As we enter the final rounds of this reimagined Club World Cup, there have been a lot of surprises from it. There was a large talent pool from this tournament, some players were the biggest names in the world while others were unknown to the European and American football world.
Up to this point in the competition, five players have stood out who we otherwise didn’t expect to, which has led to some surprising results. It has bettors looking at the PSG v Chelsea finals, salivating. New players are taking advantage of a bet365 bonus code on the final.
5 Shockingly Good Performances in the Club World Cup
Wessam Abou Ali- Al Ahly
The Striker from Denmark, who now represents Palestine, put on a goal-scoring display for his Egyptian club in their short run in the tournament.
Despite the team’s lack of success, Wessam Abou Ali ranks fourth in goals per 90 minutes with 1,26 per 90. His three goals in the group stage have him up at the top of the leaderboards with some of the best strikers in the world.
He struggled to find the back of the net in his first two games against Inter Miami and Palmeiras, in which he failed to score a goal, costing them a potential trip to the knockout rounds.
His three goals came in the form of a hat trick against former European giant FC Porto, a team that won the Champions League 21 years ago.
Ali was expected to perform like he typically does for his club; no one expected Hilton to pull a hat trick against a team that is always in the title hunt in Europe. When this competition is all said and done, his hat trick may be overlooked, but those who witnessed it won’t forget his incredible header to cap off a hat trick on the world stage.
John Arias- Fluminense
In the beautiful game, it is all about creating chances out of nothing, sometimes they don’t end up in the back of the net and end up being a what-if. You can’t have those moments unless someone can generate those chances.
Fluminense has been a pleasant surprise in this competition, they are the Brazillian club that could. They are creative, well structured, and obtain tons of talent that fans of European Clubs overlooked.
John Arias may not have the big-time stats in this tournament, but he does have the most chances created in the competition with 17. The next best is 12 from Inter Milans Nicolo Barella who hasn’t played this well in the competition for the Italian Club.
Arias was overlooked thanks to being a Colombian international who plays in a South American League.
Colombia is a top 15 nation in the world, even considering that they are still overlooked due to a lot of their players playing in leagues in Colombia or South American Leagues. Arias is one of those players who has elite talent on the wing but is overshadowed by other talent from Europe.
If Fluminense can make the final then Arias can put his chance creation on display for the rest of the world to see.
Michele Di Gregorio- Juventus
Juventus has been disappointing not just in the Club World Cup but in every competition they competed in this season. Michele Di Gregorio has been a bright spot for the old Lady of Italy thanks to his incredible talent in the goal.
If you look at the box score against Manchester City, it may not seem like Gregorio was impactful during his run in this competition. His next game against Real Madrid was a better display of what kind of player he is.
He was not viewed as one of the best keepers heading into the Club World Cup, but proved otherwise against the giants from Spain.
Juventus lost against Real Madrid to no fault of Gregorio who was the only reason they were in the game at all. In the first two games of the group stage, Gregorio only conceded one goal.
Gregorio had 6.4 saves per 90 during his four games guarding the net, he had the second most behind Nathan Garrow.
Gregorio will be a key piece for Juventus as they figure out what their future is going forward, this tournament showed them they have one of the best keepers in the world thanks to his unexpected dominance in three out of four games.
Nouhou Tolo- Seattle Sounders
The Seattle Sounders had one of, if not the lowest, expectations in the entire competition. They were the worst of the three MLS clubs, but the most accomplished.
Seattle’s lack of form compared to the rest of the field caused the backline to step up and make plays.
Nouhou Tolo led the tournament in tackles per 90 with 4.0, which is 0.1 off the next best.
Tolo is a solid left back in the MLS. He can stick back and clean up any loose balls in front of him. He demonstrated that he was one of the most capable at stopping the attack, alongside the best full-backs in the Club World Cup.
Though MLS fans knew Tolo was a solid player, he unexpectedly stood out when watching Seattle battle in the group of death. Seattle didn’t win any of their group games, but they did hold strong and stay competitive in big moments.
Defensive players don’t always stand out when watching the games. If you go back and watch what Tolo was able to do, it is clear he was one of the most shockingly good players of this tournament.
Arda Guler- Real Madrid
Usually, when you see a club like Real Madrid, you are not expected to be shocked by any of the players due to seeing them play often at a high level.
Arda Guler is a player who only made 14 starts in La Liga play this past season. He is a solid winger who is capable of playing in the middle.
Guler only amounted to three goals and four assists throughout the entire LaLiga season, the 20-year-old from Turkiye would consider it to be a disappointment.
His play in the Club World Cup makes up for his lack of starting minutes and large impact, as he is tied for the most assists in the competition, along with a goal.
Guler is someone we expect big things from as a young player who is locked up with Real Madrid for three more seasons.
His play is hopefully a sign of what’s to come as a dominant winger that can rack up assists in big moments against top competition. Though they lost 4-0 in a disappointing match with the Champions of Europe, PSG, Guler can still make a larger impact that won’t just affect his club, but the entire Club World Cup.