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Every team at this World Cup has now played two matches, and the broad contours of this tournament are beginning to become clear.
Some of the pre-tournament contenders are looking stronger than others, but almost all of the biggest individual names have shown up (“Cristiano Ronaldo has belatedly entered the chat”), some in especially thrilling fashion.
That makes for a star-studded top of The Athletic’s updated ranking of the top 50 players at the World Cup. These are informed by The Athletic’s player ratings model, which provides an objective assessment of each player’s contribution.
As a reminder, here is how we ranked the players after the first round of matches. And this is how we wanked them before the tournament started.
Please feel welcome to direct your thoughts and complaints to the comments section…
1. Lionel Messi — Argentina/Inter Miami (position unchanged)
You can only respect a man’s refusal to countenance winning the World Cup Golden Boot with the help of penalties. Messi shook off his awful spot kick to deliver another match-winning masterclass against Austria and become the competition’s all-time top scorer in the process. No controversy here.
2. Kylian Mbappe — France/Real Madrid (+2)
Mbappe is coming for that World Cup all-time scoring record, netting his second long-range strike in as many group games and tapping in from Ousmane Dembele’s pass either side of a lengthy weather delay against Iraq. He looks at the absolute top of his form.
3. Erling Haaland — Norway/Manchester City (+2)
Is anyone visibly enjoying this World Cup more than Haaland? He always seems to be smiling and there’s extra relish in his charging down of terrified opposition goalkeepers. He took his tournament tally to four goals with a double against Senegal and wrapped up qualification from Group I with a game to spare.
Haaland scored another two goals against Senegal (Al Bello/Getty Images)
4. Michael Olise — France/Bayern Munich (-1)
Unfortunate to slip here after technically registering his third assist of the tournament for Mbappe’s screamer, and curling a delightful chip off the Iraq crossbar following some very slick French interplay. He’s playing brilliantly and will surely get the goal he deserves soon.
5. Vinicius Jr — Brazil/Real Madrid (+4)
Appears to be embracing his role as Brazil’s talisman (even if Neymar remains the national obsession) and scored for the second time in as many matches in a rout of Haiti, as well as creating both of Matheus Cunha’s goals with a saved shot and a slide-rule pass.
6. Luis Diaz — Colombia/Bayern Munich (same)
Was not at his most clinical against DR Congo and was clearly offside on the one occasion when he did find the net. Diaz’s threat, however, is ever-present in this Colombia side and his excellent movement in the final third ensures he will earn himself many more chances.
7. Harry Kane — England/Bayern Munich (-5)
Would have only fallen to three had he converted the golden chance that fell to him in the final minutes against Ghana. Kane has started this World Cup reasonably well by his high standards, but he is not yet in top gear and England as a whole were effectively stifled in Boston.
8. Bruno Fernandes — Portugal/Manchester United (+4)
Portugal’s emphasis on moving the ball more quickly through midfield against Uzbekistan seemed to unlock the best in Fernandes, who capped a series of dangerous balls into the box by beautifully sliding Ronaldo clear for his second goal. There is more to come from him.
(Pablo Morano/Getty Images)
9. Achraf Hakimi — Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain (-2)
Not the most spectacular performer in this impressive Morocco side but Hakimi owned the right flank against Scotland, his forward runs creating space deeper for Brahim Diaz to drop into and clip incisive passes. He also created a great headed chance for Bilal El Khannouss with an inviting near-post corner delivery.
10. Pedri — Spain/Barcelona (+3)
Without registering a goal or an assist, Pedri has been the best passer in a Spain midfield unit that has looked secure and dominant with the ball, albeit against two far less talented opponents. His decision-making on the ball consistently adds value, and that value will only increase as Lamine Yamal returns.
11. Ousmane Dembele — France/Paris Saint-Germain (+8)
Finally scored his first career goal at a major tournament for France against Iraq, and also pounced upon a terrible defensive mix-up to coolly give Mbappe a tap-in. Unselfish and classy, this is more like the Dembele we see shining for PSG.
