Дэлхийн аваргын хагас шигшээ: Месси тэргүүлж, Испаничууд гялалзлаа

So here we are. Both semi-finals of the World Cup are in the books and, on Sunday, a champion will be crowned in New Jersey.

Spain’s dismantling of favourites France has certainly shaken up The Athletic’s ranking of the top 50 players at the World Cup, but just how much?

A reminder: These are informed by ourplayer ratings model, which provides an objective assessment of each player’s contribution in a match.

Another reminder: The list will stay at 50 names and players will not simply vanish as their teams are eliminated in the knockout rounds, though they may well be leapfrogged by others who get more time to show what they can do on the World Cup stage.

Please feel welcome to direct your thoughts and complaints to the comments section.

1. Lionel Messi — Argentina/Inter Miami (same)

Argentina’s miracle man pulled it out of the bag again, exploiting England’s fear to create the two late goals which broke their hearts. Messi is now the clear favourite to win this World Cup’s Golden Ball, has a great chance to win the Golden Boot and can be a world champion again at 39. Ludicrous genius.

2. Kylian Mbappe — France/Real Madrid (same)

The good news? Mbappe will have a prime opportunity to seal the World Cup Golden Boot in the third-place playoff. The bad? Well… hopes of a third straight final were extinguished with a whimper. Mbappe wasn’t the worst of France’s attackers and never stopped trying to turn the tide, but his quality deserted him.

3. Rodri — Spain/Manchester City (+15)

This is the Rodri who deservedly won the Ballon d’Or in 2024: dominating and dictating matches without ever seeming to break into a sprint or a sweat. France could do nothing to disrupt his passing rhythm or solve his defensive positioning as he largely walled off Spain’s back four and erased Michael Olise.

4. Jude Bellingham — England/Real Madrid (-1)

Bellingham showed admirable restraint not to rise to Argentine provocation until after the final whistle, but it was clear for much of the second half of the semi-final that he had nothing left in his legs. That is a shame, because whatever happens in the third-place playoff, he has had an outstanding World Cup.

5. Harry Kane — England/Bayern Munich (-1)

Kane has clearly faded physically in the knockout rounds and was largely ineffective against Argentina. But he has still done enough at this World Cup to cement himself as England’s greatest player of the modern era — at least until Bellingham surpasses his body of work.

Lionel Messi remains on top of our rankings, but Harry Kane has slipped to fifth (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

6. Erling Haaland — Norway/Manchester City (-1)

Shut down by the England defence in the stifling Miami humidity as he failed to score for the first time in 21 international appearances. Haaland ran out of steam, but his remarkable feats and joyful swagger at this World Cup will live long in the memory.

7. Aymeric Laporte — Spain/Athletic Club (+3)

Spain’s defensive leader at this World Cup, Laporte excelled in and out of possession against the country of his birth, threading passes through the French lines with regularity — most notably in the long lead-up to the second goal — while also working brilliantly with Pau Cubarsi to limit Mbappe’s openings.

8. Pau Cubarsi — Spain/Barcelona (+3)

How is he only 19? Cubarsi carries himself with the poise and personality of a veteran and showed no sign of being remotely fazed either by the occasion or the challenge of going against an in-form Mbappe. He and Laporte have complementary skill sets and a natural understanding.

Pau Cubarsi consoles Desire Doue after Spain’s victory in the semi-final (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

9. Michael Olise — France/Bayern Munich (-3)

After a couple of tidy early touches at 0-0, Olise completely vanished from the game once Spain went in front and probably should have been substituted before the 73rd minute, when Rayan Cherki replaced him. He’s had a great season and a very good World Cup, but this was a rough ending.

10. Ousmane Dembele — France/Paris Saint-Germain – (-3)

Dembele’s performances at this World Cup have ebbed and flowed and, one magnificent early switch of play to find Mbappe aside, it was clear in the first half that this would not be his night. Marc Cucurella got the better of him far too easily and had plenty of help.

