Of the 133 players selected to participate at Qatar 2022, five of them will return to England as world champions following Argentina’s dramatic victory against France in the final.
Emi Martinez, Cristian Romero, Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez all started and made important contributions to that game, while Lisandro Martinez was an unused substitute.
They will not have much time to bask in that triumph though. Domestic duty returns almost immediately with Carabao Cup matches slated for this midweek before the Premier League starts up again on Boxing Day.
Premier League bosses watched on as their players reached the pinnacle of their careers, enhanced their profiles, endured agonising heartbreak and, in a few cases, suffered worrying injuries.
Taking the above into account, here’s how successful each Premier League club’s World Cup was from one to 10:
Arsenal
Has any Premier League club been as impacted by the World Cup as Arsenal? With Gabriel Jesus undergoing surgery on a knee injury sustained while playing in a dead rubber group game, it is certainly debatable. A timeline on Jesus’ recovery hasn’t been disclosed, but his absence for any period presents a significant problem to Mikel Arteta. The goals may have dried up, but his contribution has been invaluable to Arsenal’s surge to the summit.
Jesus aside, none of Arsenal’s Qatar contingent amassed more than 360 minutes of game time, while two players – Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White – did not play at all. William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli hardly featured either, and with Gabriel Magalhaes mysteriously omitted from Tite’s squad and neither Martin Odegaard nor Oleksandr Zinchenko’s country’s qualifying, the bulk of Arteta’s core squad should be fighting fit ahead of the resumption.
Of those who did play a sizeable chunk of minutes in Qatar, both Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka successfully transferred their early season club form onto the international stage. Saka’s confidence in particular will be sky high after emerging as one of the stars of the tournament.
Players selected for the World Cup: Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Bukayo Saka (all England), Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli (both Brazil), William Saliba (France), Thomas Partey (Ghana), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Japan), Granit Xhaka (Switzerland), Matt Turner (USA)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Turner (360), Xhaka (360), Saka (316), Partey (270), Tomiyasu (187), Martinelli (111), Jesus (92), Saliba (27)
Rating (out of 10): 3 – Saka was brilliant but Jesus’ injury could be disastrous
Aston Villa
Unai Emery could have a job on his hands bringing Emi Martinez back down to earth from cloud nine. A strong argument could be made that – Lionel Messi aside – Martinez was Argentina’s MVP, owing to his penalty shootout heroics against France and the Netherlands, as well as *that* save from Randal Kolo Muani in the 123rd minute to take the final to penalties. A World Cup and Golden Glove winner; it doesn’t get any better than that. Those celebrations with the Golden Glove trophy will also live long in the memory…
Martinez was the only Villan to progress beyond the last 16 stage. Matty Cash had a decent tournament for Poland, despite admitting that his legs “were burning” after man-marking Kylian Mbappe. The right-back got some valuable souvenirs, collecting shirts from Mbappe and Messi, and bumped into Ronaldinho on the beach. Leander Dendoncker and Jan Bednarek had rather more inauspicious World Cup experiences in comparison.
Players selected for the World Cup: Emiliano Martinez (Argentina), Leander Dendoncker (Belgium), Jan Bednarek, Matty Cash (both Poland)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Martinez (692), Cash (360), Dendoncker (162), Bednarek (4)
Rating: 9 – Martinez was one of the stars of Argentina’s triumph
Bournemouth
Only two of Bournemouth’s players travelled to Qatar and, given both were involved with Wales, they didn’t stick around for very long either. Of far greater significance during the mid-season interlude was the club’s takeover by Bill Foley and his Black Knight Football Club group, which through the involvement of Black Panther actor Michael B Jordan, has added a touch of Hollywood glamour to the English south coast.
Players selected for the World Cup: Chris Mepham, Kieffer Moore (both Wales)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Mepham (270), Moore (225)
Rating: 8 – a calamitous tournament for Wales but most of the squad have had their feet up for five weeks and could be boosted by takeover news
Brentford
There wasn’t an awful lot to write home about from Brentford’s World Cup party with five of their six internationals exiting the competition at the group stage. And the only one to stay longer played less than any of them, with David Raya an unused substitute for Spain.