12. Joshua Kimmich — Germany/Bayern Munich (-4)
Kimmich’s athletic limitations as a right-back were exposed by Yan Diomande for Ivory Coast’s opening goal, but he recovered well to solidify Germany’s possession control thereafter and helped provide a foundation for their fightback. Would he be more valuable to them in midfield?
13. Folarin Balogun — United States/Monaco (+8)
Balogun earned his place in the elite tier of this list by producing another decisive performance against Australia, forcing the Cameron Burgess own goal that broke open the game. His importance to USMNT is heightened as long as Christian Pulisic is unavailable, and he is rising to the challenge.
(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
14. Dayot Upamecano — France/Bayern Munich (same)
Did nothing to lose his ranking in a routine victory over Iraq, having contained the transition threat of Nicolas Jackson admirably against Senegal. Through two games, Upamecano and William Saliba look every inch the best centre-back pairing at this World Cup.
15. Enzo Fernandez — Argentina/Chelsea (same)
Played a relatively understated but vital role in Argentina playing around and through the furious Austrian press as often as they did, enabling Lionel Scaloni’s team to repeatedly get the ball to Messi in the areas where he can be at his most devastating.
16. Yan Diomande — Ivory Coast/RB Leipzig (+2)
Diomande continues his rise in this ranking, and on the wish lists of elite European clubs, after destroying Kimmich to set up Ivory Coast’s opener against Germany. He tired in the second half before being substituted, and the notion that he is only scratching the surface of his talent is frightening.
17. William Saliba — France/Arsenal (same)
Saliba does everything on the pitch with a minimum of fuss. His passing out of defence has been solid and he is yet to meet an opponent at this tournament who can lay a glove on him when France do not have the ball. Bigger tests are coming, but he is well equipped.
18. Lamine Yamal — Spain/Barcelona (+2)
Barcelona’s boy wonder signalled his arrival at this World Cup with a far-post tap-in to break the deadlock against Saudi Arabia (side note: if he starts scoring that type of goal consistently, the Ballon d’Or is just a matter of time) before being substituted at the break. Much more Yamal, please.
(Wang Kaiyan/Getty Images)
19. Declan Rice — England/Arsenal (-8)
Feels slightly miscast as a more attack-minded No8 against opponents as conservative as Ghana were, and never found the space to impact the game. Rice has been fine overall, and his box-to-box energy and physicality will be vital to England in the knockout rounds.
20. Nuno Mendes — Portugal/Paris Saint-Germain (+18)
Is there a more impressive achievement in football than persuading Ronaldo to let you take a free kick? Mendes rebounds back up this list after scoring an excellent goal against Uzbekistan and generally looking much more like the two-way force of nature he is for PSG.
21. Felix Nmecha — Germany/Borussia Dortmund (+19)
Perhaps didn’t get enough credit for his performance in Germany’s dismantling of Curacao, but Nmecha was outstanding against Ivory Coast. His midfield presence disrupted a number of dangerous transition attacks and he played one of the passes of the tournament to pick out Deniz Undav for the injury-time winner.
22. Crysencio Summerville — Netherlands/West Ham (+5)
Summerville rises another five spots despite not starting for the Netherlands against Sweden. Instead, he came off the bench at half-time to set up Cody Gakpo before scoring a whipped shot into the bottom corner that might have been even better than his left-footed curler against Japan. West Ham’s asking price is going up.
23. Joao Neves — Portugal/Paris Saint-Germain (-7)
This fall is more reflective of the excellence of others than any fault of Neves, who was perfectly good alongside Vitinha at the base of Portugal’s midfield against Uzbekistan without matching his goalscoring exploits against DR Congo.
(Jose Breton/Getty Images)
24. Cody Gakpo — Netherlands/Liverpool (new entry)
Gakpo can often get tunnel vision in the final third, but his aggression was finely balanced in the Netherlands’ destruction of Sweden. His inviting low cross from the left gave Brian Brobbey a chance to open the scoring and he followed it up with a perfectly timed back-post tap-in and a quintessential Gakpo goal.
