The Fifa 2022 World Cup in Qatar produced some of the most exciting football the tournament has ever seen.
This year’s World Cup edition saw history being made by teams, and records were broken by individuals. North African side, Morocco, is the first team that comes to mind, as the Atlas Lions were the first African nation to reach the semi-finals in the history of the competition.
The world spectacle saw some players who were not spoken about prior to the tournament, but surprisingly stepped up and had subtle impact in helping their respective teams achieve in the tournament.
With the January transfer window looming, some of these underrated stars will be on the radar of many European giants seeking to bolster their squads.
Here is a list of the most underrated players in the World Cup:
Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina)
Mac Allister is amongst the most underrated players that featured in the 2022 World Cup edition. He was part of the Argentina side that lifted the reputable trophy for the first time since 1986.
The Brighton Hove & Albion midfielder was instrumental in helping Argentina lift the trophy, as he almost played all seven of the matches in Qatar, after he was an unused substitute in the Saudi Arabia shocking opening defeat.
Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco)
Azzedine Ounahi is arguably one of the players that played a critical part in leading Morocco to making World Cup history. Ounahi was equally pivotal to Walid Regragui’s midfield alongside Sofyan Amrabat.
The 22-year-old is one of the surprise packages to be unearthed by the World Cup, as he was consistent throughout the tournament with his dynamic display in the middle of the park.
He has also attracted interest from European clubs such as Premier League side Leicester City being one of the teams interested in him.
Julian Alvarez (Argentina)
Alvarez alongside a Messi led side was evenly impactful in the attack of Lionel Scaloni’s team that won the title against France on Sunday.
The Manchester City striker banged in four important goals that helped Argentina go all the way to winning the final.
Antoine Griezmann (France)
With the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud being at the center of attention for France throughout the tournament in Qatar, Antione Griezmann was undoubtably one of their best players.
Griezmann was largely underrated in the French squad, despite contributing immensely to his side’s attack. The Frenchman produced 16 key passes, tied with Messi and became France’s all-time assist provider with his two assists against England in the quarterfinals.
Rodrigo de Paul (Argentina)
Rodrigo de Paul is another underrated player in the World Cup, as the Athletico Madrid man was crucial in braking play, producing a high defensive and offensive work rate in the middle of the park for Argentina.
De Paul was one of the driving forces in the Argentine side that helped Messi to finally delivered a World Cup trophy for his nation.
Aurelien Tchouameni (France)
Apart from missing an important penalty kick in the final, Aurelien Tchouameni was one of the standout players in the French squad.
He pulled strings for Les Bleus in the midfield, creating and scoring an important goal against the Three Lions in the quarterfinals. He managed to close the void that was left by the absence of Paul Pogba and Ngolo Kante due to injury.
The Real Madrid star proved that he will be the future of the Spanish giant’s midfield and French football.
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