Stories from within and beyond: How Real Madrid’s 2022 World Cup went
By Sahel Kazi
With the World Cup done and dusted, club football swings back into action this week giving fans little time to reflect on the action that’s entertained us and kept us glued to our screens over the past month or so. Real Madrid had no less than 13 representatives over in Qatar, although Karim Benzema had to pull out even before the tournament kicked off, due to an injury suffered in training.
Despite the fact that none of Real Madrid’s players represented eventual champions Argentina, there was plenty to keep Madridistas busy during the course of the tournament.
Stories from within and beyond: How Real Madrid’s 2022 World Cup went
Here’s your guide to keeping up with all that was spoken of in and around Real Madrid as the 2022 World Cup raced to an end:
The Impressive Few: Aurelien Tchouameni, Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric…
None of Real Madrid’s current roster managed to get their hands on the coveted World Cup trophy this time around. However, there were a fair few who managed to either exceed expectations or stand out altogether.
Vinicius Junior and his Brazil side were heavy favourites going into the tournament. The 22-year-old assisted Richarlison’s spectacular goal in the group stage against Serbia, which was later voted goal of the tournament, and played a very decent game versus Switzerland. The likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Rodrygo and Antony started the defeat to Cameroon, wherein Tite benched multiple starters. The Selecao were as rampant as it gets against South Korea where Vini grabbed his first World Cup goal and another assist.
Sadly for them, the Brazilian dream came to an end when they crossed paths with Croatia as Rodrygo’s penalty miss pretty much determined Croatia’s place in the semi finals.
Sadly, we never got a classic Brazil-Argentina semi-final but both Rodrygo and Vinicius have since cut short their vacations to return to training in a bid to cement their places out on the flanks when the domestic season resumes.
Croatia meanwhile, went very deep into the tournament, dragged on yet again by Luka Modric’s relentless leadership and performances. The midfield trio of Modric with Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic stood firm as they went through two games with extra-time to defeat Japan and Brazil on penalties.
While they lost in the semis to Argentina, a win over Morocco secured a third place finish. A bronze medal in Qatar follows their runners-up finish in Russia four years ago.
Coming into the tournament, the Croatian national team had been deemed too old, too futile and incapable of making a difference. While some of that did eventually show against Argentina, they left their mark on the World Cup once again with Modric right at the centre of it all. The 37-year-old is yet to hang up his boots and everything points towards him continuing for the Nations League and possibly even EURO 2024.
Aurelien Tchouameni was perhaps one of the players of the tournament. He sat at the base of a new-look France midfield that almost went the distance. His miss from the spot in the final shouldn’t take away from any of the sensational displays he put up against Morocco, Tunisia, Denmark and Australia.
His goal against England came at a crucial time for France and was another example of his confidence and his ability. Skill-wise, Tchouameni brought to the table a combination of N’Golo Kante’s defensive acumen and Paul Pogba’s exquisite flair. Alongside him, Adrien Rabiot served as the perfect partner to run the engine of that French midfield and Antoine Griezmann was everywhere.
Eduardo Camavinga was the surprise package in the final against Argentina, replacing Theo Hernandez to disrupt opposition rhythm and bring a pair of fresh legs to the game. His performance in that final was a subtle reminder of just how good he is at just 20 years of age, although his performance against Tunisia received mix response. Surely more is to come.