11. Pedro Porro — Spain/Tottenham (+29)

Where was this player at Tottenham last season? Porro has been a monster for Spain at this World Cup, picking the perfect moments to overlap or underlap Lamine Yamal to devastating effect. His athleticism also allows him to recover defensively, as he did to snuff out one early Mbappe transition attack against France.

Pedro Porro has been inspired at the World Cup (Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

12. Achraf Hakimi — Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain (-4)

Hakimi had his most ineffective game of a very impressive tournament against France, unable to carry his customary attacking threat down the right or fully shut down Desire Doue, Mbappe or Olise when they ventured into his zone of influence.

13. Mikel Oyarzabal — Spain/Real Sociedad (+7)

Oyarzabal has carried very little goal threat in the knockout rounds, but he converted his penalty superbly and he is a perfect fit for Spain’s possession-focused style. He also played a subtle but vital decoy role in Porro’s goal against France, dragging Maxence Lacroix out of position.

14. Vinicius Jr — Brazil/Real Madrid (-5)

Vini Jr was probably the Brazilian least deserving of elimination against Norway, and would have registered a sensational assist if Endrick had not fluffed his lines in the second half. Brazil have plenty of problems, but he is not among them, and he returned home with his head held high.

15. Lamine Yamal — Spain/Barcelona (-1)

It is amazing that Spain are potentially 90 minutes away from winning the World Cup without Yamal having a great game. He has been good, though, and showed up against France, cleverly winning the penalty from Lucas Digne, combining thrillingly with Dani Olmo and seeing a brilliant goal ruled out for a narrow offside.

Lamine Yamal has been good, not great, for Spain to date (Lars Baron/Getty Images)

16. Dayot Upamecano — France/Bayern Munich (-4)

Not at fault for either of Spain’s goals, Upamecano can console himself with the fact that he was France’s best defender at this World Cup (primarily because he was more durable than William Saliba). He and Jules Kounde held up well on the right, but Spain targeted the other side.

17. Anthony Gordon — England/Barcelona (+6)

No English player was less deserving of agonising defeat against Argentina than Gordon, who brilliantly swept them in front from Morgan Rogers’ cross. His impact grew with every appearance at this World Cup, and Thomas Tuchel’s decision to substitute him for Ezri Konsa accelerated England’s collapse.

18. William Saliba — France/Arsenal (-5)

If the error by Lucas Digne knocked France down, Saliba’s exit with a back injury in the 30th minute was the blow from which they never recovered. His presence, intelligence and leadership are vital for this team and his replacement, Lacroix, was lured out of position by Oyarzabal for Spain’s second.

William Saliba departs France’s semi-final with a back injury (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

19. Elliot Anderson — England/Manchester City (same)

Mired in the thick of the Argentine needle in the first half, Anderson did nothing silly and held the midfield fort well until England tactically surrendered that area of the pitch. It is hard to imagine them making it to the semi-finals without him given Declan Rice’s fitness issues.

20. Declan Rice — England/Arsenal (+1)

Recovered from the illness that derailed him prior to the Norway game, Rice was much better against Argentina and gave all he had for 82 minutes, even surging upfield to initiate the move that led to England’s goal. Given his physical limitations, he could do no more at this World Cup.

21. Marc Cucurella — Spain/Real Madrid (+14)

After being partly at fault for Charles De Ketelaere’s goal in the quarter-finals, Cucurella brought his A game against France. Dembele and Olise could do nothing against him and he even scrambled infield to poke the ball away from Mbappe in the nick of time in his own penalty area.

Marc Cucurella brought his A game against France (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

22. Ismael Saibari — Morocco/Bayern Munich (-7)

It’s a huge shame that injury deprived Saibari of the chance to demonstrate his quality against France, because he had a fantastic World Cup at the tip of Morocco’s attack which more than justified Bayern Munich’s decision to sign him from PSV Eindhoven this summer.

23. Diogo Costa — Portugal/Porto (-7)

The best goalkeeper in the tournament, Costa made a series of excellent saves against Spain before Merino managed to sneak a shot underneath him in the final minutes to end Portugal’s campaign. He should get more opportunities to avenge that disappointment.

