The betPawa WC22 Team of the Tournament
Time flies when you’re having fun. An African side made the semi-finals for the first time ever, Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia yet went on to lift the trophy, and we witnessed the final of all finals. This sport isn’t called the beautiful game for nothing.
So here goes, our Team of the Tournament in Qatar, including a coach and a commentator.
Martínez; Hakimi, Upamecano, Gvardiol, Acuña; Amrabat; Fernández, Modrić, Griezmann; Mbappé, Messi (c)
The back 5
Penalty shootout heroics, endless banter, distracting antics and an outrageous save to deny Randal Kolo Muani make Emi Martínez the obvious pick in goal.
Achraf Hakimi was typically top-notch for Morocco on their ferocious run to the semi-finals, forming part of a back 4 that kept 4 clean sheets, and giving left-sided opponents a tough time. That cheeky Panenka penalty against Spain, the country of his birth, will live long in the memory.
Dayot Upamecano, still recovering from a bug that affected the entire France team, conceded 3 goals in the final and he’ll still be heartbroken about how it all turned out, but he was individually superb and brave in extra time. 2 absolutely critical blocks spring to mind in a match that could have gone the other way.
Alongside him, 20-year-old Croatian Joško Gvardiol feels destined to become one of the best central defenders of his generation, such is the calmness and composure in his game. Messi showed him who’s boss in the semi-finals, but this is Messi we’re talking about, and he’s done that to some of the greatest in the business.
Although Sevilla left-back Marcos Acuña didn’t start the final, he made a telling contribution off the bench and was rock solid during Argentina’s glorious run. An unspectacular player but one who gets the job done, unlike Theo Hernandez who’s scoring great goals one minute then giving penalties away the next.
A midfield diamond
We’ve gone with a narrow-shaped 4-1-3-2 in order to accommodate all of the excellent central scheming players who shone in Qatar.
Sofyan Amrabat is at the base. He covered virtually every blade of grass, becoming the first player to win possession 50 times at the tournament. He makes an opposing attacking midfielder’s life a misery and relishes doing so. A manager’s dream. Amrabat was Morocco’s outstanding performer and they can boast a lot of those. Club side Fiorentina should expect plenty of phone calls, and it won’t be a shock if he’s no longer there at the end of January.
Ahead of him are 2 stars at opposite ends of the career spectrum. Young Player of the Tournament Enzo Fernández is also attracting bids from all over the show and it’s easy to see why. The 21-year-old slotted seamlessly into whichever system Lionel Scaloni deployed and he was so effective on the grand stage.
Alongside him, everyone’s favourite old man in midfield, the majestic Luka Modrić. He’s 37 now so that’s a good excuse to watch more Real Madrid matches this season, and we should really enjoy him while he’s still around. It’s our duty as football lovers.
Although Antoine Griezmann had a final to forget, he pulled the strings for Les Bleus in typically silky fashion and his creativity almost took them all the way. Good luck getting the ball off this quartet of players.
The 2 best players in the world
Up top, it can only be PSG’s crown jewels, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi.
Mbappé became only the second player ever to bag a hat-trick in a WC final and the first since 1966. Spare a thought for a man who turned 24 years old less than 48 hours after an absolutely ridiculous match against Argentina, because that was a scintillating display of clinical finishing from him. If anybody didn’t deserve to lose, it was Mbappé, but it’s all part of the journey on the road to greatness.
Speaking of which, do we even need to say anything about Messi? That assist against Croatia, when he turned Gvardiol inside out, was the work of a 35-year-old man who had suddenly been transported back to the year 2007. Watching this guy has been a true privilege. It’s only fitting that the great man has now held the greatest prize in his arms.
The substitutes
A full quota of replacements is required to simulate the 26-man matchday experience.
Livaković, Bounou, Varane, Romero, Saïss, Mazraoui, Ounahi, Bellingham, Tchouaméni, Mac Allister, Di María, Fernandes, Saka, Kolo Muani, Giroud
There are some tidy players on this bench including the severely underrated Brighton star Alexis Mac Allister (another like Amrabat who will attract plenty of interest), and Ángel Di María, a man who always delivers on the BIG occasions. He’s now scored in an Olympic Gold medal match, the winner in a Copa América final and THAT exquisite counter-attacking goal against France. He was also Man of the Match in the 2014 Champions League final for Real Madrid, by the way. Hats off to Scaloni for picking him on Sunday.
The coach
Walid Regragui performed a modern miracle by taking his side to the semi-finals. Morocco became Africa’s first-ever representatives in the final 4 on this stage, and Regragui is the first African coach to get there. A true trailblazer. And to think, he did all of this after being in charge for fewer than 10 games. The Atlas Lions are now ranked 11th in the world by FIFA and prowling upwards, under a manager who’s dreaming BIG.
The commentator
It can only be the GOAT, Peter Drury. Here’s a reminder of how he experienced Morocco’s win against Portugal and lived it vicariously through them:
"Drink it in Casablanca, relish it Rabat, this is your night. See it from atop the Atlas Mountains, all above the Marrakech express, a night Morocco will never forget."
See you in 2026.