Ranking Chelsea’s 12 players at the World Cup: Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount…

by — December 12, 2022 in TOP NEWS


Chelsea had 12 players at the 2022 World Cup and we’ve taken a closer look into all of their performances throughout the tournament.

The World Cup has delivered plenty of upsets so far and several Chelsea players have been right in the centre of the drama that we’ve seen unfold.

We’ve gathered the 12 Chelsea players in Qatar and ranked them from worst to best. As a point to note, we’ve not included players that are currently out on loan from Chelsea such as Romelu Lukaku.

12. Conor Gallagher (England)

By virtue of the fact that Gallagher is the only player on the list to have not gotten on the pitch whatsoever, he is the obvious pick for last place.

Gallagher was a somewhat surprise inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s squad, given that he’s been in and out of the Chelsea side this season. Being just 22 years old, we’re sure his time will come in the future.

11. Denis Zakaria (Switzerland)

Zakaria hasn’t played much club football this year and he didn’t get much time on the pitch at the World Cup either. He made two second-half appearances for Switzerland and played a total of 57 minutes.

He was also on the pitch when Portugal smashed his side 6-1, which was his final match in the tournament.

10. Edouard Mendy (Senegal)

Mendy didn’t have his finest tournament this time around. He probably could have done better for the two goals he conceded against the Netherlands and his tournament came to an end when England put three past him.

9. Mason Mount (England)

Mount started in England’s opening two matches against Iran and the USA but he couldn’t manage to find his flow. The Chelsea midfielder lost his place in midfield to Jordan Henderson and then struggled to get it back.

In fairness to Mount, he did win England’s second penalty against France but he largely struggled to make an impact at this World Cup.

Chelsea's Mason Mount during their FA Youth Cup final victory over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, London, April 2017.

READ: Where are they now? Chelsea’s XI from Mason Mount’s last U23 game

8. Cesar Azpilicueta (Spain)

Spain’s World Cup campaign ended in humiliating fashion as they lost back-to-back games against Japan and Morocco to crash out of the World Cup in the round of 16.

To be fair to Azpilicueta, everything seemed to go wrong for Spain after they took him off against Japan. He assisted Alvaro Morata’s first-half goal and was then replaced by Dani Carvajal before Japan mounted their comeback.

7. Raheem Sterling (England)

Sterling started the tournament well for England and grabbed a goal and assist against Iran in their opener. Unfortunately for Sterling, his tournament peaked at that point.

Former Man City teammate Phil Foden soon took his place on the left-hand side and the Chelsea winger had to fly back to the UK for family reasons before making a brief cameo against France.

6. Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal)

Senegal knew they needed to beat Ecuador to progress through to the round of 16 and Koulibaly was on hand for his country when it mattered most.

The Chelsea defender scored the winning goal to make it 2-1 in the 70th minute with a fine finish which ensured that Senegal made it out of Group A.

5. Thiago Silva (Brazil) 

Brazil only conceded two goals across the five matches they played at the World Cup and so Silva can’t exactly be held accountable for their early exit.

The 38-year-old even grabbed an assist in Brazil’s 4-1 hammering of South Korea. He didn’t get the chance to take a penalty as Brazil lost out to Croatia on spot kicks.

4. Kai Havertz (Germany)

Havertz played a starring role in Germany’s 4-2 victory over Costa Rica but by that point, the damage had already been done. He did win the Player of the Match award for his brace, but that probably wasn’t much consolation.

3. Christian Pulisic (USA)

Pulisic has had a tough time at Chelsea as of late. The majority of his appearances this season have come from the bench but the World Cup served as a reminder of just how good he can be.

The winger was the best player for the USA throughout the tournament as he scored one goal and produced two assists in four matches. He was also the standout performer in their goalless draw with England.

2. Mateo Kovacic (Croatia)

Luka Modric is the main man in the Croatian side and has rightfully received plenty of plaudits so far. However, it is important that Kovacic’s role in the side doesn’t go under the radar.

The Chelsea midfielder provides great balance in the middle alongside Modric and Marcelo Brozovic. If Croatia manages to go all the way this year, they will have their midfield trio to thank.

1. Hakim Ziyech (Morocco)

Ziyech was almost the forgotten man at Stamford Bridge before the World Cup. The Moroccan star has managed to light up Qatar so far and has made history with his nation already.

Morocco became the first-ever African team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup and have been the unlikely heroes of the tournament. The midfielder has a goal and an assist to his name so far and has looked like a new player for his country.

READ NEXT: The 3 Chelsea kids Mourinho tipped for stardom in 2014 & how they fared

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every Chelsea player to score 20+ Premier League goals?





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