25. Brahim Diaz — Morocco/Real Madrid (+22)
Diaz can already boast two of the best assists at this World Cup. He and Ismael Saibari appear to have a natural understanding, as Brazil and Scotland have both learned to their cost, and his blend of vision and technical quality blends perfectly with Hakimi’s athleticism down the right.
26. Ismael Saibari — Morocco/PSV Eindhoven (new entry)
It is only fair for Diaz and Saibari to be ranked back-to-back, since their successes are inextricably linked. Saibari has produced two world-class finishes in Morocco’s first two group games from Diaz through balls, while another deflected effort struck the crossbar against Scotland.
27. Deniz Undav — Germany/VFB Stuttgart (new entry)
Undav is a finisher in every sense. He has played 57 minutes across Germany’s first two matches at this World Cup and racked up three goals and two assists. Running up the score against Curacao was not hugely eye-catching, but turning a defeat into a win against Ivory Coast very much is.
28. Daniel Munoz — Colombia/Crystal Palace (new entry)
There are forwards who would kill to have Munoz’s uncanny nose for goal. Having found the net against Uzbekistan, he missed a huge chance and had an effort ruled out for offside before his deflected shot found its way into the DR Congo net.
(Juancho Torres/Getty Images)
29. Vitinha — Portugal/Paris Saint-Germain (-4)
Europe’s best midfield playmaker coming into this tournament has not quite asserted himself for Portugal yet, but Roberto Martinez’s decision to bench Bernardo Silva could rebalance a formidably talented midfield in Vitinha’s favour. We will know more after they play Colombia.
30. Jude Bellingham — England/Real Madrid (-20)
Bellingham simply couldn’t get into the game at all against a Ghana side that squeezed all of the spaces in which he likes to operate. His talent belongs in the top 10 of this list, but he will need to produce more moments like the goal that carved open Croatia.
31. Alexander Isak — Sweden/Liverpool (-5)
Sweden were a mess from back to front against Netherlands, but Isak still managed to spring Anthony Elanga to score their only goal of the game. Liverpool fans will surely be taking heart from the fact that, physically and technically, he looks well on the way back to himself.
32. Matheus Cunha — Brazil/Manchester United (new entry)
Favoured over Igor Thiago as Brazil’s No 9 against Haiti, Cunha repaid manager Carlo Ancelotti’s faith with a poacher’s effort and a left-footed smash into the top corner. If he can bring this level of movement and cutting edge against better opposition, he will rise quickly.
33. Jonathan David — Canada/Juventus (new entry)
Scoring the second hat-trick at this World Cup has to count for something, even if it was only against Qatar. David’s finishing was excellent and between him and Cyle Larin, Canada have enough firepower to threaten even when Alphonso Davies sits on the bench.
(Agustin Marcarian/Getty Images)
34. Ryan Gravenberch — Netherlands/Liverpool (-2)
The vast majority of the Netherlands’ creation came from wide areas against Sweden but Gravenberch was still a composed presence alongside Frenkie de Jong and Tijjani Reijnders in the heart of midfield, knowing just when to pass and when to carry the ball forward.
35. Florian Wirtz — Germany/Liverpool (-4)
Wirtz is yet to ignite at this World Cup, but he followed up a neat display against Curacao by being unquestionably the best of Germany’s starting attackers against Ivory Coast, and continued to command significant defensive attention as their substitutes transformed the game.
36. Yasin Ayari — Sweden/Brighton and Hove Albion (-13)
Forced one good save from Bart Verbruggen low to his right, but Ayari could not summon anything more spectacular or prevent the Netherlands from overrunning Sweden’s midfield before picking apart their defence with pinpoint low crosses from wide areas.
