England World Cup tournament ratings: Every player from best to worst
· Yahoo Sports
From the highs of the Azteca to the lows of Atlanta, it has been an eventful tournament for England. They eventually finishedthird after beatingFrance, but how did the players perform?
Telegraph Sport has rated the players from best to worst – and you can leave your rating, too.
Visit somethingsdifferent.biz for more information.
Jude Bellingham
Match-winner for England throughout this tournament. Confirmed his status as a world-class performer – if that were a debate – with his goals, but also yards carrying his team up the pitch and defensive work. Who else?
Roberto Schmidt/Getty ImagesAnthony Gordon
Was the breakout player of the knockout stages, with his best performance in an England shirt coming at the Azteca Stadium, which meant he kept his place in the starting line-up and scored in the semi-final.
Bradley Collyer/PADjed Spence
Shouted at by Thomas Tuchel in training and matches but that tough love paid off as Spence was one of England’s best performers in the latter stages, particularly with his cameo against Norway and that tackle against Argentina.
Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesHarry Kane
With six goals, he matched his 2018 tally when he won the Golden Boot, with his decisive penalty against Mexico. He still makes England function by dropping deep, despite quiet final matches by his standards.
Angela Weiss/Getty ImagesEzri Konsa
England did not lose a match at the World Cup with the Aston Villa centre-back in the starting line-up. Aside from getting away with a suspect tackle against Ghana, he was a dependable defender who also filled in at right-back
Bradley Collyer/PAElliot Anderson
Manchester City’s £116m signing was on the ball and picking passes when England were playing well. His touchmap shows why he is England’s most expensive player - until Morgan Rogers signs for Chelsea - before Argentina overwhelmed Tuchel’s side in Atlanta.
Jean Catuffe/Getty ImagesMarc Guéhi
Surprise omission for the opener against Croatia before starting every game thereafter. Showed good positioning, which is his major strength. Will be firmly in Tuchel’s future plans.
Frank Fife/Getty ImagesMorgan Rogers
Made a positive impact when called on. Look at the quality on the cross for the semi-final goal or the direct running when he came on as a substitute. The No 10 conundrum is now an either/or question as he can play in the same team as Bellingham.
Catherine Ivill /Getty ImagesDan Burn
Waited for his chance and then played an important role seeing out wins against Mexico and Norway, coming off the bench and heading everything thrown at him, including a full-blooded scissor-kick from Raúl Jiménez.
Cesar Gomez/Getty ImagesJordan Pickford
World-class saves against Mexico and Argentina, before England’s World Cup fell apart. Misjudgment for Norway’s goal in the quarter-final, but perhaps harshly questioned for Enzo Fernández’s long-rang equaliser in the semi-final.
Julian Finney /Getty ImagesNico O’Reilly
Breakthrough tournament for the City full-back, who appeared in every game. Kept popping up in the penalty area with chances and will eventually add goals. Also “inverted” into midfield at times.
Francois Nel/Getty ImagesDeclan Rice
At the end of a marathon season and hampered by illness in the final games of the tournament, which led to him being subbed at half-time against Norway. Carried England forward when he could.
Michael Steele/Getty ImagesBukayo Saka
Made a big difference when he was on the pitch but was managing an Achilles injury that impacted him at the back end of the season. Would have counted himself unfortunate not to get on against Argentina - then wrapped up the tournament with a hat-trick against France.
Yuki Iwamura/APMarcus Rashford
Excellent start to the tournament with a goal against Croatia off the bench, but lost his place in the starting line-up after struggling against DR Congo and was not used again until the final seconds of the semi-final when Tuchel needed a goal, then in the Bronze final.
Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesReece James
Hamstring issues ruled him out for three games after starting well against Croatia and Ghana. Played an important midfield role in seeing out the Norway game, then the collapse against Argentina came after he was taken off with cramp.
Catherine Ivill/Getty ImagesJohn Stones
Appeared hampered by lack of club matches at the start of the tournament before returning to contention for the latter stages with an important contribution at the Azteca – just before his viral shoulder prank on Tuchel.
Mauro Pimentel/Getty ImagesNoni Madueke
Had the trust of Tuchel to step in for Saka and got himself into dangerous areas beyond his full-back, but his final ball was not quite there. Could have provided a way out of trouble against Argentina rather than retreating.
Richard Pelham/Getty ImagesEberechi Eze
Brought on four times as a sub during the tournament before starting in Bronze Final and showed good ball retention, particularly against Norway when he was brought on at half-time. Was otherwise the go-to midfielder at the second hydration break.
Catherine Ivill /Getty ImagesJordan Henderson
Booked and broke his arm without playing against Mexico. This was an eventful tournament for him despite playing just 13 minutes against Panama. Was there to “set” balls for shooting drills and important for squad harmony.
Bradley Collyer/PADean Henderson
Rewarded for his hard work on the training pitches with a starting place in the Bronze final, where he made good saves against France.
Dean Henderson made a series of smart saves despite conceding four goals against France - Marco Bello/ReutersJarell Quansah
His tournament will be defined by his red card against Mexico and the fallout from his two-match ban (in contrast to Folarin Balogun’s reprieve). Had played well before his reckless challenge on Jesús Gallardo.
Michael Steele/Getty ImagesOllie Watkins
Very harsh to give a rating to a player who came on in the 84th minute against Panama and played 13 minutes including stoppage time. He was the back-up if Kane needed replacing.
Richard Pelham/Getty ImagesIvan Toney
Brought on for six minutes of stoppage time against Argentina when a goal was needed, so impossible to judge his finals. Was brought into the squad as a special-ops player if a penalty was needed.
Rob Newell/Getty ImagesNo appearances: James Trafford, Trevoh Chalobah, Kobbie Mainoo.
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