World Cup 2018: 5 Stars of the Quarterfinals

#4 Kevin de Bruyne

Kevin de Bruyne

Much like Griezmann, de Bruyne hadn’t really hit his top form at the World Cup, after a superb Premier League campaign. He was deployed slightly deeper in this Belgium side in each of their first four games, meaning he didn’t have much of an opportunity to have an impact.

Roberto Martinez changed things up against Brazil and deployed de Bruyne as part of a front three alongside Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku. It gave him the chance to make more of an impression in the final third and he made the most of it. Fernandinho and Paulinho couldn’t get close to him in the centre of the park, and he rounded off his performance with a magnificent strike to double Belgium’s lead.