2014 World Cup best players in retrospect and their status quo in 2018 (Part One)
How time files! Four years have passed, and the 2018 World Cup Russia is just around the corner. We wonder if you can still recall those best players in the last World Cup in Brazil? How they’re doing right now? Let’s check it out!
2014 World Cup Best Players
【Goalkeepers】
Manuel Neuer: In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, originally Neuer was the third-choice goalkeeper, but he became Germany’s first-choice goalkeeper owing to the other two goalkeepers’ death and injury, and he did have a great performance. In the 2014 World Cup Brazil, he has already become one of the world’s top goalkeepers and is no doubt the best-choice goalkeeper for the Germany national team and Bayern Munich. He was in the starting lineup in the seven matches of the tournaments, throwing 4 balls in total and didn’t concede any goals in four matches. This not only helped Germany win the fourth World Cup championship but also won himself the Golden Glove award. Neuer could said to be undefeatable in the 2014 World Cup especially because of his long throwing range, accurate control, and excellent shot and solo drive stopping abilities. Also, he saved kicks up to 25, ensuring Germany’s goal is well-secured.
→ Status quo: Owing to his inquiry, Neuer hasn’t played in major tournaments for a while. The first-choice goalkeeper position could be replaced by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Barcelona’s goalkeeper.
【Defenders】
Stefan de Vrij: The Netherlands national team led by the famous manager Louis van Gaal had an astonishing performance in the 2014 World Cup Brazil. Beyond everyone’s expectation, they had been advancing all the way to the semi-finals but lost to Argentina in the penalty shoot-outs, ending up beating Brazil 3-0 in the playoff to finish third in the 2014 World Cup. Overall, the Netherlands national team only conceded 4 goals in seven matches, and the 22-year-old De Vrij who played for Feyenoord at that time was definitely a credit to it. His 26 tackles and 49 clearances were the third place in the 2014 World Cup. De Vrij’s biggest advantages are close attention, accurate control, and precise judgement on the point where the ball would fall on. After his good performance in the World Cup, he transferred to Italian Serie A Lazio.
→ Status quo: Playing as Lazio’s major defender. Unfortunately, Netherlands will not go to the 2018 World Cup.
Thiago Silva: In the 2014 World Cup Brazil, Silva played as captain for the Brazil national team and also as the core of the defenders of “The Selection (A Seleção)”. In 2012, the transfer fee of €42 million from AC Milan to PSG made him the most expensive defender at that time. He is praised for his defensive display and reading and anticipating plays. In his heyday, he was fast and pretty good at turning back and chase. What differentiating him from others is that he also has a good command of passing and organization. In the 2014 World Cup, Brazil national team beat all opponents until the semi-finals with Germany. Silva was suspended and without him as captain, Brazil lost to Germany by a shocking 7-1. This best proves his indispensability.
→ Status quo: Silva is still the major defender for PSG but no longer captains Brazil national team as a key player.
Mats Hummels: Hummels played as defender for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. In the 2014 World Cup Brazil, he and Jerome Boateng from Bayern Munich were the strongest defenders in the Germany national team, losing only four balls in seven matches. They were the keys for Germany to win the championship.
Hummels is 1.92m tall. Besides his excellent defensive skills against the opponent’s strikers, his attacking skills are also the key factors for Germany in winning the World Cup. Hummels scored the goals in the group stage to Portugal and the quarter-finals to France. Especially the one in the match with France, it was the only goal in the entire match and helped Germany advance to the semi-finals. He has been the third defender in Germany’s football history to score two goals in the tournaments.
→ Status quo: He is the key defender for Germany national team and Bayern Munich.
Marcos Rojo: Basically, Rojo plays the center-back position, but he can also play as a left-back. He was selected as the best left-back in the 2014 World Cup. In fact, the reason why the Argentina national team could enter the final in the World Cup was not because of attacking skills they used to be proud of but because of strong defense. In all the matches, Argentina national team only lost one goal in the final. This was greatly attributed to Rojo’s performance in his center-back position. He can quickly turn back and chase and also have a strong defensive skill. What’s more, his height of 1.87m gives him a great advantage in getting the high balls in the center-back position and in a place kick attack.
→ Status quo: Playing for Manchester United in the Premier League is not certain, and there’s also better choice for the defender in Argentina national team. Therefore, Rojo would probably play for the left-back.
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