Players selected for the World Cup: Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), Mikkel Damsgaard, Mathias Jensen, Christian Norgaard (all Denmark), Saman Ghoddos (Iran), David Raya (Spain)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Mbeumo (226), Damsgaard (149), Jensen (84), Ghoddos (45), Norgaard (5)
Rating: 6 – Five group stage exits means Thomas Frank has had plenty of time to work with his squad on the training ground
Brighton
There were as many representatives from Brighton as Real Madrid in the World Cup final with Alexis Mac Allister starting and starring for Argentina against France. The 23-year-old emerged as a vital cog in Lionel Scaloni’s machine, after the opening game abomination against Saudi Arabia. He returns to the south coast with a winner’s medal and his reputation enhanced considerably. That’ll be another £60m in Brighton’s bank account next summer, then.
Mac Allister went deepest into the competition but was not the only Seagull to impress. All three of Brighton’s Ecuador stars caught the eye, including the lesser-seen Jeremy Sarmiento. Perhaps the young winger can kick on upon his return. Leandro Trossard and Kaoru Mitoma, meanwhile, were mystifyingly underused by their managers which isn’t exactly a bad thing for Roberto De Zerbi.
Players selected for the World Cup: Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina), Leandro Trossard (Belgium), Pervis Estupinan, Moises Caicedo, Jeremy Sarmiento (all Ecuador), Tariq Lamptey (Ghana), Kaoru Mitoma (Japan) Robert Sanchez (Spain)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Mac Allister (556), Caicedo (270), Estupinan (270), Mitoma (163), Trossard (103), Lamptey (102), Sarmiento (83)
Rating: 9 – Mac Allister was one of the breakout stars of the tournament and Ecuador contingent boosted their profile
Chelsea
Chelsea had representatives for England, Germany and Brazil in Qatar and yet the two players who got the furthest in the competition hail from Croatia and Morocco.
Mateo Kovacic was excellent and up until Argentina’s opening goal, the standout player of the semi-final. Hakim Ziyech too had a fantastic tournament, reminding everyone of how talented he can be after spending virtually the entire domestic season sat twiddling his thumbs on the bench. He might have played his way into the January shop window and given how his Chelsea career has gone, an exit would probably be a suitable outcome for all parties.
Elsewhere, the timeless Thiago Silva performed well prior to Brazil’s shock quarter-final exit, while Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and Christian Pulisic started all four of their countries matches. Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling had tournaments to forget, both slipping out of Gareth Southgate’s starting line-up, and in the latter’s case, forced to return home midway through after his family home was broken into.
Players selected for the World Cup: Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher, Raheem Sterling (all England), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Mateo Kovacic (Croatia), Kai Havertz (Germany), Hakim Ziyech (Morocco), Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly (both Senegal), Cesar Azpilicueta (Spain), Denis Zakaria (Switzerland), Christian Pulisic (USA)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Kovacic (640), Ziyech (639), Silva (391), Koulibaly (360), Mendy (360), Pulisic (316), Mount (186), Sterling (150), Azpilicueta (136), Havertz (103), Zakaria (57)
Rating: 6 – Kovacic and Ziyech performed brilliantly, a mixed bag from the rest
Crystal Palace
Perhaps surprisingly given the rising talent in their ranks, Crystal Palace had the joint-fewest number of players selected with two alongside Bournemouth and Southampton. Both players made a swift return to south London as well after their nations crashed out at the group stage.
Joachim Andersen played every minute as “dark horses” Denmark limped out, while Jordan Ayew had a disastrous tournament, contributing towards two Portugal goals after coming off the bench, before being hooked at half-time – along with brother Andre – during the decisive and unsuccessful revenge mission against Uruguay.
