidou Koulibaly (85 successful 5 games), the erstwhile Chelsea antheral who came up large successful astir a 100 antithetic ways successful the round-of-16 upset of Manchester City, and Barboza, who made 96 interventions successful lone 4 games.

The fiery 30-year-old made astatine slightest 20 interventions successful each match, made 25 successful Botafogo's memorable group-stage upset of PSG, past made 26 successful the captious lucifer against Atletico Madrid. He genuinely near it each retired connected the pitch.

Jobe Bellingham, MF, Borussia Dortmund

My superior interest for the 19-year-old erstwhile helium signed with Borussia Dortmund past period was that the expectations would beryllium skewed; helium was fantabulous astatine doing immoderate Sunderland needed successful their thrilling promotion propulsion past season, and helium decidedly has the Bellingham borderline successful presumption of temperament. But he's besides simply a precise bully teenage prospect, not a superhuman imaginable similar his older member Jude. The champion mode to guarantee helium struggles astatine Dortmund is to comparison everything helium does to what his member did determination a fewer years ago.

Let's conscionable accidental that Jobe didn't precisely tamp down expectations with his aboriginal play. Despite playing lone 228 minutes and missing BVB's quarterfinal nonaccomplishment to Jude's Real Madrid due to the fact that of yellowish paper accumulation (Bellingham edge!), helium finished tied for 2nd connected the squad successful combined goals and assists, 2nd successful changeable attempts and shots connected extremity and 3rd successful fouls suffered. He besides won fractional of his 16 duel attempts and made 15 antiaircraft interventions. He did a small spot of everything, and successful a precise Bellingham way.

Now, helium hasn't really played a lucifer successful Dortmund yet, but his tenure determination is starting appropriately well.

Yassine Bounou, GK, Al Hilal

One of Morocco's heroes successful the 2022 World Cup and a one-time standout for Sevilla, Bounou near for Saudi Arabia successful 2023. That mightiness person enactment him retired of show and caput for many, but the 34-year-old tin inactive basal connected his caput sometimes. He gave up lone 1 extremity from 15 shots connected people successful the radical stage, and helium saved a precocious Federico Valverde punishment to sphere a necktie against Real Madrid.

But his champion show mightiness person travel portion giving up 3 goals: Manchester City perfectly peppered his extremity successful the circular of 16, attempting 30 shots and putting fractional of them connected goal, but helium made 11 saves, and based connected the post-shot xG worth of the shots City enactment connected people (3.7), helium genuinely prevented other damage. We ever emotion a feline who thrives successful a World Cup, right?

Summer small-sample competitions springiness goalkeepers a accidental to marque memorable contributions, and betwixt Bounou's enactment and that of Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois (3.0 goals prevented successful his past 4 games), Benfica's Anatoliy Trubin (1.5 goals prevented successful an upset of Bayern) and Inter Miami's Oscar Ustari (3.2 goals prevented successful 4 games), we've seen our just stock of them.

Kingsley Coman, FW, Bayern Munich

His aboriginal astatine Bayern is uncertain -- the injury-prone 29-year aged managed lone 1,281 Bundesliga minutes past play and was rumored to beryllium exploring options successful Saudi Arabia oregon elsewhere. But this tourney has been a reminder of conscionable however technically superb Coman tin be.

In 250 minutes implicit 4 games, Coman scored 2 goals with 2 assists -- entering the semifinals, lone Haaland and Coman's Bayern teammate Michael Olise had much combined G+A -- and attempted a relentless 15 1v1s, winning 9 (he was 2-for-4 successful the box). He adjacent made 3 walk interceptions, 2nd connected the squad down 2 cardinal defenders (Jonathan Tah and Josip Stanisic). You conscionable couldn't instrumentality the shot disconnected of him.

When healthy, Coman is inactive beauteous unthinkable to ticker with the shot astatine his feet.

Ángel Di María, FW, Benfica

Benfica were eliminated successful the circular of 16 meaning Di María finished with lone 4 matches played, but entering the semis helium inactive ranked tied for 3rd successful combined goals and assists (four), 2nd successful shots connected extremity (nine) and 3rd successful fouls won successful the attacking 3rd (four). The 37-year-old was utterly relentless, ranking archetypal connected his squad successful not lone the supra categories but besides chances created (five) and full 1v1 attempts (18) and 2nd successful progressive passes and wide touches.

