As the World Cup winner between Argentina and France will be decided on Sunday, we decided to assess the performances at the tournament from Liverpool players and rank them.
Ranking Liverpool players based on their performances in Qatar
1. France star Ibrahima Konate tops our list after a breakout World Cup campaign
Some may scoff at France gem Ibrahima Konate finishing in top spot due to starting just 3 games at the World Cup.
However, every time the Liverpool defender has put on the French shirt at the tournament, he has been nothing short of exceptional.
Being thrown into the deep end against an adventurous Moroccan side in the semi-final, the 23-year-old was arguably the Man of the Match, earning an 8.5/10 rating from the national media (via Eurosport).
Against the likes of Tunisia and Australia as well, Konate’s excellent reading of the game and composure in possession has stood out.
As Ibrahima Konate looks set to start for France in the World Cup final against Argentina, the Parisian deserves to top our list.
2. Despite his penalty miss, van Dijk had a solid tournament
Yes, Virgil van Dijk fluffed his lines from 12 yards out in the semi-final against Argentina.
However, the Dutchman was largely a dependable presence as the leader of the Netherlands’ back three.
While many would claim that the Dutch faced minnows such as Ecuador and Qatar in the group stage, you can only beat what’s in front of you and for the most part, van Dijk was the Rolls-Royce defender he usually is.
And in comparison to a number of players on this list, the Liverpool legend started every game, which gives us enough of a sample size to hand him second place.
3. Alisson finishes in 3rd place due to Brazil’s defensive dominance
For the most part, Brazil were a top defensive side and barely conceded a bucketload of chances for Alisson Becker to break a sweat, unlike at Liverpool.
In the first 3 games, the pre-tournament favourites had conceded a mere goal, which points to how solid at the back they were.
As a result, the Reds goalkeeper was unable to showcase why he remains arguably the best in the world in his position, unlike other standouts such as Dominik Livakovic and Yassine Bounou.
However, that masterful display against South Korea was a reminder of the fact that when called into action, Alisson seems perennially superhuman at this point.
And against Croatia, Alisson was simply let down by a Brazil side that fell asleep, while judging him for not keeping the opposition’s penalties at bay during the shootout would be harsh.
4. Henderson endured a mixed bag of a tournament
Jordan Henderson shone in Qatar against Senegal, scoring a well-taken opener and largely turning back the clocks to his all-action self.
So much so that the Liverpool captain convinced Gareth Southgate to start him against France in the quarter-final.
And it was against Les Bleus where the 32-year-old looked like his usual self since last season, especially in possession as there was virtually no ball progression from him in a double pivot with Declan Rice.
While defensively, Henderson did not set the world alight either, and against Wales, he was solid, if not spectacular.
A ton of the praise around the ageing midfielder will be centred around his showing against Senegal but barring that display, he had a rather quiet tournament.
5. Nunez flattered to deceive
Entering the World Cup in a rich vein of form, Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez was expected to be the protagonist of a Uruguay side billed as dark horses.
With international football generally offering players a lot of open spaces, the rapid Nunez was several fans’ shout to win the Golden Ball.
However, the former Benfica striker failed to score a single goal at the tournament, while his technical inadequacies proved that he has a long way to go to become the complete No.9.
There is no hiding from the fact that Nunez endured an abysmal World Cup, as there were simply no redeemable traits when it came to his showings.
6. Alexander-Arnold and Fabinho barely played at the World Cup
While the Liverpool pair share bottom place in our list, there would be no point breaking down their individual campaigns as they were not handed sufficient number of minutes to display their talents at the World Cup.
Ultimately, not every Liverpool played thrived at the World Cup due to different circumstances and they have the perfect opportunity to redeem themselves during the second half of the season.
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