Players selected for the World Cup: Joachim Andersen (Denmark), Jordan Ayew (Ghana)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Andersen (270), Ayew (137)
Rating: 6 – Not much joy for Andersen or Ayew but squad should be well rested
Everton
Should Jordan Pickford have dealt better with Aurelien Tchouameni’s strike? That was one of the questions asked after England’s agonising quarter-final defeat, but that error – if it even was one – was far less glaring than Peter Shilton’s jelly legs against West Germany in 1990, David Seaman’s statuesque backpedalling from Ronaldinho’s hit-and-hope in 2002 or Rob Green’s calamitous concentration lapse from a Clint Dempsey pea roller in 2010.
Otherwise, Pickford had another fine World Cup, keeping three clean sheets in five games. For the second tournament running Conor Coady did not play a single minute but looked as though he enjoyed himself regardless. Amadou Onana showed flashes of his promise in a desperately disappointing campaign for Belgium, while Idrissa Gueye completed the impressive feat of receiving two yellow cards in the group stage, leaving him unavailable for Senegal’s last 16 clash with England.
Players selected for the World Cup: Jordan Pickford, Conor Coady (both England), Amadou Onana (Belgium), Idrissa Gana Gueye (Senegal)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Pickford (450), Gueye (270), Onana (101)
Rating: 5 – another solid tournament for Pickford
Fulham
Aleksandar Mitrovic was hamstrung by niggles before flying out to Qatar so Fulham will be A) relieved that he did not seem to exacerbate any knocks and B) pleased to wrap him in cotton wool for the best part of a month after Serbia bowed out in the group stage. Marco Silva will also be happy that his main man looked sharp in front of goal, with Mitrovic netting twice in three matches.
Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson played every available minute for a USA team that did well to progress to the knockout stages, at the expense of Iran and Harry Wilson and Daniel James’ Wales. Joao Palhina’s lack of minutes for Portugal was rather mystifying given his Premier League form.
Players selected for the World Cup: Joao Palhinha (Portugal), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia), Harry Wilson, Daniel James (both Wales), Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson (both USA)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Ream (360), Robinson (360), Mitrovic (263), Wilson (161), James (155), Palhinha (35)
Rating: 6 – Mitrovic on fire (and back to fitness) and an impressive tournament for the two USMNT players
Leeds
A mixed bag for Leeds’ American duo. Tyler Adams cut a hugely impressive figure, expertly marshalling his side with an authority belying his 23 years on the pitch while fronting up to challenging questions off it. On the other hand, Brenden Aaronson was strangely overlooked by Greg Berhalter, playing under 30 per cent of the USA’s minutes.
Rasmus Kristensen’s move to Elland Road certainly seems to have boosted his international prospects. The right back started all three of Denmark’s World Cup games, less than 18 months after being left out of the 26-man squad for the Euros. Alas, he was part of a squad that fell short of pre-tournament expectations.
Players selected for the World Cup: Rasmus Kristensen (Denmark), Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams (both USA)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Adams (360), Kristensen (226), Aaronson (105)
Rating: 5 – Adams had a very good tournament despite USA’s last 16 exit
Leicester
Considering James Maddison’s inclusion in the England squad was the main talking point from Gareth Southgate’s selection it was something of a disappointment that the in-form playmaker featured for a grand total of zero minutes in the tournament itself. Maddison missed England’s first couple of games through injury, but surely he could have got a run-out against Wales or Senegal?
It was a disappointing tournament for Leicester’s World Cup contingent overall: of the seven players selected to represent their countries, two didn’t get on the pitch at all and six were eliminated by the start of the quarter-finals. More head-scratching than Maddison’s non-involvement was Roberto Martinez’s steadfast refusal to use Wout Faes at all, despite the creaking Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen having a combined age of 68.
