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World Cup 2022 Team of the Tournament, starring Messi and Mbappe
Carlo Garganese
- Updated: 23 May 2023 09:00 CDT
- 6 min read
The 2022 World Cup now over after a thrilling four weeks of football that culminated in Argentina beating France in the final on penalties following an epic 3-3 draw.
There were numerous world-class performances in Qatar, with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe being the two standout players.
But who makes up our World Cup 2022 Team of the Tournament?
World Cup 2022: Teams, fixtures, results, favourites
Below is our best XI in a 4-3-3 formation?
Dominik Livakovic (Croatia)
There were a number of excellent goalkeepers in Qatar; Morocco’s Bono, England’s Jordan Pickford and France’s Hugo Lloris.
But Dominik Livakovic was the best of the lot. He was the hero as Croatia won two penalty shootouts against Japan in the last 16 and versus Brazil in the quarter-finals. Livakovic saved three penalties against the Japanese and one versus Brazil. He was also inspired in the final group game to eliminate Belgium.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
The biggest fairytale of the 2022 World Cup - and perhaps any World Cup in history - was Morocco. The Atlas Lions miraculously made it all the way to the semi-finals, beating Spain and Portugal along the way.
One of the big reasons for this was their brilliant right-hand side, with PSG right-back Achraf Hakimi a whirlwind down his side. He linked up superbly with Hakim Ziyech and was a constant thorn in the opposition.
Josko Gvardiol (Croatia)
Croatia yet again performed above expectations at the World Cup, following up their final performance in Russia four years ago with a third-place finish in Qatar. Josko Gvardiol deserves a lot of the credit for that - along with Livakovic - with a series of dominant performances at the centre of the defence.
Brave, aggressive, great in the air and a born leader at the age of 20, he was the best defender in the tournament. His goal-saving block against Belgium stopped Croatia going out in the groups. He was taught a lesson by Lionel Messi in the semis, but bounced back to score in the third and fourth playoff.
Romain Saiss (Morocco)
If there was an award for bravest player of the World Cup it would go to Morocco captain Romain Saiss.
The centre back played through injury throughout the knockout stages, even though he wasd clearly in pain and even limping at times.
His attitude and bravery symbolised Morocco and how every one of their players fought for one another. His defending was also outstanding as Morocco conceded just one goal on the way to the semis.
Theo Hernandez (France)
There weren’t too many standout left-backs at the 2022 World Cup, but Theo was the best of an average bunch.
The AC Milan star had some great games and some bad games. He was superb in the group stages but struggled against Bukayo Saka in the quarter-final win over England.
Theo was back to his best again and scored France’s opener in the semi-final victory over Morocco before labouring in the final against Argentina. In all, though, three goal contributions in Qatar should be applauded.
Jude Bellingham (England)
Jude Bellingham is expected to move to a superclub for a fee well in excess of €100m in 2023. And he showed exactly why he is valued so highly at this World Cup with a string of brilliant performances.
He was undoubtedly England’s best player in Qatar, and the leader of a side that reached the quarter-finals. He scored England’s first goal in the 6-2 win over Iran, and also grabbed an assist as he starred in all five of his team’s games.
Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco)
A titan in the heart of the Morocco midfield along with the highly impressive Azzedine Ounahi, Amrabat exploded onto the world stage with a series of consistently excellent performances as his side’s holding midfielder. Was regularly found making key challenges and was the force that underpinned the North Africans’ surprise run to the semi-finals.
Antoine Griezmann (France)
Prior to Qatar 2022, the writing seemed to be on the wall of Griezmann’s career at the top level after a poor spell at Barcelona and trying season with Atletico Madrid. Reimagined as a central midfielder by France boss Didier Deschamps, he instead became a brilliant allrounder, pulling the strings as France made it all the way to the final. He may have sacrificed goals in his game, but he was Les Bleus’ beating heart.
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
The 2022 World Cup was Messi’s. Although he missed a penalty in the shock opening round loss against Saudi Arabia, he would score four more in the competition as he went on to finish with seven goals in total. It wasn’t just the PSG forward’s scoring play that was crucial, though, his all-round performance was formidable. Is now indisputably the greatest of all time.
Jullian Alvarez (Argentina)
When the tournament started, the Manchester City striker wasn’t even a first pick for Lionel Scaloni, yet by the time Argentina lifted the trophy, there was little doubt he had emerged as a key player. Whereas Messi played in fits and starts, Alvarez was a constant hub of life, offering the perfect foil for the veteran. Scored four goals of his own, including a memorable second against Croatia in the semi-final that summed up his swashbuckling attitude.
Kylian Mbappe (France)
France’s superstar almost single-handedly (in the final, at least) carried his nation to a second successive World Cup triumph. He finished top scorer in the finals with eight goals, including becoming the first player since 1966 to score a hattrick in a World Cup final. It wasn't enough to win France the title.
He terrorised full-backs with his pace, and even when he was not scoring, he was attracting the attention of defenders. He also grabbed two assists in the competition.
