Overachievers

Rodri (Spain)

Rodri emerged as the tournament's standout performer after guiding Spain to a second FIFA World Cup title and collecting the Golden Ball award.

Returning from a lengthy knee injury lay-off, the midfielder controlled matches with remarkable consistency, completing 753 passes at a 94 per cent success rate while being involved in more than 1,800 passages of play - almost 200 more than any other player.

The Manchester City star captained Spain throughout all eight matches and produced another dominant display as La Roja edged Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final. He also became the first Manchester City player to captain a national side to World Cup glory.

Pau Cubarsi (Spain)

Teenage defender Pau Cubarsi underlined his immense potential by winning the FIFA Best Young Player Award. The 19-year-old started every match alongside Aymeric Laporte as Spain conceded only one goal in eight games, setting a new World Cup defensive record while keeping seven clean sheets.

Cubarsi also became the youngest defender to start a World Cup final and claim the tournament's top young player honour.

Deniz Undav (Germany)

Germany discovered an unexpected attacking weapon in Deniz Undav. The 29-year-old announced himself with three goals and two assists in under 60 minutes across his first two substitute appearances before sealing Germany's place in the knockout rounds with a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Cote d'Ivoire.

Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)

Johan Manzambi enjoyed a breakout tournament, producing three goals and one assist during the group stage. His brace against Canada helped Switzerland finish top of Group B unbeaten, while the 20-year-old led all players aged under 21 with four goal involvements despite playing fewer than 180 minutes.

Underachievers

Michael Olise (France)

France winger Michael Olise endured a frustrating campaign, failing to score despite registering 17 attempts. He underperformed his expected goals tally by 2.07, struck the woodwork twice and was substituted before the 65th minute in consecutive matches.

Martin Odegaard (Norway)

Norway captain Martin Odegaard struggled to influence matches in the final third. Despite generating 1.32 expected goals from nine shots, he finished without a goal or decisive assist, managed just two efforts on target throughout the tournament and failed to produce a key pass inside the penalty area during Norway's crucial group-stage defeat.

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)

Achraf Hakimi remained influential down Morocco's right flank but lacked efficiency in front of goal. He converted only one of 14 shots despite generating 2.11 expected goals, missed two one-on-one opportunities in the knockout stage and averaged a tournament-high 14.2 lost possessions per 90 minutes among right-backs.

Son Heung-min (South Korea)

South Korea captain Son Heung-min was unable to inspire his side's attack. Limited to just two shots inside the penalty area across three group matches, he finished without a goal or assist for the first time in his World Cup career as South Korea exited in third place in Group A.

Steve Barker in awe of current Stellenbosch squad