Players selected for the World Cup: Wout Faes, Timothy Castagne, Youri Tielemans (all Belgium), James Maddison (England), Daniel Amartey (Ghana), Nampalys Mendy (Senegal), Danny Ward (Wales)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Mendy (273), Amartey (270), Castagne (270), Tielemans (95), Ward (93)
Rating: 3 – limited (or zero) minutes for Maddison and Tielemans and early eliminations all round
Liverpool
Considering how jam-packed full of quality Jurgen Klopp’s squad is it seems baffling that Liverpool sent as many players to the World Cup as Leicester and fewer than Brighton. And of the seven who made the trip, only Virgil van Dijk played the full 90 minutes on more than four occasions.
Van Dijk endured a disappointing end to his first-ever major tournament, missing the first penalty as the Dutch crashed out to Argentina at the end of an ill-tempered, but thoroughly absorbing clash that will be remembered as an all-time classic. Not that that will provide the 31-year-old much comfort.
The Dutchman’s occasional defensive partner Ibrahim Konate – the pair have started just one Premier League game together this season – played far more for France than could have been reasonably expected given his lack of club appearances, but was superb in the semi-final win over Morocco. Trent Alexander-Arnold played just over half an hour for England, offering further evidence of his status in Southgate’s right-back pecking order.
Players selected for the World Cup: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson (both England), Alisson, Fabinho (both Brazil), Ibrahima Konate (France), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), Darwin Nunez (Uruguay)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Van Dijk (481), Alisson (381), Henderson (272), Konate (294), Nunez (242), Fabinho (90), Alexander-Arnold (33)
Rating: 5 – Klopp will be happy to get his players back in one piece
Minutes played at the World Cup per club
- Man City – 4,633
- Man Utd – 3,589
- Chelsea – 3,329
- Tottenham – 3,244
- Liverpool – 1,793
- Arsenal – 1,723
- Brighton – 1,547
- Fulham – 1,334
- Aston Villa – 1,218
- West Ham – 1,159
- Leicester – 1,001
- Nottingham Forest – 867
- Everton – 821
- Leeds – 691
- Brentford – 509
- Wolves – 514
- Bournemouth – 495
- Newcastle – 454
- Crystal Palace – 407
- Southampton – 270
Man City
Julian Alvarez has made a bright start at Manchester City following his arrival from River Plate but has been naturally overshadowed by fellow summer recruit Erling Haaland; during the World Cup he showed that he is a future superstar in his own right. A Duracell bunny of a centre-forward, Alvarez emerged as the perfect foil for Messi, putting in the hard yards as his captain sauntered around the pitch searching for space. Only Mbappe and Messi scored more goals than Alvarez’s four, which highlights his contribution to Argentina’s success.
Surprisingly, given City had 16 representatives drawn from nations tipped to go far, Alvarez was the only one to reach the semis. John Stones and Phil Foden were the most prominent of City’s England quintet, but Jack Grealish had the most memorable moment, celebrating his goal against Iran with a tribute to Finlay Fisher, an 11-year-old City fan who has cerebral palsy.
There were surprisingly premature exits for Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan, so much so that they both played during a friendly against Girona on the same day as the World Cup’s third-place play-off. Ederson, Joao Cancelo and Spain pair Aymeric Laporte and Rodri also played fewer minutes than one might have anticipated pre-tournament which is good news for Pep. Oh, and Haaland has had nothing to do for five weeks except plot how he’s going to torment some knackered defences in the New Year.
Players selected for the World Cup: John Stones, Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish (all England), Julian Alvarez (Argentina), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Ederson (Brazil), Ilkay Gundogan (Germany), Nathan Ake (Netherlands), Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva (all Portugal), Aymeric Laporte and Rodri (both Spain), Manuel Akanji (Switzerland)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Ake (481), Stones (437), Rodri (391), Alvarez (467), Akanji (360), Dias (360), Silva (358), Cancelo (309), Laporte (301), De Bruyne (270), Foden (259), Walker (237), Gundogan (192), Ederson (90), Grealish (81), Phillips (40)
Rating: 7 – Alvarez was one of Argentina’s stars and Haaland is rested but City’s squad clocked up the most minutes
Man Utd
Lisandro Martinez will return to Manchester with a big gold medal around his neck after helping Argentina win the trophy. Although not a regular starter, Martinez still made a solid contribution, playing in five of their seven matches including in the quarter and semi-finals. His central defensive clubmate Raphael Varane was a beaten finalist, however, and looked physically and emotionally wrecked as he was helped off just before the penalty shootout.
