The 2022 World Cup Tournament

One of the most awaited events in sports history is right around the corner! The group stage of the 2022 World Cup fixtures is set to begin on November 20 and it’s kicking off with hosts Qatar going up against Ecuador. We’ve reached the point of the tournament with only 32 teams left out of the over 200 countries that were eligible! With the number significantly narrowed down, fans will be able to better nail down who the top World Cup players are this year, and which team they’re rooting for to win.

Betting on the World Cup

When it comes to sports and especially in football betting, bettors always have a wide array of betting markets to choose from. Whether one wants to bet on the final score, total number of goals scored, or which team will take home the championship trophy, pretty much anything is possible. There are also options to bet on individual players, and that’s where knowledge on the top World Cup players comes in handy! 

You can bet on who will score the game’s first goal, or whether a specific player will score a goal at all. At the end of the championship game, there are also individual World Cup Awards and you can place bets on who will receive those! Given this, it’s of vital importance for anyone who is aiming to gamble during the tournament to at least have an idea of which top World Cup players to look out for this 2022.

Let’s get started!

Top World Cup Players in 2022

1. Karim Benzema (France)

There were speculations a short while back about the Frenchman’s participation in the World Cup this year due to injuries and continued absence from matches with his team, Real Madrid. However, his team coach has assured that this wouldn’t affect his performance in the international tournament, and Benzema is indeed defending his country’s title alongside Kylian Mbappé, Raphael Varane, Antoine Griezmann, and the rest of the team. This 2022 Ballon D’Or winner (taking the award from two-year consecutive winner Lionel Messi) must be eager to show he’s one of this year’s top World Cup players!

2. Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)

Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne returns in 2022 for his third ever World Cup tournament. With 10 appearances under his belt, all eyes are on him to see if he’ll be scoring his third World Cup goal. Belgium is often high up on the favorites to win, and will De Bruyne be one of the country’s top World Cup players to help take the trophy home this year? There are discussions that this may be his last World Cup tournament, so fans are waiting to see his performance!

3. De jong

The Netherlands has sealed its spot in Group A this year, and will play out the Group Stage against hosts Qatar, Ecuador, and Senegal. Historically speaking, the odds are looking good for the Dutch team (though as we know, literally anything could happen during a World Cup match!). Midfielder Frenkie De Jong has been showing promising performance in recent matches while representing the national team, and as such has been touted as one of the team’s key players for the upcoming international tournament! This will be De Jong’s first appearance in the World Cup – though he’s been representing his country in leagues since 2015 – so many are eager to count him amongst the top World Cup players to look out for.

4. Harry Kane (England)

This year, all eyes are on the British team’s captain Harry Kane, who has got quite a stunning track record in the World Cup to date. He was made captain just before the 2018 tournament, which was his first. England may not have won (they were knocked out by Croatia in the semi-finals) but Kane walked away with the Golden Boot trophy for the most goals scored – 6 goals in 6 games – making him an easy contender for top World Cup players in 2022. On top of that, following relegation from the UEFA Nations League, he had asked fans to judge their team based on their performance in the World Cup – which both fans and critics are sure to do.

5. Kylian Mbappé (France)

There are gonna be a lot of eyes on France already as the defending champions, but many will be singularly focused on the team’s young forward, Kylian Mbappé. At just 23 years old, this is his second call up into the World Cup team and we’ll be looking to see if he’ll score his second goal, too! After all, his first goal during the 2018 World Cup Final against Croatia made him just the second teenager (then still 19 years old) in history after Pelé to score during a Finals match. Humble as ever though, he was flattered by the recognition but still acknowledged that Pelé is one of the top World Cup players (and football players in general) in history and “is in another category”.

6. Lionel Messi (Argentina) 

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise to see Messi on the list; after all, he is one of the biggest names in football today. However, there are some who would argue otherwise! He may have over 700 goals in his entire career, but only 6 of those were made during a World Cup match – and all during group matches. Still, 4 of those 6 goals were made during the 2014 tournament and earned him the Golden Boot award that year! Surely, Messi is one of the top World Cup players to keep an eye on in ANY year.

7. Luka Modrić (Croatia)

Croatia may not have taken home the trophy in 2018, but they sure didn’t go down without a fight! They (quite unexpectedly) beat England in the semi-finals, despite the latter being a favorite, with fans screaming for the country to ‘bring football home’. When Croatia made it to the Finals against France, captain Luka Modrić emerged as one of the top World Cup players to remember, winning the tournament’s Golden Ball. That year, he also took home the coveted Ballon D’Or – which had been dominated by both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the past decade. Will Modrić take his team all the way to the championship trophy this year?

8. Neymar Jr. (Brazil)

Brazil’s powerhouse Neymar has continuously proven his skill throughout his career, especially since teaming up with both Messi and Mbappé on Paris Saint-Germain FC. Like De Bruyne, however, there have been talks that Neymar may be considering this year’s tournament to be his last World Cup appearance. His first call-up was in 2014, where he scored 4 goals over 4 games but was sadly met with an injury that took him out of the playing cards. He scored twice again during the 2018 tournament but Brazil still had no luck reaching the finals. Will 2022 be the year that Neymar proves his mettle as one of the top World Cup players?

9. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Ronaldo has played in 17 World Cup matches in his career and has made 7 goals in the same tournament (a mere fraction of the 800 goals he’s scored for his team and country). His first appearance at the World Cup was in 2006 but it was his performance during the 2018 tournament that remains the most memorable: he became the oldest player in history to score a hat-trick during the World Cup! Keep in mind that that wasn’t even his first hat-trick during the tournament, as he had also achieved this in a World Cup qualifying match against Sweden in 2014. Will he be making another this 2022?

10. Son Heung-min (South Korea)

Captain of the South Korean national team will have plenty of eyes on him during these upcoming Group Stage matches, especially as he’s coming out of a recent injury. However, he seems to be ready to come back and has recently gained attention for his speed and plays during regular season with the Tottenham Spurs. This will be Son’s third World Cup; having scored three goals already in his previous appearances, will he further cement his place amongst other top World Cup players?

Final Words on the 2022 Top World Cup Players

Arguably, there are many more individuals that experts would consider to be top World Cup players this year. Amongst those would be Vinicius Jr. of Brazil, Wales’ Gareth Bale (particularly to see Wales and England go head to head in the Group Stage), USA’s Christian Pulisic, and Romelu Lukaku of Belgium – just to name a few.

On Oppa888 online casino, veteran fans and casual spectators alike can explore dozens of options when wanting to explore sports and football betting. With the World Cup a mere stone’s throw away, it’s about time to start checking which teams you think will make it past the Group Stage into the Round of 16 and through to the championship! Using the information provided here on the top World Cup players, you could also place bets on top goalscorer, first to score, and more individual betting markets. So make sure you register on Oppa888 and get a head start on your World Cup betting!