Last Sunday saw the FIFA Confederations Cup come to an end. After two weeks of action, Germany – the current world champions – were crowned champions of champions.
43 goals, some reds cards and VAR-related incidents after, Joachim Low’s young German side proved all wrong on their way to winning the tournament of champions.
With a sturdy defense, a midfield that always connected well with the strikers and goalpoachers that knew where the goal was, the young, unfamiliar German side were worthy champions.
And some names were regular features in this winning side. Werner was a constant thorn in the flesh of opposition defenders. And while Rudiger and Mustafi held their own when it mattered, Groetzka and Draxler (winner of the Golden Ball) made waves upfront.
Which other names stood out during the tournament?
- Claudio Bravo
The Chilean who single-handedly shut Portugal out in the semi-final ended up with the tournament’s Golden Gloves.
After a not-so-good Premier League season, the Manchester City goalkeeper complimented the already-great Chile defense by putting up a brilliant display against C. Ronaldo and co.
- Eduardo Vargas
The life-wire of the La Roja was their frontline trio of Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and Edurado Vargas. And while the first two names were lively enough, the liveliest of them all was Vargas.
In a way, it was hard to figure out who was playing where, but most times, the clear-cut opportunities mostly fell to Vargas. Always ready to take on opposition players, he made the most of his quick feet and found his way most times whenever he want to.
- Andre Silva
Watch out for this amazing footballer who just signed for AC Milan. With this young Portuguese striker, Portugal found a way to depend less on C. Ronaldo and more on the energetic runs from the former Porto man.
With him inside the opposition’s 18-yard box, Silva was very easily found out with the several beautiful cross-ins. His Diego-Costa-like temper was something but it complimented his ability to find the net.
- M. Fabian
He may not have been the most amazing star of the tournament but… his goal against Germany will go down as the best of the tournament.
Letting fly from a fair distance outside of Germany’s 18-yard box, the Mexican found the top corner of the goal in the semi-final with an amazing strike.
- VARs?
In a way, it’s hard to gauge how outstanding they were. But, one thing is for sure, they were the most talked about people in this tournament. And that’s why we’ve included them in our list.
Sometimes they were spot on, some other times, they were as controversial as could be. How outstanding, right?
The FIFA Confederations Cup started an argument in the football world. If Germany could win the tourney with such a young squad, imagine what we should expect when the World Cup kicks off next year.
What do you think? Do you think this tournament is proof enough that Germany will conquer the world again in Russia 2018? What of your player of the tournament? Who impressed you the most?
Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.
Tags: FIFA Confederations Cup, Russia 2017
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