David de Gea (Spain)
Followers of the Premier League would have been shocked to see the consistently brilliant De Gea make a major handling error against Portugal, allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to score his second in an entertaining 3-3 draw.
The fact the Spain goalkeeper made just a single save all tournament was a reflection of his team’s defensive effectiveness more than any such shortcomings of his own, but De Gea was criticised by the Spanish media for failing to keep out any of the four penalties he faced in the shoot-out defeat by Russia.
Joshua Kimmich (Germany)
Labelled as the successor to Philipp Lahm for both club and country, the Bayern Munich right-back failed to further enhance his lofty reputation in Russia. Kimmich was continually caught too high up the pitch in the 1-0 defeat by Mexico which set the tone for Germany’s disastrous tournament, with Hirving Lozano repeatedly taking advantage of the space he left behind.
Kimmich wasn’t quite as bad against Sweden and South Korea, but his final ball remained inconsistent and he was unable to help the Mannschaft score in that vital third game against the Koreans.
Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal)
Guerreiro was one of the stars of Portugal’s triumph at the European Championship two summers ago, but was unable to reproduce his 2016 form in Russia. The left-back was far from his best against both Spain and, more surprisingly, Morocco, when Watford’s Nordin Amrabat continually got the better of him in Portugal’s 1-0 win.
Guerreiro also didn’t cover himself in glory in the last-16 loss to Uruguay, switching off at the back post to allow Edinson Cavani to open the scoring from Luis Suarez’s cross.
Sami Khedira (Germany)
Khedira’s declining mobility was in evidence when Germany lost 1-0 to Mexico in their opening game. The Juventus man positioned himself too far up the field and was repeatedly bypassed by flying Mexican runs from midfield, with Khedira’s remit of protecting the defence consequently going unfulfilled.
Javier Mascherano (Argentina)
Few expected Mascherano, now 34 and playing his club football in China, to have as big an influence on this World Cup as the previous one. Even so, it was remarkable to see quite how off the pace this once-great player was in his four appearances for the Albiceleste.
Mascherano was overrun by Croatia’s superior midfield in a 3-0 defeat, but his worst display came in the make-or-break game against Nigeria. Argentina may have ultimately found a way to win, but their most experienced player was poor both with and without the ball.
Piotr Zielinski (Poland)
Poland were among the biggest disappointments in Russia, with a return of zero points from their first two games sending Adam Nawalka’s side home early. They certainly didn’t live up to their billing as top seeds in an open Group H, with Zielinski one of a number of Poles who failed to shine.
Thomas Muller (Germany)
Muller has endured a difficult couple of years at club level, but many expected him to rise to the occasion in Russia and continue the fine form he has shown at the World Cup in recent years. Instead, his struggles continued as the forward failed to add to the combined 10 goals he scored in 2010 and 2014.
Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
Lewandowski’s peripheral performances in Russia owe more to the lack of service he received than any failings on the Bayern Munich man’s part, but the bottom line is that the top scorer in European qualification made a minimal impact on the tournament itself.
The 29-year-old rarely threatened in any of Poland’s group games, with Senegal and Colombia particularly adept at keeping him at bay. In 270 minutes of action, Lewandowski produced just three shots on target.