37. Bukayo Saka — England/Arsenal (-8)
Saka continues to look lively enough in his World Cup cameos to suggest that he will rise sharply in these rankings when Thomas Tuchel decides it is time to risk starting him. Physically, he looks good, but Ghana held firm against his jinks infield from the right flank.
38. Thibaut Courtois — Belgium/Real Madrid (-4)
Courtois kept a clean sheet in relative comfort against Iran and is clearly the class of a deeply mediocre Belgium side, but it is far from clear how many more chances he will get to showcase his quality at this World Cup.
39. Ayase Ueda — Japan/Feyenoord (new entry)
Yes, Tunisia are probably the worst team in this tournament, but Ueda’s two goals against them were both sensational: an arrowed shot into the bottom corner from outside the box, and a seemingly impossible looping header. His first-time flicked assist for Junya Ito was even better.
(Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
40. Virgil van Dijk — Netherlands/Liverpool (-10)
Van Dijk remains one of the better defenders in this tournament with the ball at his feet, and one of the most imposing at set pieces, but the Dutch back line he leads looks startlingly vulnerable at times.
41. Maxi Araujo — Uruguay/Sporting (new entry)
Where would Uruguay be without Araujo? His knack of finding the ball in the right place at the right time in the opposition box has already yielded two goals, and Marcelo Bielsa’s team are not exactly overloaded with reliable goalscorers.
42. Kai Havertz — Germany/Arsenal (-18)
This is the Havertz experience: one very impressive all-round No 9 display against Curacao, followed by an anonymous performance against Ivory Coast. At his worst, he still helps a team, but Germany are lucky they can turn to Undav on the bench.
43. Denzel Dumfries — Netherlands/Inter Milan (new entry)
Dumfries has been one of the more productive attacking full-backs/wing-backs in the world for several years now, so you would think Sweden might have been more than prepared for his crossing. That said, his blend of physicality, timing and quality makes him very hard to deal with.
44. Mikel Oyarzabal — Spain/Real Sociedad (new entry)
The fluidity Oyarzabal brings to Spain’s attack was underlined by the precise low cross he delivered from the left flank for Yamal’s first goal of the tournament. He then underlined his own scoring prowess by netting twice to put Saudi Arabia away before half-time.
45. Mohamed Salah — Egypt/unattached (re-entry)
Egyptian fans have been waiting for Salah to truly light up a World Cup for a long time, and he delivered against New Zealand. While nowhere near the explosive athlete he once was, his ability to finish or pick the right pass in the final third will never leave him.
(Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
46. Martin Odegaard — Norway/Arsenal (new entry)
Predictably outshone by Haaland so far, but Odegaard has embraced his responsibility as Norway captain and sets the table for much of what they do well in the final third — and his pinpoint pass made Haaland’s first goal against Senegal an inevitability.
47. Lee Kang-in — South Korea/Paris Saint-Germain (-5)
The only South Korean player who emerged with any credit from a dispiriting 1-0 defeat against Mexico, Lee will need a lot more help if South Korea — who are in a strong position to qualify from a weak Group A regardless — are to make any real noise in the knockout rounds.
48. Ayyoub Bouaddi — Morocco/Lille (new entry)
One of the sexier names at this World Cup, Bouaddi’s classy performances in the Morocco midfield have rewarded close viewing. He wins the ball with impressive force, passes it intelligently and can carry it forward with elegance and purpose. He has a big future.
49. Brian Brobbey — Netherlands/Sunderland (new entry)
Brobbey has his fair share of critics in his homeland but he exhibited all the best parts of his game against Sweden, attacking every cross with every sinew and using his body to repeatedly hold off defenders and link play. He should keep his place at the tip of the Netherlands attack.
50. Cristiano Ronaldo — Portugal/Al Nassr (re-entry)
He’s back! You don’t have to take his word for it. The manner in which Ronaldo scored his two goals (yes, against Uzbekistan) suggested he may yet have enough juice left in his legs to be a real factor at this World Cup after all. Even more encouragingly, he isn’t insisting on taking terrible free kicks.