24. Julian Quinones — Mexico/Al Qadsiah (-7)

Quinones took his World Cup goal tally to four by lashing a loose ball into the roof of the net against England. He was Mexico’s primary attacking threat from the left flank throughout the tournament and helped push one of the perceived big contenders to the brink at the Azteca Stadium.

25. Fabian Ruiz — Spain/Paris Saint-Germain (re-entry)

His return to the starting XI alongside Rodri has lifted Spain’s possession game to a new level, and together they ran the French midfield in circles. Ruiz’s endless energy reserves also allow him to break into the opposition box, where he scored against Belgium and went close against France.

26. Enzo Fernandez — Argentina/Chelsea (+21)

Fernandez has a habit of coming up big when it matters, particularly for Argentina, and whipped his second knockout goal of this World Cup beyond Jordan Pickford to cancel out Gordon’s opener. Prior to that point he had been his team’s best midfielder in and out of possession.

Enzo Fernandez’s performance against England sees him soar back up our rankings (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)

27. Leandro Trossard — Belgium/Besiktas (-5)

Trossard was arguably Belgium’s best performer against the USMNT but he was unable to do anything significant to trouble the Spanish defence. Still, this has been a good World Cup for the former Arsenal man who has just signed for Besiktas.

28. Roberto Alvarado — Mexico/Guadalajara (-4)

Could not add to this three World Cup assists against England, but contributed to the waves of Mexican attacks with his tidy left-footed distribution. His form at this tournament has raised his profile outside his homeland significantly, and deservedly so.

29. Bruno Guimaraes — Brazil/Newcastle (-3)

Will unfortunately be remembered more for his horrendous penalty miss against Norway than for the four World Cup assists that preceded it. Guimaraes was Brazil’s best midfielder at the tournament and that counts for something, though not as much as it used to.

30. Ismaila Sarr — Senegal/Crystal Palace (-3)

Sarr’s huge contribution to Senegal’s showing, and his sensational goal against Belgium, still merit consideration here in the middle of this list. He will likely stick in the top 50 with his body of work up to the round of 32.

Ismaila Sarr thumps home his excellent goal against Belgium (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

31. Alexis Mac Allister — Argentina/Liverpool (+9)

Mac Allister could not provide the breakthrough for Argentina against England as he had against Switzerland, but he did add to the general feeling of a siege by crashing two efforts off the post after ghosting into the penalty area unmarked. Can he do it against Spain?

32. Dani Olmo — Spain/Barcelona (new entry)

Like a number of Spain players, Olmo appears to be peaking at the business end of this tournament and was sensational against France. He constantly found space to receive the ball, his sumptuous back heel into the path of Yamal deserved an assist and he eventually got one with a sublimely weighted return for Porro.

33. Cristian Romero — Argentina/Tottenham (re-entry)

A popular favourite to be sent off against England, Romero was content with his 51st minute booking. Either side of that he marshalled Kane well and provided Argentina’s most reliable source of ball progression out of defence once Lisandro Martinez went off.

Cristian Romeo pushes Harry Kane away (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

34. Folarin Balogun — United States/Monaco (-6)

Balogun’s personal World Cup ended with a relative whimper against Belgium after a political storm in which he had no hand, but that should not obscure his stellar goalscoring contribution in the earlier rounds for the tournament co-hosts.

35. Brahim Diaz — Morocco/Real Madrid (-6)

Saibari’s absence may also have limited Diaz’s creativity against a far superior France side. Their chemistry in the group stage was spectacular, and played a key role in making Morocco the most successful African team at this World Cup.

36. Unai Simon — Spain/Athletic Club (new entry)

Demonstrated why Luis de la Fuente keeps faith with him as Spain’s No1 against France, and not with saves. His speed rushing out of his box eliminated any chance of Mbappe exposing Spain in behind and his distribution was near-flawless. Desire Doue could not punish his only error.

Unai Simon runs out of his box to head clear as Kylian Mbappe threatens for France (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

37. Luis Diaz — Colombia/Bayern Munich (-6)

Diaz scored his penalty in a tense shootout against Switzerland, but could not provide the cutting edge that Colombia so desperately needed in their round of 16 tie or in this World Cup more generally, where he was well below his Bayern best.

