10 Best Players Of World Cup 2018's Group Stage

By Mike Pedley / July 1, 2018

What a World Cup it has been so far. The group stage saw 122 goals scored in total, for an impressive average of 2.54 per match. We've seen records being broken, new technology changing the game, last-minute winners, close calls, and one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history with Germany finishing bottom of their group and going home far earlier than anyone expected.

We've seen some star players struggle while others have taken to the World Cup with ease. A few unexpected goalscorers have etched their names into World Cup history, and some previously-unknown players have made their mark on the tournament and turned heads all over the globe with some unexpectedly impressive performances.

With the group stages over, it's the perfect time to take a quick look back and see which players have really stood out. There's still a lot of football to be played and plenty of time for other players to stand up for their nations and have their say on the outcome of the tournament, but these are the very best players of World Cup 2018 so far.

10. Guillermo Ochoa

We've seen some great goalkeeping displays at the World Cup, with Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa being one of the standout performers between the sticks during the group stage. Ochoa performed fantastically well back at the 2014 World Cup as well and always seems to turn up for his country.

The 32-year-old was absolutely key in Mexico's historic win over world champions Germany in their first group match. He made nine saves in total during that game and was simply unbeatable, with the ball ending safely in his grasp time and time again as the Germans repeatedly tried and failed to beat him.

Ochoa, who plays his club football with Belgian side Standard Liège, made five more saves in Mexico's clash with South Korea and while he did let in a few goals in their final game against Sweden, he didn't really play badly and could be a big presence for the Mexicans moving into the knockout stages.