Sports

Players That Broke Records At The 2022 World Cup

Published

1 year ago

December 19, 2022

Editor

The just-concluded 2022 FIFA World Cup brought all the excitement, emotions, tears, both of joy and sorrow, that fans all over the world signed up for. With heart-bumping, nail-biting and all-round spectacular performances from the 32 teams that sojourned to the desert country of Qatar in search of the trophy, many new records have been set, jinxes broken and history rewritten.

Argentina defeated France in the World Cup final to clinch the most sought after trophy in world football, breaking a 36-year jinx, Morocco did the same for the entire African continent, breaking an 88-year jinx by reaching a World Cup semi-final while many players have gone on to set numerous individual records for themselves, writing their names in the sands of time.

In this piece, The PUNCH examines all players that set new individual records in the just-concluded 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Lionel Messi

The Argentina star did not only break a record with the Argentina national team, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner broke the most individual records of the tournament. Asides winning the 35-year-old set records for appearances, goals, assists and many more. They are;

Most Man of the Match awards won in FIFA World Cup history – 8
First person to assist at five different FIFA World Cups
Most FIFA World Cup appearances as captain: 19
Most appearances in FIFA World Cup tournaments by a player
Only player to win two Golden Balls [Best player of the tournament] – 2014, 2022
The most number of minutes played in the World Cup with 234 minutes, surpassing Paolo Maldini.
Oldest player to register a goal and an assist in a World Cup game [vs. Saudi Arabia] at 35
Oldest player to register a goal and an assist in a World Cup knockout game [quarterfinal vs. Netherlands, semifinal vs. Croatia] at 35
Most goal contributions in a World Cup – 21 total (13 goals and 8 assists)
Most appearances in FIFA World Cups – 26
Most goals at World Cup for an Argentina player – 13
The first player to score in Group Stage, the Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and Final in a single edition of a World Cup.

Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe was unarguably the star of the final for the French team, scoring a hat-trick and dragging Argentina into a penalty shootout.

The young champ gave a very good fight. Even though France did not win the trophy, Mbappe has many wins in the bag for himself.

Most goals by a player aged 23 or younger in a single World Cup all-time – 8
Most World Cup knockout stage goals aged 23 or younger in a World Cup- 7
Most goals scored at a World Cup final than any other player – 4

The second player to score a hat-trick in the men’s World Cup final

Cristiano Ronaldo

Despite not wining the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo remains a legend. His contributions and efforts in football cannot be underrated or underestimated. Portugal was sent out of the World Cup tournament after Morocco beat them in the quarter-finals round. However, the Portuguese star set a new record for himself as;

The first footballer to score at five World Cups

Manuel Neuer

Germany’s goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, also broke a record during this year’s World Cup. Germany exited the tournament at the group stage but Neuer did well to set a new record before leaving.

Most appearances for a goalkeeper in World Cup history – 19

Olivier Giroud

Giroud had a good run at the World Cup and did quite well for himself. He showed up for France time and time again when needed and delivered up until the final. For France national team Giroud set a new record.

Most goals for France -52

Leandro Paredes

An individual cannot make a team but the team can make individual players stand out. Paredes contributions to Argentina’s win paid off as the 28-year-old defensive midfielder set a. new record for himself.

Most passes completed by a substitute in a World Cup match -77

Jamal Musiala

19-year-old Jamal Musiala did well for himself to set a new record, although he had a brief run at the World Cup. The German footballer was one of the fe teenagers that set foot on the world stage and he made sure he made a mark during his short run.

Most dribbles in a World Cup match by a teenager -12, vs. Costa Rica

Sports

Super Eagles Stars, Calvin Bassey And Alex Iwobi Caught On Camera Shopping Together In London

Published

2 days ago

May 1, 2024

Editor

Super Eagles stars, Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi were spotted shopping together at a store in London.

The Nigerian internationals play for Fulham FC in the Premier League.

Sports

10 Facts About New Super Eagles Coach, Finidi George

Published

4 days ago

April 29, 2024

Editor

The Nigeria Football Federation on Monday announced the appointment of former Super Eagles winger Finidi George as the new head coach of the nation’s senior men’s national team.

The announcement came in a statement, with the NFF Board approving the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to hand over the reins to the 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward.

The new Super Eagles boss’s immediate task will be to guide the team to victory in two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan, respectively, within the next five weeks.

However, takes a look at 10 things about Finidi George as compiled by The PUNCH.

1.⁠ ⁠Finidi George was born on April 15, 1971, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

2.⁠ ⁠⁠He played as a right winger and was known for his pace, accurate crosses, efficient dribbling, and free-kick abilities. He played for three clubs in Nigeria including Calabar Rovers and Sharks of Port Harcourt.

3.⁠ ⁠⁠George had a successful club career with Ajax, winning 8 major titles including the 1995 Champions League.

4.⁠ ⁠⁠He also played for Real Betis in Spain, nearly joining Real Madrid before that move fell through.

5.⁠ ⁠⁠George spent one season with Mallorca and then joined Ipswich Town in the Premier League for £3.1 million in 2002.

6.⁠ ⁠⁠He made his international debut for Nigeria in 1991 and earned 62 caps, appearing at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.

7.⁠ ⁠⁠George won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria and helped them reach the round of 16 at the 1994 World Cup.

8.⁠ ⁠⁠At the 1994 World Cup, he scored against Greece and celebrated with a famous ‘urinating dog’ celebration.

9.⁠ ⁠⁠He has 11 brothers, two of whom (Igeniwari and Celestine) were also professional footballers.

10.⁠ ⁠⁠In September 2021, George was appointed head coach of Nigerian club Enyimba F.C. and won the Nigeria Premier League with them in June 2023.

Sports

JUST IN: Finidi George Appointed New Super Eagles Head Coach

Published

4 days ago

April 29, 2024

Editor

The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed former Super Eagles winger Finidi George as the new head coach of the nation’s senior men’s national team.

The announcement came in a statement on Monday, with the NFF Board approving the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to hand over the reins to the 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam and Real Betis forward.

Finidi George, who spent 20 months as an assistant to the outgoing José Santos Peseiro, had been serving as the interim coach after the Portuguese tactician’s departure following the Super Eagles’ impressive run to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

During his interim tenure, George oversaw two friendly matches in Morocco last month, where the team ended an 18-year winless streak against Ghana with a 2-1 victory before suffering a 0-2 loss to Mali.

“George, a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and emerged as the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in USA the same year, won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals,” the NFF statement read.

Reflecting on his illustrious playing career, the statement highlighted George’s achievements, which include “gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.”

One of George’s most memorable moments came when he “assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994,” the statement noted.

The NFF statement emphasised that “the matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.”