38. Andreas Schjelderup — Norway/Benfica (-6)

Did he mean it? We may never know, but Schjelderup’s cross/shot to give Norway the lead against England was undeniably spectacular, and built upon his two assists for Haaland against Brazil. He left this World Cup with his reputation enhanced.

39. Lisandro Martinez — Argentina/Manchester United (-6)

The semi-final was not Martinez’s best performance of the World Cup. Booked even earlier than Romero for a cynical foul, he was substituted partly out of fear of a second yellow in the 72nd minute. But he is too good and important for Argentina for his starting spot to be at risk in the final.

40. Desire Doue — France/Paris Saint-Germain (-6)

Doue would have been forgiven for feeling hard done by after losing his starting spot against Spain. He gave France a little more juice when he came on, but badly fluffed his only chance to influence proceedings when presented the ball with Simon stranded out of position.

41. Gregor Kobel — Switzerland/Borussia Dortmund (-5)

Kobel could do nothing about any of Argentina’s goals, and he was a significant reason why Switzerland were able to hold out for so long with 10 men. His penalty shootout heroics against Colombia in the round of 16 also earn him substantial credit here.

Gregor Kobel saves in the shootout against Colombia (Don MacKinnon / AFP via Getty Images)

42. Martin Odegaard — Norway/Arsenal (-5)

Odegaard’s composure and leadership on the ball enabled Norway to control possession for long stretches against England in the stifling heat of Miami. He has generally sent the ball where it needs to go in this World Cup, though his creativity in the final third waxed and waned.

43. Charles De Ketelaere — Belgium/Atalanta (-5)

De Ketelaere made his aerial ability count against Spain just as he had against the USMNT, sneaking across the front of Cubarsi to nod Belgium level. He is not a natural No 9 but showed enough to suggest he can be a real option for club and country there going forward.

44. Adrien Rabiot — France/AC Milan (-5)

Succeeded in muscling Yamal off the ball a couple of times in the early minutes against Spain, but France’s structure left him chasing shadows for the rest of the first half and frustration took hold. Being subbed off at half-time before you get sent off is never a good look.

45. Lautaro Martinez — Argentina/Inter Milan (new entry)

Martinez has been more useful for Argentina at this World Cup than he was in Qatar four years ago, and deserves huge credit for finding enough space in a packed England box to nod in Messi’s cross. He will not start the final, but he is a threat to impact the game from the bench.

Lautaro Martinez. Match winner (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

46. Mikel Merino — Spain/Arsenal (-5)

Spain did not need Merino to repeat the late-game heroics which eliminated Portugal and Belgium against France, but he did his bit to help them manage the final minutes in comfort. If they need an impact closer in the final against Argentina, they know who to turn to.

47. Bukayo Saka — England/Arsenal (-5)

How did Saka not get on the pitch against Argentina? England were forced to ration his contributions at this World Cup, but the Arsenal star was still good in his minutes on the pitch, registering three assists and consistently making the right decision with the ball.

48. Youri Tielemans — Belgium/Manchester United (-5)

Absent against Spain due to injury, Manchester United-bound Tielemans still enjoyed an impressive and memorable World Cup as Belgium’s captain, punctuated by his starring role in their remarkable comeback against Senegal.

Youri Tielemans is moving from Aston Villa to Manchester United (Luke Hales/Getty Images)

49. Joshua Kimmich — Germany/Bayern Munich (-5)

Kimmich was Germany’s best performer at this World Cup, not that it ultimately counted for much. Whether or not he remains captain under Julian Nagelsmann’s successor Jurgen Klopp, he needs to be a full-time midfielder at international level moving forward.

50. Davinson Sanchez — Colombia/Galatasaray (-5)

Sanchez helped keep out a relatively limited Swiss attack to ensure that Colombia made it to penalties despite their profligacy in front of goal. Once there, he crashed his own spot kick off the crossbar, but overall he has had a good tournament.