Di María has had a legendary vocation with club(s) and country; unneurotic with different 37-year-old, defender Nicolás Otamendi, helium helped Benfica decision Bayern and astir instrumentality down Chelsea successful the knockout rounds arsenic well.

Gonzalo García, FW, Real Madrid

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Why Gonzalo García mightiness beryllium the existent deal

How overmuch tin beryllium taken from the blistery streak that Gonzalo Garcia is connected successful the Club World Cup for Real Madrid.

It would surely beryllium highly Real Madrid for the nine with by acold the astir European titles besides won the archetypal expanded Club World Cup. And if they bash so, the MVP mightiness not extremity up being Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, Courtois oregon immoderate of the different known stars. They mightiness not person adjacent reached the semifinals of the contention if not for the enactment of 21-year-old García, who scored go-ahead goals against Al-Hilal (in an eventual draw) successful the radical stage, Juventus successful the circular of 16 and Borussia Dortmund successful the quarterfinals.

A uncommon academy merchandise who mightiness really interruption done successful Madrid, García enjoyed a breakout play for Real Madrid Castilla this twelvemonth but had scored lone erstwhile for the elder team, against Leganes successful the Copa del Rey. But helium has produced either a extremity (four) oregon assistance (one) successful each lucifer of the contention to date, and helium has proved unsafe with some his caput and feet.

Despite each the prima power, Real Madrid lacked a spot successful some the creativity section and successful the quality to make information successful the box. (Strangely, they missed 2023-24 guardant Joselu much than expected.) But with 20-year-old Arda Güler creating rather a spot of the erstwhile and García providing a ton of the latter, a mates of youngsters mightiness extremity up becoming awfully captious for Xabi Alonso's archetypal Blancos squad.

Achraf Hakimi, DF, PSG

OK, yes, this database has been reserved chiefly for players with thing to prove. It wasn't intended to beryllium a best-in-the-world list. But I'm beauteous definite Hakimi is the champion close backmost successful the satellite by a borderline larger than immoderate different champion subordinate astatine immoderate different position. He entered the Club World Cup with thing whatsoever to prove, particularly aft PSG's Champions League rubric victory, but entering the semis helium was successful the apical 20 successful the contention successful goals (three), shots connected extremity (five), assists (one), chances created (seven), full touches (468) and walk completions (324), and helium was top-30 successful progressive passes (34) and shot recoveries (19). He never, ever stops, and his dribbling and assistance connected PSG's clinching extremity against Bayern successful the quarterfinals was otherworldly.

Or, by his standards, beauteous mean stuff.

Depending connected however generous you are, helium took retired betwixt 3 and 5 Bayern defenders successful a azygous parry. Someone with that large an motor isn't expected to besides beryllium that bully with his feet.

Marcos Leonardo, FW, Al Hilal

With erstwhile bigger-club stars specified arsenic Bounou, Koulibaly, Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Renan Lodi and João Cancelo starring the mode -- and a payroll rivaling that of conscionable astir squad extracurricular of Europe's astir elite -- Al Hilal weren't precisely plucky underdogs successful this competition. But amid each the veterans, the 22-year-old Leonardo mightiness person been the astir integral player. He scored 4 goals, including 2 successful the upset of Manchester City and a tying changeable against Fluminense successful the quarterfinals.

None were among the astir aesthetically pleasing of his career, but if the shot starts rattling astir successful the mixer, Leonardo is going to beryllium determination to sound it in.

Leonardo enjoyed 2 breakout seasons with Brazil's Santos (plus a large tally for Brazil astatine 2023's U-20 World Cup) arsenic a teen earlier spending 1 play astatine Benfica, past making his big-money determination to Saudi Arabia. That mightiness person constricted his chances to marque a immense sanction for himself, but erstwhile the accidental presented itself this summer, helium took afloat advantage.

Pedro Neto, FW, Chelsea

Neto's archetypal play astatine Chelsea was good arsenic agelong arsenic you possibly disregard the size of his transportation interest (€60 cardinal from Wolves). Bouncing betwixt the starting lineup (36 starts) and the seat (12 substitute appearances) and logging tons of minutes connected some wings (plus immoderate clip astatine halfway forward), helium scored 9 goals with 8 assists successful 3,151 minutes successful each competitions. That's not "€60 cardinal transportation fee" output, but it's solid.

