World Cup 2018: 8 players who disappointed in Russia

The World Cup is the biggest stage in world football and the chance for stars to prove they really are the best of the best and write their name in the pages of history. So many over the years have excelled for their club but failed to prove themselves on the international stage. It is the ultimate test of footballing quality and an opportunity to show that you can do it without a host of world-class support which is the case for many countries who have only a handful of established names.

For many, it is the chance to show that they are deserving of a bigger club, or maybe that it’s time to think about a new challenge in a smaller league. With so many big names at Russia 2018, there were going to be many whose tournament came to a bitter and premature end and who should have performed better given their chances.

The World Cup only comes around once every four years and it’s a long wait to prove yourself in that competition again and for many, like Lionel Messi, it was most likely their last chance at winning the coveted trophy.

Whether it was goals missed, goals conceded, lack of playing time or just poor overall displays against considerably weaker opposition, a number of star names failed to display their true lethality and cement their status as world class.

Here are the big names who didn't live up to expectation in Russia.

Jerome Boateng (CB: Germany/Bayern Munich)

Boateng has been a rock at the back for Bayern Munich in recent years but, like so many of the German players, he failed to impress in their World Cup campaign. There were just eight minutes between his first and second yellow cards in Germany’s game against Sweden and, in his absence, Germany managed to scrape a win with 10 men.

There is something to be said when your team does better without you and with fewer players. His price may plummet after his performance in Russia where he committed 2.5 fouls per game and, on average, lost the ball 1.5 times per game.

Thiago Alcantara (CM: Spain/Bayern Munich)

Thiago rarely featured for Spain in their campaign

Thiago has been hailed as the solution to Spain’s ageing midfield of Andres Iniesta, David Silva and Sergio Busquets but despite this, he only played 94 minutes in Russia. After performing well for Bayern Munich since transferring there from Barcelona in 2013, he went missing in Russia and was underutilised by stand-in manager, Fernando Hierro.

It is harsh to put the blame of Spain’s disappointing campaign on him but he failed in transferring his value from club to country. For a player who was worth getting excited about, only managing 44 passes in the tournament isn’t good enough.

Mohamed Salah (RM: Egypt/Liverpool)

Salah failed to replicate his form for Liverpool on the international stage

Egypt were never favourites to go far in Russia and failed to make it out of Group A. However, with Mo Salah coming off the back of a stellar season at Liverpool with 44 goals in 52 appearances many expected him to shine against the likes of Saudi Arabia and Russia.

He missed Egypt's opening game against Uruguay through injury and only managed a penalty against Russia and a single goal against Saudi Arabia. Not a bad display but, given his Premier League form, many expected better against sides of relatively little quality.

Neymar Jr (LW: Brazil/PSG)

Brazil failed to meet expectations for a second successive World Cup

Neymar’s Brazil were one of the favourites to lift the trophy this summer but fell short after being beaten by Belgium in the quarter-finals. Of the 350 minutes that Neymar played at the World Cup, he spent 14 minutes of that on the ground.

This might have been excusable had he been prolific for Brazil but at four goals behind Harry Kane, it leaves much to be desired. He failed to help lead Brazil to a sixth World Cup title and instead led them to a premature exit. Not good enough from a man who many believe to be the next Ballon d’Or winner.

Robert Lewandowski (ST: Poland/Bayern Munich)

Lewandowski's Poland fell short of expectation in a tough Group H

A group consisting of Japan, Senegal and Colombia was one of the most evenly balanced in the tournament but Poland were expected to beat the likes of Japan and Senegal to a place in the round of sixteen. This relied heavily on their all-time top goalscorer, Robert Lewandowski, to find the back of the net but this was not the case.

Despite playing every minute of Poland’s World Cup campaign, Bayern's goal machine didn’t manage a single one. An unexpectedly poor performance from the man who managed a record-breaking 16 goals in World Cup qualification and 41 goals for Bayern Munich in all competitions.

Manuel Neuer (GK: Germany/Bayern Munich)

Neuer conceded two goals against South Korea to confirm Germany's departure

Neuer was a doubt for Germany right up until Joachim Löw chose his 23-man squad. He suffered a broken metatarsal in September 2017 which saw him miss 37 games for Bayern Munich. He pushed FC Barcelona’s in-form Marc-Andre Ter Stegen out of the German starting XI which many saw as the start of Germany’s problems.

He conceded four goals in three games for Die Mannschaft and with that, Germany’s tournament was over. His performance was characterised by the open goal scored by South Korea whilst he was playing in midfield desperately trying to keep Germany in the tournament. Once one of the best but it might be time to step aside.

Lionel Messi (RW: Argentina/Barcelona)

Messi leaving the pitch after their 4-3 defeat to France

Hailed as the G.O.A.T., this looked to be Lionel Messi’s last chance to lead Jorge Sampaoli’s men to World Cup glory after losing agonisingly to Germany in extra time in 2014’s final. After 675 minutes of World Cup football without a goal, he finally netted against Nigeria in the group stage.

Messi produced another two assists before Argentina crashed out following a 4-3 defeat to France. It wasn’t a terrible output from four games but we’ve come to expect so much from the little magician. With one goal from 14 attempts, including a penalty miss against Iceland, this is a tournament that will leave a sour taste in Argentine mouths.

Gonzalo Higuain (ST: Argentina/Juventus)

Higuain didn't manage a single minute in Argentina's final game against France

Argentina had a plethora of attacking options to choose from with Messi, Dybala, Di Maria, Aguero and Higuain all making the squad and even had the luxury of leaving Mauro Icardi at home. The Juventus forward netted 23 times in 50 appearances for the Bianconeri this season and looked set to have a fruitful tournament.

However, the 30-year-old failed to score in any of the three group games and was left on the bench in their last-16 game against France. This is a far cry from his 2010 World Cup performance where he was averaging a goal per game and his Serie A form this past season with a goal contribution 0.8 times per game.