48 nations, 12 groups, and one trophy.
The World Cup is here, and we are about to see the biggest, most chaotic, and star-studded World Cup of all time, as three different nations will host the prestigious event for the first time.
We continue ranking the best players from each World Cup starting group, and we’ve reached Group I, which undoubtedly is king when it comes to name power. France, Norway, Senegal, and even Iraq have some notable names on their roster, but only three can stand above the rest.
Here’s my top three heading into the World Cup.
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3. Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City)
To be perfectly honest, if we were going based off solely current form, Haaland probably doesn’t end up in the top three. In fact, it’s probably all French players on the podium, with Haaland having a relatively disappointing season at Manchester City. Still, when it comes to the national team and his actual ceiling, there isn’t a more feared striker in the tournament. The 6-foot-5 machine is faster than you think and somehow stronger than you think, too.
2. Kylian Mbappé (France, Real Madrid)
To say Kylian Mbappé is entering the World Cup with some heat behind him would be an understatement. After a few so-so performances for the national team and Paris Saint-Germain going on to win back-to-back European titles, Mbappé is suddenly the scapegoat if things go wrong in North America this summer. Yet, like Haaland, it’s impossible for me to leave him off, especially after leading France to the World Cup as a 19-year-old and then scoring a hat trick in arguably the greatest World Cup Final against Argentina four years ago.
1. Michael Olise (France, Bayern Munich)
Aside from Lamine Yamal, there isn’t any other player on the planet right now with more buzz around him than the Bundesliga Player of the Year from Bayern. Olise has been magical in the lead-up to the World Cup, tearing through opponents in Germany and the Champions League before scoring a hat trick in France’s final tune-up game before the tournament against Northern Ireland. At the moment, any time the ball touches Olise’s left or right foot, something remarkable might occur.
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