But Neto has been much than coagulated successful the Club World Cup. Heading into the semifinals, helium ranked successful the competition's apical 5 successful goals (three), chances created (10) and 1v1 attempts (28), and he's 13th successful progressive carries (43). Chelsea wobbled astatine times successful this tournament, getting tally disconnected the transportation successful the 2nd fractional of a 3-1 nonaccomplishment to Flamengo and giving up tying goals successful the 2nd fractional successful some the circular of 16 and quarterfinals. But Neto gave Chelsea the pb doubly successful the radical signifier and enactment distant the triumph implicit Benfica with a extremity successful the 114th minute.

Like Neves, Cancelo and others, helium has had to woody with the quality of Portugal teammate Diogo Jota's death, and that could affect his participation moving forward, but helium has been superb for a squad that needed it.

Thiago Silva, DF, Fluminense

We saved the skipper for last. In a tourney dominated by halfway backs successful their 30s, a 40-year-old led Fluminense to the semifinals.

Since the commencement of the 2024 Brasileiro season, Fluminense has played 33 games with Silva, who joined successful July 2024. They've averaged 1.97 points, winning 58% of the time. In 45 games without him successful that aforesaid span, they've averaged 1.42 points, winning 40% of the time. They were shockingly successful past spot successful league play, with 8 points from 16 matches, erstwhile helium joined, but they played astatine a top-seven level from there. They're sixth this season, and they were the lone non-European squad successful the semifinals.

His memorable pregame speech earlier the quarterfinal triumph implicit Al Hilal was possibly his astir lasting publication to this tournament, but successful Flu's archetypal 5 matches, helium besides made 55 antiaircraft interventions (15th successful the competition) and won 79% of his aerial duels portion his defence allowed conscionable 3 goals. Just wildly impressive.

This contention has been golden for non-European teams

You couldn't clasp this tourney astatine a expansive standard without the elephantine European clubs that were successful the draw, and FIFA evidently had to committedness lavish amounts of wealth for those teams (and everyone else) to marque definite everyone was decently progressive and motivated. This contention besides came astatine an awkward clip for the European teams, with their play having ended a fewer weeks earlier and, successful a way, some fatigue and rust becoming factors. But nary of that was the responsibility of each the other teams successful the field; each they could bash was effort to instrumentality vantage of the opportunities, and galore did so.

Fluminense's tally was a headline-grabber, but it wasn't the lone one. Fans of the Brazilian clubs successful this contention traveled en masse to the U.S., and they were each rewarded to immoderate degree. Botafogo bushed Champions League winners PSG successful the radical signifier astatine the Rose Bowl successful a lucifer they'll beryllium talking astir for years. Palmeiras won Group A, took down Botafogo successful the circular of 16 and were tied with Chelsea precocious successful the 2nd fractional successful the quarterfinals.

Flamengo, meanwhile, were astir apt the champion wide Brazilian squad successful the competition, bolting past Chelsea to triumph Group D but suffered mediocre luck of the gully and immoderate unlucky bounces against Bayern Munich successful the circular of 16, losing 4-2 contempt a plus-0.5 wide xG advantage.

But it went beyond the Brazilian teams. Inter Miami's enactment successful the tourney ended with an unceremonious pounding astatine the hands of PSG, but they besides bushed Porto -- a squad that reached the Champions League knockout rounds conscionable 1 play agone -- and drew with a sprightly Palmeiras. Monterrey, meanwhile, drew with Champions League runner-up Inter Milan and enactment a batch of accent connected Borussia Dortmund precocious successful an eventual 2-1 nonaccomplishment successful the circular of 16. LAFC and Pachuca some wasted immoderate opportunities to beryllium themselves, but the Seattle Sounders acquitted themselves comparatively good contempt being placed successful the Group of Death with PSG, Atletico Madrid and Botafogo.

Among African teams, Esperance proved to beryllium alternatively outmatched -- even if their fans weren't -- but some Al Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns were comparatively unfortunate not to advance. Al Ahly generated an xG differential greater than +1.0 successful 2 draws, portion the Sundowns produced the ninth-best xG differential successful the contention and adjacent outplayed Borussia Dortmund for ample swaths of an eventual 4-3 loss.

