10 Best Players Of World Cup 2018's Group Stage
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
On only the second day of the World Cup group stage, Cristiano Ronaldo stole the whole show. Up against Spain in the biggest match of Group B, the Portugal forward was simply unstoppable and wasn't going to let anyone get in his way as he made a stunning start to his World Cup, scoring a super hat-trick and earning his nation a great point on their path to qualification.
From the early moments of that game, it was clear that Ronaldo was ready to stamp his authority on the tournament. He'd struggled to score at previous World Cups but quickly won and converted a penalty against Spain, adding another great strike later on and finishing off with a dramatic free kick to seal the deal.
He went on to score after just a few minutes of Portugal's second group game against Morocco, which finished 1-0. He had a penalty saved in the third clash with Iran and won't have been happy to finish that match without another goal to his name, but he ended the group stage with two Man of the Match awards and a tally of four goals, which is particularly impressive as he'd only scored three at his previous three World Cups combined.