World Cup Stat Attack: Qatar 2022 in numbers

The business end of Qatar 2022 is upon us, after a scintillating few weeks of World Cup action.

FIFA’s festival of football has certainly thrown up plenty of shocks, from Saudi Arabia’s group stage victory over Argentina to Spain’s Round of 16 exit at the hands of Morocco.

But the world’s big guns have been flexing their muscles too – not least Portugal, who laid down a marker with their 6-1 demolition of Switzerland earlier this week.

With so much to keep track of, we’ve opened up our Twenty3 Toolbox and dug out some of the key facts and figures from the tournament so far.

Gunning for the Golden Boot

The Golden Boot race is hotting up, and leading the way is France superstar Kylian Mbappe with five goals.

The Paris Saint-Germain marksman has attempted 22 shots for Les Bleus, finding the target with 10 of those efforts. No player has managed more for either metric at Qatar 2022.

All five goals have come from open-play and from inside the box, while he is vastly overperforming his expected goals (xG) total of 2.75. 

Richarlison, Lionel Messi, and Goncalo Ramos all trail the Parisian forward with three goals apiece, but each of them will have a chance to add to their respective tallies in the quarter-finals.

Messi magic

Argentina have not won the World Cup since their second triumph in 1986 – but Messi is desperate to regain the trophy for La Albiceleste, in what could be his final appearance on the global stage.

That quest got off to a terrible start after a humiliating 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia, but the PSG frontman has got the South American nation back on track. Three consecutive wins to set up a tantalising quarter-final clash with the Netherlands on Friday.

Messi has netted three and assisted once in 409 minutes of football. He has registered the joint-most shots on target (10), while also sitting top of the pile for key attacking actions (14) and involvements leading to an attempt on goal (44). 

The 35-year-old appears to have found his rhythm at Qatar 2022 – and Argentina will continue to place their hopes in the hands of their talisman.

Brilliant Bellingham

The FIFA Young Player Award honours the rising star of each World Cup, with previous winners including Mbappe, Paul Pogba and Thomas Muller.

A number of contenders are vying for that honour at this year’s edition, but none have stood out quite like England’s Jude Bellingham.

The 19-year-old midfielder has played in all four of the Three Lions matches so far – stamping his authority on proceedings, while registering a goal and an assist.

Though his attacking talents are plain to see, Bellingham’s all-round game is remarkable. To illustrate that point, no England player has won more defensive (16) or attacking ground duels (23) at the tournament. 

He also enjoys pressing high up the pitch, where he has regained possession for the Three Lions a remarkable 10 times.

Transfer talk

There are few better platforms to launch your career than at a World Cup – and the Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo has certainly made Europe’s elite sit up and take notice this winter.

The PSV Eindhoven forward has continued his eye-catching club form while on international duty, scoring three goals from just six shots.

He has been key to Louis van Gaal’s men unpicking some resilient defences, racking up 10 key actions, 40 completed passes in the attacking third and eight attempted crosses.

After coming close to a move away from the Philips Stadion last summer, Gakpo will be hoping his performances for the Oranje result in a January transfer.

Stoppers in the spotlight

Goalkeepers get their chance to shine when the World Cup rolls around, with penalty shootouts turning the spotlight on football’s top stoppers.

So far, Poland’s Wojciech Szczesny has been the tournament’s standout custodian, even if he was unable to keep his side from a Round of 16 exit against 2018 champions France.

No goalkeeper has faced more shots (74) or made more saves (29) than the 32-year-old – two of which were from the penalty spot to deny Salem Aldawsari and Messi.

He may no longer be in the competition, but Szczesny’s outstanding performances could keep him in contention for Qatar 2022’s Golden Glove award.

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