James Rodriguez: 9/10
Our new Colombian star played a fantastic cup; he became top-scorer with 6 goals and he also had 2 assists in 5 matches. I look forward to see him in play in white next to stars like Cristiano, Bale and Benzema. He played excellent and won the golden boot.
Keylor Navas: 9/10
Our new goalkeeper had an excellent World Cup with Costa Rica and above all expectations they reached the quarter-final, only to be knocked out by penalties. Keylor stood out and got to show his skill at the highest level. He saved 91.3% of the shots fired at him, an exceptional percentage.
Raphael Varane: 8/10
It didn’t matter if he played with Koscielny or Sakho, Varane was the leader in defence. He played an excellent Cup. A big part of the French success was conceding few goals, in 5 matches they only conceded 3.
Karim Benzema: 8/10
The much criticized centre forward played a great world cup and showed why he is Real Madrid-material. He scored 3 goals and assisted 3 in 5 games. He also showed he can be a leader in attack where he played alongside Ribery. He was the big star in the French squad and lived up to it.
Marcelo: 6.5/10
I think the whole Brazilian squad didn’t meet the expectations, despite reaching the semi-final. Brazil just didn’t play well and so did Marcelo. He had some good moments but his play at the World Cup has even left Real Madrid worried about him being the starter left back. He played a decent world cup but nothing great.
Angel Di Maria: 7.5/10
Di María played well. A lot of people give Messi all credit for Argentina’s success but I think Di María is responsible for Messi’s success. He set up about every Argentinean goal but lacked better luck when it came to finishing his chances.
Sami Khedira: 8/10
The German midfielder showed me a side of his play which I hadn’t seen much before. He played more attacking football and got opportunities in front of goal, more than at Real Madrid. He played excellent with Germany. He had a bit of trouble with his injury but when Sami played, he played well, one of the better players in the German squad.
Toni Kroos: 9.5/10
The freshly signed Real Madrid-man really deserves the 9.5 out of 10. He was the best player of the German side, and maybe even the best player in the tournament He was the leader in midfield, he scored 2 and assisted 4 more. I look forward to seeing this incredible midfielder play for Real Madrid.
I really enjoyed writing this post. My only regret is not being able to write about Jesé Rodriguez and Dani Carvajal. They are two great players I would have loved to see play in this World Cup in Brazil.
RIP Di Stefano, forever a Madridista