Really, the teams that failed to instrumentality vantage of opportunities the astir were Argentinian giants Boca Juniors and River Plate and, Al Hilal aside, the Asian teams successful the competition. Boca and River Plate some played good for 2 matches earlier collapsing successful the third, but some South Korea's Ulsan HD and Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds were mostly overmatched. Regardless, tons of teams took afloat vantage of the opportunities astatine hand, and it made this a beauteous amusive contention to follow.

An organized defence remains a hellhole of a limb (and a disorganized defence remains a spectacular liability)

For me, the astir memorable lucifer of the contention was astir apt Botafogo's triumph implicit PSG, successful which Barboza and a carnal Botafogo defence ruthlessly kept PSG retired of unsafe areas for astir of the match. PSG attempted 16 shots but lone 1 was worthy much than 0.12 xG, and lone 2 were attempted wrong 9 meters of the goal. Botafogo defenders were unafraid of making carnal interaction successful unsafe areas, astir giving distant a punishment and committing 7 fouls successful the attacking third, but they besides gave up lone 1 changeable connected people from the resulting escaped kicks.

The Brasileiro is simply a stingy league -- the mean changeable is worthy conscionable 0.126 xG (for comparison, Premier League teams averaged 0.156 xG per changeable this past season) -- and portion it's just to wonderment astir the wide level of attacking endowment successful the league, Brazilian teams successful this contention besides proved that determination is simply a precocious level of enactment successful those defenses. Silva's Fluminense person allowed conscionable 0.11 xG per shot, the lowest successful the tournament, and some Palmeiras (0.12) and Flamengo (0.14) were successful the apical nine. Botafogo really had the worst defence of the clump but inactive gave up lone 3 goals successful 4 matches.

Overall, portion the richest teams successful the contention differentiated themselves successful presumption of earthy attacking talent, of the 8 quarterfinalists, 5 were among the apical 8 successful the contention successful xG allowed per shot. Strong, physical, organized defence tin inactive beryllium an equalizer connected a immense stage.

Manchester City, by the way, ranked 29th successful xG allowed per shot. Poor modulation defence was a immense portion of their disappointing European run this past season, and arsenic Al Hilal proved successful the circular of 16, the instrumentality of Rodri to City's lineup didn't automatically cure everything that ailed them. (The summation of 2 costly attack-first midfielders successful Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders mightiness not beryllium to beryllium a cure-all either, adjacent if it makes City's onslaught adjacent much delightful.)

Weather volition beryllium an evident contented astatine adjacent year's World Cup

Honestly, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca's lengthy rant astir tempest delays was astatine slightest a small unusual and served arsenic a reminder that the volatile upwind that we've grown accustomed to successful the U.S. isn't thing those successful Europe are arsenic acquainted with.

That said, upwind has been an contented from commencement to finish. Quite a fewer matches were delayed, and, well, holding a tourney successful the United States successful June and July means you're going to woody with utterly oppressive amounts of heat, humidity oregon both. (That is, unless you clasp the full happening successful the Pacific Northwest. I've honestly heard worse ideas.)

This was evidently made worse by FIFA's insistence connected making definite immoderate of the biggest clubs successful the contention played aggregate games successful the European premier clip window. Bayern, for instance, played midday matches outdoors successful Cincinnati, Charlotte and Miami, positive an evening crippled successful Miami, earlier yet getting an indoor quarterfinal match. It played an evident relation -- Vincent Kompany attempted to remainder stars Harry Kane and Michael Olise, among others, successful the last group-stage lucifer against Benfica, and their resulting 1-0 nonaccomplishment meant they finished 2nd successful their radical and had to look PSG successful the quarterfinals.

The Club World Cup was mostly regarded arsenic a adust tally for adjacent year's World Cup successful the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Now, you're fundamentally signing up for epic vigor by playing summertime matches successful outdoor venues successful Miami, Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara and adjacent Kansas City (and honestly, Boston, New York and Philadelphia aren't precisely pleasant astatine that clip of the year). But if you're going to instrumentality immoderate lessons from these past fewer weeks, astatine the precise slightest giving astir of earlier-in-the-day matches to venues successful the little volatile big cities successful the West -- Vancouver, Seattle, Los Angeles, the Bay Area -- would astir apt beryllium a astute idea.