The 39-year-old is chasing his final World Cup trophy. A 27-year-old who wants to take the throne. A 23-year-old who drags England into history, and an 18-year-old who bends the entire defense without touching the ball. For the first time ever, the World Cup semi-finals will bring together the four best teams in the FIFA rankings, and the point of this exercise is to pit the best players in the sport against each other.
France will play Spain on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas. England face defending champions Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday. The winners will play on Sunday, July 19th at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The 10 best players currently remaining are:
1. Lionel Messi, Argentina
8 points in 6 games. This includes his hat-trick against Algeria, which equaled the all-time World Cup scoring record, and his goal against Austria, which broke that record. At one point, he achieved a goal streak in nine consecutive World Cup games, a streak that no one had ever touched in the history of the tournament. The foot may be 39 years old, but the left foot is timeless.
2. Kylian Mbappé, France
He also scored eight goals and provided three assists, making him the betting favorite for both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball. His goals against Senegal and Morocco both come into the discussion of goals of the tournament. France outscored their opponents 16-2, and his presence was the main reason for that.
3. Jude Bellingham, UK
With six goals, including goals in back-to-back knockout matches, and most recently a two-goal relief effort against Norway, even Erling Haaland tipped his hat. The 23-year-old is playing like the best attacking midfielder in existence, at exactly the moment England need him.
4. Harry Kane, UK
His six goals are enough to overtake Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading scorer at a World Cup. The captain almost single-handedly led England to defeat Congo in the round of 32. He is coming off a club season in which he scored 61 goals for Bayern Munich. England and France are the only teams with two players scoring five or more goals.
5. Ousmane Dembele, France
The current Ballon d’Or winner had never scored a goal at a World Cup until this tournament. He currently has five goals, including a hat-trick in the first half against Norway in the group stage, and added another goal in the quarter-final against Morocco.
6. Julian Alvarez, Argentina
He scored a goal from outside the box in the 112th minute to defeat Switzerland in the quarter-finals. It was his latest appearance in a tournament filled with typical Argentinian moments. Big games keep finding him and he keeps answering.
7. Michael Orisse (France)
He led the tournament in assists and was a driving force behind the creativity behind the fireworks of Mbappe and Dembele. While they get the finishing highlights, Oliseh is the guy who sets them up.
8. Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain
They scored four goals as a pair and are Spain’s top scorer at this tournament. He played against Saudi Arabia in the group stage and against Austria in the round of 32. He is also the man who defeated England in the Euro 2024 final. Although he has a quiet reputation, he has great influence in Spain.
9. Lamine Yamal, Spain
Although he has scored one goal in all competitions, the 18-year-old remains stuck on the right flank and is constantly being toyed with by the defenders. He recovered from a hamstring injury and won two Most Valuable Player awards to prove the difference. He is clearly the top young player in the tournament.
10. Unai Simon, Spain
Favorite for the Golden Glove Award. Spain has conceded one goal throughout the tournament.
(This story has been updated to correct a misspelled name.)
