The 2022 Men’s World Cup final is upon us, and 832 of the world’s best men showed up to Qatar to put themselves out there to show the world what they can do. Some showed up and showed out. Others barely showed up at all. Elliot, Kyle, and Eboni, the Walkin’ 90 crew, teamed up to bring you the rise and fall of a few Black players in this tournament.
Kylian Mbappe
There’s no way anyone thought this man’s value could get any higher, but somehow Kylian Mbappe has done it. He’s been involved in just about every goal that France has scored in this Men’s World Cup. His 8 goals and 2 assists has lifted France to a 2nd straight final. He’s already at the highest stage with PSG, and the star forward still has room to grow at the young age of 23 years old. Mbappe is the present and future of French football.
Cody Gakpo
This shouldn’t be news to anyone, but Cody Gakpo is good at football. The kid willed the Dutch forward, scoring in all 3 group stage games, and the Round of 16. Gakpo’s stock is rising high, and a big reason is his versatility. For PSV, he lines up as a Left Mid/Left Winger that cuts inside. For the Netherlands, he lines up either in a striker partnership with Memphis Depay or in a deeper playmaker role. He’s only 23 years old, so his Dutch career will just keep improving. The Dutch, and PSV, would be smart to make sure he stays healthy going into the Euros in 2023, because he’s gonna be a difference maker.
Moises Caicedo
Much like his team’s national team performance in the World Cup, Caicedo showed that he is a legit player. Those familiar with him knew he had potential and Brightton signing him helped ease the loss of Ives Bissouma. Caicedo isn’t known for his goal scoring prowess, but he was able to pop up with one during Ecuador’s final match against Senegal. Caicedo handles the tempo and can line up either as a 6 or an 8 on the left side of the midfield. As long as he stays healthy, expect him to be the talisman of Ecuador and a move to a bigger premier league club.
Ismaila Sarr
How do you cope with losing your best player right before the tournament starts? That is the question that Senegal needed to answer after Sadio Mane suffered a knee injury less than a month before the tournament. The answer Senegal had was to look towards the 24 year old Ismaila Sarr. The Watford winger can play on either the left or the right and that held true for Senegal. Despite losing the first match against the Netherlands, Sarr did create the most chances of any player in that match. He continued being the biggest attacking threat for Senegal for the group stage, scoring a vital penalty against Ecuador. Despite a frustrating showing against England, Sarr is a player who belongs in a big league thanks to his direct style of play.
Tyler Adams
Tyler came from the streets of NY, and worked his way to the top of the USA roster as captain of the USA in their 1st men’s world cup in 2 cycles. He showed the world why Leeds is turning down A LOT of money from some top EPL teams to keep him. He’s a professional off the field, but he’s a tremendous gritty player on the field as he controls play from the central midfield role. He gets the job done, while also having the soccer IQ to pick out a play in the midfield before it develops. He was instrumental in the 1-0 win vs. Iran to send the USA to the Round of 16. And his play all tournament definitely saw his value increase on the club stage. He’s content at Leeds at the moment, but if he can stay consistent through the end of the PL season and the next USA tournament cycle, expect him to move on quick, and with a few more 0’s on the end.
Mohammed Kudus
Death, taxes, and a Netherlands club developing talented players. Mohammed Kudus was showing at Ajax what he was capable of. The Ghanian normally plays centrally both in midfield and attack but was asked to play out wide at times. A brace against South Korea was the key to their victory and his technical dribbling abilities stood out the most. A name most likely never heard of can only get better as he develops and won’t have the Ayew brothers forcing him out of his natural position.
Yunus Musah
Musah was a bright dual-national star that the USA convinced to come play for them. He dazzled in qualifiers, but when it came time to shine on the big stage, he just couldn’t deliver. He definitely showed moments of brilliance, but his finishing left a lot to be desired by USA fans, especially in the R16. His stock definitely didn’t rise, but I don’t think you can say a 20 year old is out of his prime and his stock has decreased. There are some big USA tournaments coming up, and the young central midfielder has some work to do if he wants to see the happy side of this balancing act.
Ansu Fati
To be honest, most of the Spain team disappointed at this Men’s World Cup. I single out Fati here because there was so much pressure on him to do amazing things because of his talent. His role was limited, he only played 44 mins total this world cup. Much like Musah, you can’t really say a 20 year old decreased their value on the club stage. He’s still learning and coming into his game. But he’s got the Euros next, and he’s gotta put himself on the map if he wants to be the main star at Barcelona and wherever he plays next.
Denis Zakaria
Much like Switzerland’s performances in the World Cup this year, Zakaria’s play left us all wondering “what if”. Only playing in 57 mins this World Cup, Zakaria was more so used as a sub than the ball-controlling midfield we came to know him as at Borussia Monchengladbach. However since his move to Serie A giants Juventus, his performance has hit a dip in play, only playing in nine matches. This season he is on loan at Chelsea, but has only played in two matches. Zakaria. Zakaria’s best move would be to find a stable club to get regular starting minutes, because Chelsea AND Juventus’ midfields are stacked, and he’s not breaking through those lineups anytime soon.
Ethan Ampadu
The less said about Ampadu’s World Cup Performance is probably for the best. He put on a strong performance against the USMNT; he completed 70% of his passes, 71% on long balls, and 67% on ground duels. However, his performance in the next two games seemed to drop off as he struggled to be the same midfield enforcer from the prior game. The reason why Ampadu’s stock has fallen is due to his club situation. Right now, he is on his fourth club loan since making the move to Chelsea in 2017. He has shown the ability to play as a midfield anchor or in a double pivot, but he needs to settle down in the club quickly before he becomes a cautionary tale in Chelsea’s mishandling of transfer targets.
Jonathan David
Canada was the surprise team in qualifying, topping the table in CONCACAF. Much of that was thanks to Jonathan David’s goal scoring. The Lille player was very wasteful in the match against Belgium and didn’t pose a threat the following game against Croatia. A 30 minute appearance against Morocco finished off a very disappointing world cup for David. It was a harsh and quick decline, because he had been playing well in Ligue 1 but that form was nonexistent in Qatar. David is still young but if Canada wants to reach the heights it can achieve, David is going to need to step up in future tournaments.
