The Fifa World Cup in Qatar has reached its final stage, with only two more games left out of the 64 matches.
On Saturday, Croatia will lock horns with Morocco for the third and fourth place. The two sides will be meeting for the second time after they played to a goalless draw in the group stages of the tournament.
The final on Sunday will see Argentina clash with reigning champions France at the Lusail Stadium for the ultimate prize.
With the tournament two games away from concluding, it should not go without saying that the World Cup stage was graced with some of the best performances, with some surprising names stepping up to the occasion.
Here is a list of all the player of the tournament contenders:
Kylian Mbappe (France)
Mbappe will not only be battling it out with Lionel Messi for the World Cup trophy, but will also be in the race for the Golden Boot award, as the two are joint top goal scorers with five goals.
The 23-year-old has now scored nine goals in just his second World Cup edition, more than Diego Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo, and will be after the record of scoring the most goals in a single World Cup tournament if he scores a brace on Sunday – with Pele, Mario Kempes and James Rodriquez all sitting on six goals.
Mbappe’s two goals in France’s 3-1 win over Poland in the round of 16 saw him break the record of Brazilian legend Pele of being the second ever youngest player to score eight goals below the age of 24 in a World Cup.
After previously winning the Fifa young player accolade in Russia 2018, Mbappe will be in contention to win the ultimate player of the tournament award.
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Thirty-five-year-old Messi has provided three assists in the tournament so far and has undoubtedly made the entire Argentina side tick throughout the tournament.
Like his PSG teammate and golden boot competitor, Messi will also be after the record of scoring the most goals in a single World Cup tournament, if he scores more than one goal in the final.
Messi confirmed after Argentina’s 3-0 semi-final victory against Croatia that this would be his last World Cup appearance and will look to walk away with both the World Cup trophy and the Golden Ball accolade, to complete his decorated football career.
Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco)
Despite not making it to the final with Morocco, Amrabat is among the best players to grace the soccer spectacle in Qatar.
Following their defeat at the hands of defending champions on Wednesday, France president Emmanuel Macron visited Morocco’s dressing room after the game to congratulate them on their successful World Cup journey and singled out Amrabat as “the best midfielder of the tournament”.
The 26-year-old Fiorentina midfielder is on the radar of many top clubs in Europe, and is heavily linked with a January move to English Premier League giants Liverpool.
Luka Modric (Croatia)
Croatia proved many doubters wrong when they reached the semi-finals at the expense of tournament favorites Brazil in a penalty shootout.
Modric displayed an outstanding performance, showing no signs of slowing down at the age of 37. The Real Madrid midfielder previously won the World Cup best player accolade in 2018, despite losing 4-2 to France in the final.
Aurélien Tchouaméni (France)
Ahead of the tournament, the absence of Paul Pogba and Ngolo Kante in the middle of the park was regarded as the biggest misses for the French side, with the pair crucial in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph in Russia.
However, the 22-year-old has since sucked up the pressure and proved to be the future of French football in the heart of midfield.
Tchouaméni scored a stunning goal from outside the box in France’s 2-1 quarter-final victory over England.
The Real Madrid star will be expected to continue his top performance when they go toe-to-toe against Argentina to be crowned world champions once again.
Emiliano Martínez (Argentina)
The last line of defense is usually overlooked when it comes to deciding the player of the tournament contender, but goalkeeper Martinez will give selectors something to think about following his spectacular display in Qatar.
The 30-year-old shot stopper proved to be vital in Argentina’s journey to the final, after bouncing back from a shocking 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening match.
Martinez helped Argentina reach the semi-finals after saving two penalties against the Netherlands in the quarter-final.
With his chances of winning the award slim, the Aston Villa goalkeeper will without a doubt be among the Golden Glove contenders.
For the latest sport news from Sunday World, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here
