Ranking the Most Underwhelming Players at the World Cup So Far

The World Cup has reached its quarterfinal stage, and to say the round of 16 was a thriller would be an understatement. Erling Haaland's blistering late double in a 2-1 Norwegian win against Brazil looked as though it would steal the headlines, only for England to then hold out against a Mexican onslaught to secure a 3-2 win in Mexico City, becoming just the third team ever to defeat El Tri in competitive action at the Azteca.  

But it was arguably Argentina that provided the biggest explosion of joy of all. They trailed Egypt by two goals to nil in the 79th minute in Atlanta and looked poised to fall victim to one of the World Cup's greatest ever upsets. Then, destiny intervened. Goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi, and a last-gasp Enzo Fernandez winner secured a stunning 3-2 win for the Albiceleste, whose dream of defending the title they won so impressively four years ago goes on.  

Online betting sites, however, have one clear frontrunner in mind. The latest odds from Lucky Rebel Sportsbook currently list France as the 9/5 favourite to reign supreme at MetLife Stadium, and considering the form of the mercurial Kylian Mbappe so far this summer, it would take a brave punter to bet against Les Bleus.  

But while the French and their captain have been firing on all cylinders, several players have underwhelmed at the World Cup, struggling to live up to their lofty billing heading into the tournament. Here are the two that we think have disappointed the most.  

Lamine Yamal  

Lamine Yamal headed to the World Cup this summer as Spain's undisputed main man, and rightfully so. The teenage prodigy has shone ever since breaking into the Barcelona first team at just 16 years of age three years ago. He has already led La Roja to Euro 2024 glory, while his 2025/26 season in Catalonia was his finest yet, delivering 24 goals and 18 assists in all competitions as the Blaugrana won La Liga again.  

But late in Barcelona's season, disaster struck for Yamal. He was downed with an injury in the 1-0 win against Celta Vigo in late April, and he wouldn't play for the Spanish champions again before the season was out. He then headed to North America with fitness concerns hanging over him, but even still, many expected the 19-year-old to continue delivering his best performances. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened.  

Yamal was subdued in Spain's shock 0-0 draw with debutants Cape Verde in their opening game. He would then net in the 4-0 win against Saudi Arabia before being largely ineffective in the 1-0 win against Uruguay. In the 3-0 win against Austria, Yamal missed a whole host of chances that would have finally gotten his tournament off and running had he taken them. Finally, most recently against Portugal, Yamal once again created very little, but his blushes were spared by Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino's last-minute winner.  

Embed tweet here - https://x.com/luckyrebel__/status/2074236229701320710?s=46&t=Jxc74bqcdlQ9Bjed4TR1Jw  

If Spain is to have any hope of winning their first World Cup in 16 years and just their second overall, then Yamal will surely need to find peak form and quickly. Manager Luis de la Fuente said that his star winger was operating at 80% ahead of the win against Austria, and with a crunch clash against favourites France looming in the semifinals, that needs to improve quickly if the reigning European champions are to have any hope of a win.  

Julian Alvarez  

Four years ago, Argentina's World Cup campaign changed entirely when Julian Alvarez was added to the starting lineup. The Albiceleste were stunned in their opener against Saudi Arabia, losing 2-1 with Lautaro Martinez leading the line. Then, Alvarez took over, and the rest, as they say, is history.  

Since then, the former River Plate youngster has gone on to become one of the hottest properties in world football. Alvarez has shone under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, hitting 20 goals in all competitions last season as Los Rojiblancos reached the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. In fact, his form is so impressive that both Barcelona and Real Madrid are offering upwards of €150m to secure his services this summer.  

Many expected him to once again be Argentina's leading light this summer, including online betting sites, which made him one of the favourites to finish the World Cup as top scorer. Shockingly, however, manager Lionel Scaloni instead opted for Martinez as his starting striker, dropping Alvarez to the bench in a move that no one expected.  

The Atletico man appeared from the bench in each of Argentina's two opening games. He then started the third against Jordan, before returning to the bench for the thriller against Cape Verde. He started and played the full 90 minutes in that 3-2 thriller against Egypt, but across all of these appearances, Alvarez hasn't managed a single goal or assist, leaving the veteran 39-year-old Lionel Messi to almost single-handedly drag Argentina to the quarterfinals.  

Alvarez could still have a part to play this summer, and if Argentina's declining form is anything to go by, the 26-year-old will need to quickly find his form. If he doesn't, Messi's magic alone may not be enough to drag the defending champions to a second straight title.

(All articles published here are Syndicated/Partnered/Sponsored feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the articles do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)