GOALKEEPER Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
In the World Cup he did not save the Belgians from shame, but together with Karim Benzema he became a superhero in the Champions League playoffs, in which he made countless outstanding saves. He was the best player in that final, which he became the seventh to vote for the Ballon d’Or.
RIGHT DEFENDER Joao Cancelo (Manchester City, Portugal)
In the spring he helped the “citizens” win the English championship and reach the semifinals of the Champions League, where they were one step away from victory, and at the end of the year he reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Cup with Portugal.
RIGHT CENTER Rodrigo (Manchester City, Spain)
At the club, he occupies one of the key positions in the support zone, which is very specific to Josep Guardiola’s teams: it is necessary not only to destroy other people’s attacks, but to help organize his own. In the national team he appeared unexpectedly as a high-quality defender with an excellent first pass. It’s probably a bit wrong of us to put him in the center of defense, but at the same time, we can’t say we’ve fooled anyone that much. Defenders had stability issues in 2022.
LEFT CENTER DEFENDER Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, Dutch national team)
After a serious injury, not as great as a couple of years ago, but without him we would not have seen Liverpool in the Champions League final and second place in the Premier League, nor the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. 2022. Mug.
LEFT BACK Nussair Mazraoui (Ajax/Bayern, Morocco)
The whole year has been very bright for him. First, in the round of 16 of the Champions League, he assisted Dusan Tadic, but Ajax was not enough to advance to the next round, then he won the Dutch championship and went to Bayern, with whom he gave a good segment, since At the end of the year, she played one of the most prominent roles in a Moroccan fairy tale. He played five games in the 2022 World Cup, but was especially successful in key games with Belgium and Spain.
Defensive midfielder Casemiro (Real Madrid/Manchester United, Brazil)
He was the most important figure in Champions League-winning Real Madrid, and in August he made a sudden move to Old Trafford, where he quickly earned the trust of the public and partners. In the national team at the World Championships, he was one of the best, he not only destroyed, but also excellently joined the attacks.
MIDDLE MIDFIELD Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund, England)
For a 19-year-old, he had an incredible year, becoming the leader of Borussia and the England team. He got an especially impressive boost in the fall: 7+3 in 20 Bundesliga and Champions League games, as well as his debut goal for the England team and, in general, a very brilliant performance in the Cup. of the world.
ATTACKING MIDFIELD Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
Little by little he comes to his senses after a business trip to Barcelona. At Atlético, little by little he is taking center stage and he was simply incredible in the selection at the World Cup: he selected, gave, created, completed. With Didier Deschamps he didn’t have a specific position, but he managed to do everything at once.
RIGHT FRONT Lionel Messi (PSG Argentina)
Comments needed? Leo adapted in Paris and there, based on passes with the underdogs, he systematically achieved an outstanding state of form, which he materialized in Qatar, becoming the best player in the World Cup. Number one in many ways in 2022.
LEFT FRONT Kylian Mbappé (PSG, France)
He could have buried Real in the Champions League, but instead he lost all the key games: Creamy in the Champions League round of 16 and Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final. However, he was unstoppable and scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final. And this, you see, is worth a lot.
CENTER FORWARD Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
He had such a magical spring, in which he led Real Madrid to victory in the Champions League and the League, that this handicap was enough for the rest of the year. In the fall, he stopped shining and then began to avoid Real Madrid matches so as not to get injured, but just before the start of the 2022 World Cup he was out of order, after which he was offended by Deschamps and announced his retirement from the National selection. But he was still one of the most important figures of the year.
