The World Cup is just days away and we can’t wait.
Okay, there are quite rightly reservations about a winter World Cup being held in Qatar but it’s hard not to get excited when the greatest sporting event rolls around.
Thirty-two nations, 64 matches and the greatest players in world football will do battle for the biggest prize in the sport.
Bring. It. On.
And ahead of the tournament that kicks off on Sunday, we wanted to look at the best players of all 32 competing nations. We’re not just talking about current players, we’re talking about the greatest players in that nation’s history.
While it was quite easy for some nations, it was far tougher for nations and our choice will no doubt leave plenty of you screaming ‘What about…!?’
So, without further ado, here is the greatest player for all 32 countries at the 2022 World Cup.
Group A
Muftah scored 42 goals in 81 appearances for Qatar.
- Ecuador – Alberto Spencer
Spencer only managed four goals in 11 appearances for Ecuador. But he scored 326 goals in 10 years for Uruguayan club Penarol. He was once voted 20th in a list of all-time South American footballers.
It’s devastating that Mane won’t feature at the World Cup this year.
- The Netherlands – Johan Cruyff
Plenty of candidates but Cruyff is one of the greatest players of all time.
Group B
- England – Bobby Charlton
Charlton won the 1968 Ballon d’Or and just pips Bobby Moore to this one.
You may not have heard of Daei until recently – when Cristiano Ronaldo beat his international goalscoring record. He managed a ridiculous 109 goals in 149 games for Iran.
Donovan is USA’s joint top goalscorer along with Clint Dempsey. But Donovan gets the nod for being the first real superstar in American soccer.
Bale beats Giggs to the honour thanks to his 40 goals in 108 appearances for Wales, as well as helping them reach their first World Cup in 64 years.
Group C
- Argentina – Lionel Messi
The greatest player of all time beats Diego Maradona to the crown.
- Saudi Arabia – Majed Abdullah
There can’t be any arguments here. Abdullah scored 72 goals in 117 appearances for Saudi. He won the Asian Footballer of the Year in 1984, 1985 and 1986.
Mexico – Hugo Sanchez
Sanchez’s club career was remembered for his 195 goals in 264 appearances for Real Madrid. He wasn’t bad for his country either, scoring 29 in 58.
Poland – Robert Lewandowski
Another fairly straightforward pick. Lewandowski has 76 goals for his country.
Group D
- France – Zinedine Zidane
Zidane beats the likes of Thierry Henry and Michel Platini to be crowned France’s greatest ever player.
Cahill played more than 100 times for his country – a tally only bettered by Mark Schwarzer.
- Denmark – Michael Laudrup
Christian Eriksen runs him close but Laudrup had successful spells at Lazio, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Ajax during his club career. He played more than 100 times for Denmark too.
Dhiab has long retired but the former midfielder won African Footballer of the Year award in 1977, as he helped Tunisia qualify for the 1978 World Cup.
Group E
Spain have had an incredible era, winning both the European Championship and World Cup with some of the greatest players to have ever represented ‘La Furia Roja’. It’s a tough call between Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Ramos but we’re just giving it to the man who won the World Cup for Spain in 2010.
- Costa Rica – Paulo Wanchope
Goalkeeper Keylor Navas wasn’t far off getting the nod but we’re giving this to the iconic Wanchope. Not only did he conquer the Premier League but he also scored 45 goals in 73 games for his country.
- Germany – Franz Beckenbauer
Gerd Muller will feel hard done by but Beckenbauer is one of the greatest defenders to have ever played the game. Beckenbauer was twice named European Footballer of the Year, played 103 times for his country and played in three FIFA World Cups and two European Championships – winning each of them once.
- Japan – Kunishige Kamamoto
Now 78, Kamamoto scored an incredible 80 goals in 84 appearances for Japan. He won Japan’s Player of the Year on seven occasions.
Group F
- Belgium – Kevin De Bruyne
Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ may not have returned any trophies but they produced a number of incredible players. While Eden Hazard was one of the best players in the world during his prime, we’re giving this one to De Bruyne.
- Canada – Alphonso Davies
Davies is only 22 years old but is already Canada’s greatest ever player. He played 34 times for his country, scoring 12 goals. He’s also played 133 times for Bayern Munich too, establishing himself as one of the best left backs in world football.
How can you ignore a player who scored 231 goals in 200 appearances for his club, Chabab Mohammedia? He’s also Morocco’s top goalscoer of all time with 36 goals.
A Ballon d’Or winner and one of the best midfielders of his era.
Group G
So many options including Ronaldo and Neymar but Pele takes the honour. After all, he did win three out of the five World Cups he played in and remains Brazil’s record goalscorer – although could soon be eclipsed by Neymar. But Pele will always be regarded as one of the best players in world football history.
- Serbia – Dejan Stankovic
Stankovic is remembered for his lengthy spell at Inter Milan, where he won five Serie A titles and a Champions League. The midfielder beat the likes of Branislav Ivanovic, Nemanja Vidic and Aleksandar Mitrovic.
- Switzerland – Alexander Frei
The legendary striker is Switzerland’s record goalscorer with 42 goals in 84 appearances. He banged in more than 200 league goals for the likes Borussia Dortmund and Basel.
- Cameroon – Samuel Eto’o
Now president of the Cameroonian FA, there’s very little doubt Eto’o is the greatest Cameroonian player of all time.
Group H
- Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo has surpassed Eusebio as Portugal’s best player ever. He is, after all, the greatest goalscorer in football history.
You know you’re good when you’re nicknamed ‘Pele’. His real name is Abedi Ayew – that’s right, he’s the father to Andre and Jordan. Abedi is regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time, winning the 1993 Champions League with Marseille.
Uruguay have won the World Cup twice but we can’t look past the infamous Suarez. He’s scored 68 goals for his country and enjoyed spells at Liverpool, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
- Korea Republic – Son Heung-min
Son will be fit enough to lead South Korea in Qatar having scored 35 goals in 104 appearances for his nation. He’s a national hero.
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