All three of United’s England call-ups have encountered rough patches of form in recent seasons, but they all had great World Cups. Marcus Rashford was England’s joint-top goalscorer with three despite only starting once, with a stunning free-kick against Wales the pick of the bunch; Harry Maguire was near faultless at centre-back; and Luke Shaw was a consistent presence at left-back.
Bruno Fernandes would have had a strong case to be in the team of the tournament had Portugal gone one round further after contributing two goals and three assists in four games. Casemiro made i‘s team of the tournament after an accomplished campaign with Brazil that included a late winner against Switzerland.
Players selected for the World Cup: Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford (all England), Lisandro Martinez (Argentina), Antony, Casemiro, Fred (all Brazil), Christian Eriksen (Denmark), Raphael Varane (France), Tyrell Malacia (Netherlands), Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes (both Portugal), Facundo Pellistri (Uruguay)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Maguire (430), Shaw (425), Casemiro (391), Fernandes (357), Varane (521), Martinez (301*), Eriksen (270), Dalot (259), Pellistri (182), Antony (171), Fred (145), Rashford (137)
Rating: 8 – Martinez will be triumphant upon his return, while Fernandes was back to his best
Newcastle
Only five Newcastle players were selected for the tournament but if the club continues to evolve at its current pace expect there to be two to three times as many representatives in 2026. Kieran Trippier played the most minutes but lost his place to Kyle Walker after starting England’s first two matches, while Callum Wilson notched an assist after unselfishly teeing up Grealish when a shot was on.
Considering the quality of his club performances, Bruno Guimaraes was strangely overlooked by Tite, featuring for just 67 minutes of Brazil’s campaign. And Fabian Schar’s tournament ended in disappointing fashion as he was hooked at half-time of Switzerland’s crushing last-16 defeat to Portugal.
Players selected for the World Cup: Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson (all Newcastle), Bruno Guimaraes (Brazil), Fabian Schar (Switzerland)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Trippier (205), Schar (136), Guimaraes (67), Wilson (46)
Rating: 6 – Not much to shout about but Bruno’s lack of involvement is good news for the Toon
Nottingham Forest
Remo Freuler became the first Nottingham Forest player to score a World Cup goal since Pierre van Hooijdonk at France 98 during Switzerland’s winner-takes-all clash against Serbia. That was as good as it got for Forest’s players really, with Wayne Hennessey sent off for a wild kung-fu kick in the loss to Iran, Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams joining him on an early flight back to Cardiff and Cheikou Kouyate barely getting a look in for Senegal.
Players selected for the World Cup: Cheikou Kouyate (Senegal), Remo Freuler (Switzerland), Wayne Hennessey, Brennan Johnson, Neco Williams (all Wales)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Freuler (324), Williams (205), Hennessey (176), Johnson (89), Kouyate (73)
Rating: 4 – After 24 years without a player scoring a World Cup goal, Freuler has put Forest back on the map, but others had a tournament to forget
Southampton
Southampton might have the third leakiest defence in the Premier League, but their first-choice centre backs were the only players selected for the World Cup. Mohammed Salisu experienced mixed fortunes, scoring in a 3-2 win against South Korea but anchoring a defence that shipped seven goals in only three games. Armel Bella-Kotchap was a wildcard pick for Germany and didn’t get any pitch time.
Nathan Jones, appointed as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s successor just before the tournament kicked off, has had a month to work with virtually his entire squad ahead of Southampton’s Boxing Day fixture with Brighton.
