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Russia 2018: The best player on every team at the World Cup

By Kristofer McCormack

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 13: Mario Goetze of Germany celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final match between Germany and Argentina at Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 13: Mario Goetze of Germany celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final match between Germany and Argentina at Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) /
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Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal during the International friendly match match between Portugal and The Netherlands at Stade de Genève on March 26, 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal during the International friendly match match between Portugal and The Netherlands at Stade de Genève on March 26, 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /

Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to be in decline at the start of the season, scoring only four league goals in the first three and a half months of the season. However, he showed no signs of letting up for his national side.

Ronaldo scored 15 goals during qualifying, nearly half of Portugal’s 32 goals throughout the whole campaign. He’s now scored 79 international goals for Portugal, just five short of Ferenc Puskas. He comes into the World Cup in dazzling form. Since a 7-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna in which Ronaldo scored his fifth and sixth league goals of the season, the Portuguese winger has doubled his league tally, and currently has 24 league goals. He has scored in every Champions League game so far this season, becoming the first player to score 100 goals for one club in the tournament and further stretching his lead over nearest rival, Lionel Messi.  Among those goals were three crucial ones against Paris Saint-Germain to guide Real Madrid to a record seventh consecutive quarterfinal and another four against Juventus, including a stunning bicycle kick.

Portugal won’t be favorites for this year’s title, despite Ronaldo’s form, but they’re in a much better position than they were in Brazil, where they were dumped out in the group stages. Along with Ronaldo, Bernardo and Andre Sliva have further strengthened Fernando Santos’ attacking options. They might not be serious contenders, but no side should make the mistake of thinking Portugal will be pushovers. Their Euro 2016 win in France two years ago proved Ronaldo and Co. have the guts to surprise people in Russia, and with this likely being his last World Cup, Ronaldo would love to go out with a bang.

Honorable mentions: Bernardo Silva, Pepe, William Carvalho

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