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They missed the mark.
While many stars showed up at this World Cup, a few completely failed to deliver in the tournament.
Between disappointing performances and a lack of statistical impact, here are the five stars we expected more from at this World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal
It’s the obvious one. At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo showed his age despite scoring twice against the modest Uzbekistan side and converting a penalty against Croatia.
Invisible in open play, never found in positions to finish moves, and hardly rotated throughout the competition, the Portuguese legend embodied the frustrations surrounding the Portugal national team.
Surely his last one, this World Cup definitely felt like one too many for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Pedri - Spain
And yes, you can be a world champion and still have had a frankly disappointing tournament.
Technically unrecognizable and with little impact in Spain’s opening matches, Pedri drifted through this World Cup like a ghost, until he was replaced by Fabian Ruiz from the quarter-finals onward.
His only consolation was a very good cameo in the World Cup final against Argentina.
Sadio Mané - Senegal
He too, in what looked like his last World Cup, failed to live up to expectations, especially after an outstanding AFCON 2025.
Almost invisible going forward, with just a single assist, the Senegalese star could only watch helplessly as the Lions of Teranga suffered a dramatic elimination.
A sad farewell for a legend of the game.
Luis Diaz - Colombia
As dark horses with genuine ambitions, Colombia paid the price for their lack of cutting edge in attack at this World Cup.
And when the time comes to take stock, attention naturally turns to the leader of that attack, coming off an exceptional season with Bayern Munich.
The Colombian people were entitled to expect more from their left winger, who managed just one goal and one assist.
Rayan Cherki - France
A difficult World Cup for the French prodigy. Limited to a supersub role, he never found his rhythm in this tournament.
Lackadaisical in his substitute appearances, clumsy on the ball, and at times even surprisingly casual, Rayan Cherki did not have the hoped-for impact on this tournament.
His completely disastrous performance, along with his clash with Didier Deschamps during the third-place match, only added to an already underwhelming World Cup.
What about you, who else disappointed you at this World Cup? Tell us everything in the comments.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.