Players selected for the World Cup: Armel Bella-Kotchap (Germany), Mohammed Salisu (Ghana)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Salisu (270)
Rating: 7 – Salisu largely performed well despite Ghana’s chaotic performances in defence.Most rested squad in Premier League
Tottenham
A penny for Antonio Conte’s thoughts when Cristian Romero charged elbow-first into Hugo Lloris early on in the World Cup final. At one stage, it looked as though Lloris might have to go off after receiving treatment to his ribs but eventually he clambered back up looking rather miffed. His night didn’t get much better as France missed the chance to reclaim their crown, losing on penalties with Lloris unable to stop any of Argentina’s four spot-kicks. Instead, it was Romero who took the glory.
Lloris may take some consoling when he returns to Hotspur Way and so too might Harry Kane. Usually Mr Reliable from 12 yards, Kane sent his second penalty against Lloris into orbit as England crashed out to France in a match that they probably shaded. It’s a miss that will haunt Kane given the magnitude of the occasion and his relentless desire to master his craft.
Ivan Perisic will not have the same sense of regret after equalling Davor Suker as Croatia’s all-time leading scorer at the World Cup on six goals with a stunning header against Japan. Croatia exceeded expectations (again) by finishing third, while the masked Son Heung-min’s South Korea also overachieved by progressing to the last 16 at Uruguay and Ghana’s expense. Rodrigo Bentancur’s adductor injury is less than ideal, however, given his form since siging last January.
Players selected for the World Cup: Eric Dier, Harry Kane (both England), Cristian Romero (Argentina), Richarlison (Brazil), Ivan Perisic (Croatia), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Denmark), Hugo Lloris (France), Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal), Son Heung-min (South Korea), Rodrigo Bentancur (Uruguay), Ben Davies (Wales)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Perisic (673), Lloris (571), Romero (549), Kane (404), Son (360), Richarlison (326), Hojbjerg (270), Sarr (58), Dier (33)
Rating: 4 – Joy for Romero and Perisic, misery for Lloris and Kane and an injury for Bentancur
West Ham
West Ham fans haven’t had much of a look at summer signing Nayef Aguerd in the Premier League but will be impressed with what they saw of him in Qatar. They and David Moyes might be less impressed that he picked up another injury, however. Aguerd was pulled from Morocco’s starting line-up just before their semi-final against France kicked off and must be a doubt for the Hammers’ Boxing Day clash with Arsenal.
Brazil’s premature elimination was exacerbated by their great rivals Argentina winning the whole thing, but Lucas Paqueta can at least console himself with scoring one of the goals of the tournament. It was the best according to i‘s chief football writer Daniel Storey. Declan Rice was also a quarter-finalist, starting in all five of England’s matches, while Alphonse Areola suffered final heartbreak with France.
Players selected for the World Cup: Declan Rice (England), Lucas Paqueta (Brazil), Alphonse Areola (France), Thilo Kehrer (Germany), Nayef Aguerd (Morocco)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Rice (418), Aguerd (354), Paqueta (317), Kehrer (70)
Rating: 6 – Rice, Aguerd and Paqueta all had good tournaments without overextending themselves
Wolves
Ruben Neves started in four of Portugal’s five World Cup matches, but Hwang Hee-chan undoubtedly made the most indelible mark on the competition of Wolves’ players. Hwang, who has gone 24 Premier League games without a goal, produced the goods for his country, scoring a 91st-minute winner against Portugal to send South Korea into the last 16 at Uruguay’s expense.
Neither Matheus Nunes nor the patently unfit Raul Jimenez played a full 90 minutes, while Jose Sa was an unused sub for Portugal.
Players selected for the World Cup: Raul Jimenez (Mexico), Matheus Nunes, Ruben Neves, Jose Sa (all Portugal), Hwang Hee-chan (South Korea)
Minutes played at the World Cup: Neves (271), Hwang (114), Nunes (73), Jimenez (56)
Rating: 7 – a huge moment for Hwang that might lead to an upturn in fortunes at Molineux
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