World Cup 2018: Top 10 best players of group stages

#7 Andreas Granqvist

He has already outdone Zlatan

The only defender that has been as good or better than Diego Godin is Andreas Granqvist. The center-back took over the captaincy of the Swedish national team from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and has already led his team to more glory than Ibrahimovic ever could with Sweden.

Apart from being a cool penalty-taker, Granqvist has produced his best at this World Cup – and that, too, at the age of 33. His resolute presence at the back has made it incredibly difficult for the attackers to break through the Sweden backline.

The Swedish captain has, despite being a defender, made four long balls in every game along with 1.3 key passes. He has also made 1.3 tackles and interception in every game, each, while also clearing the ball 5.7 times in every game.