Croatia

Midfielders are the heartbeat of any soccer side. They control the pace of play, create chances, contribute to attack and defense and oversee the transition between the two. With technique, creativity and intelligence, a world class midfielder is a joy to watch.

From iconic legends to up-and-coming stars, the 2022 Qatar World Cup is filled to the brim with exceptional midfield players. Who rises to the top? Without further ado, here are the ten best 2022 World Cup midfielders, ranked.  

After a decade-plus of domination by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, fans expected Ballon d'Or voting to bring some different results in 2021.

The obvious choice was Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, who was coming off a record-breaking 41-goal campaign in the Bundesliga. 

Instead it was Messi — seemingly entering the twilight of his career — who won the award for the seventh time. "Surely something must be done," the people exclaimed at this perceived injustice. "He still can't be the best player in the world."

While the Euros roll on through the knockout rounds, we have plenty of wild fan interactions already. From fans showing up to support their team in the wrong country to pitch invaders wielding rainbow flags, anything goes as fans are enjoying their time back. Football fans were kept from stadiums and fully supporting their teams for over a year by the Covid-19 pandemic, diminished to yelling at screens instead of faces, so we wouldn't expect anything less extravagant than what has been happening. Let's take a look at the best Euro 2020 fans so far. 

If it seems like there have been a lot of own goals during Euro 2020, it's because they have been occurring at a rate unlike anything seen at an international tournament before.

The first European Championship was contested in 1960, and in the 15 tournaments up to now, there have been nine own goals. Through the first 41 matches at this summer's European Championship there have been nine own goals. 

Euro 1960-2016: 9 own goals
Euro 2020: 9 own goals

This Spain own goal vs Croatia is going to go down as the craziest mistake of Euro 2020. 

Spain had their metaphorical hand snatched on Croatia’s scruff for the opening 20 minutes of Monday’s Round of 16 clash. Sitting in almost total control, the only worry for Spain was a Croatia counterattack. Or so they thought.

If someone watching the game looked away for a split-second, they would have missed this unbelievable error from Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón. A simple back pass from Pedri turned disastrous.