The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar comes to an end on Sunday when France go for back-to-back titles with Argentina standing in the way. Lionel Messi seeks the only major accomplishment missing from his resume and he'll have a tough task at hand to get there. Before we say goodbye to this tournament, let's hand out some superlative awards -- and while you're at it, sign up for our new newsletter covering the beautiful game in all its glory, including daily updates about the World Cup, here.
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Best goal(s)
Roger Gonzalez's pick: Neymar. There are a few options for Brazil here, who showed out with some fantastic goals. There was Richarlison's fine finish against South Korea off a lovely combination and his overhead kick against Serbia, where settled the ball perfectly in the box, lifted it up to himself before producing an absolute moment of magic for one of the best World Cup goals we've seen in a while. But, the winner has to be Neymar's against Croatia. It came in a huge spot, and even though Brazil would lose in penalty kicks, it came off some brilliant passing at the top of the final third and ended with Neymar's hesitation in the box to beat the goalkeeper to his left before lifting the ball into the top of the goal for what looked to be the winning goal.
Jonathan Johnson's pick: Salem Al-Dawsari. It feels a lifetime ago now that we are approaching the end in Qatar, but Saudi Arabia's shock win over finalists Argentina was a highlight for many neutrals and arguably now a bigger scalp. As far as winning goals go, Salem Al-Dawsari's was tough to beat and it deserves to be remembered as one of the moments which underlined the shock value we have enjoyed at this World Cup.
Best assist(s)
Gonzalez's pick: Lionel Messi. How could it not be? But the real question is which one? We all saw what he did to Josko Gvardiol of Croatia in the semifinals, sending him for a spin before feeding Julian Alvarez to make it 2-0. But the best assist of the tournament was what he saw Messi pull off against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. It was that no-look, threaded assist to Nahuel Molina that caught everybody by surprise. It was an audacious attempt, and it showed his sense of the game, waiting till the perfect moment to deliver what was a perfect assist.
Johnson's pick: Antoine Griezmann. England thought they had it all figured out by silencing Kylian Mbappe in the quarterfinals, yet the Three Lions forgot about Antoine Griezmann's telepathic understanding with Olivier Giroud from 2018 which proved Gareth Southgate's undoing late on. Griezmann picked out a perfect cross for the second of his two assists and Giroud did the rest with his head to send Les Bleus to the semifinals.
Best celebration
Chuck Booth's pick: Richarlison, Tite and Brazil join in on the pigeon dance. While the World Cup may not have ended how Brazil would've liked, the 4-1 victory over South Korea is one of the best performances of the tournament. Scoring four goals in the first half, the entire team was sambaing to their heart's content and Richarlison got the whole squad in on the affairs with Brazil's third. Going over to the sidelines, Richarlison got Tite and the team in on his signature pigeon dance which proved be a memorable moment as Tite's time in charge of Brazil ended.
And it produced an amazing meme after Brazil's elimination:
Best save(s)
Gonzalez's pick: Wojiech Szczesny. The Polish shot-stopper made some incredible saves. He denied penalties against Saudi Arabia and Lionel Messi, but it's the former that takes the cake. Not only did he make the initial save, but he had to deal with a point-blank rebound, tipping it over the bar somehow with the quickest reaction save you will see. It happened so fast, it looked like the ball was just shot over, but the Juventus man got his hand to it for the save of the tourney.
Johnson's pick: Hugo Lloris. I will go with the French captain's save against Denmark. Not necessarily for its wow factor, but for its importance. Lloris has made key stops against Poland, England, and Morocco too, but the champions might not have played those teams had he not kept Denmark at bay when it was 1-1 in the group stage. Had France kept more clean sheets in Qatar, Lloris would be talked about more than is already the case.
Best David-Goliath moment
James Benge's pick: Saudi Arabia stun Argentina. Much like the future king of Israel, Saudi Arabia did not need to take many shots to slay the giant that stood in front of them. Annoyingly for this metaphor, it was two stunning strikes -- rather than one -- that fell the beast. That aside, this did have the feeling of an Old Testament tale even as it was unfolding before your eyes; in years to come, academics will surely debate how much embellishment there is in the claims of Lautaro Martinez's unending offsides, the string of Argentine defenders that Salem Al Dawsari blew by, the onslaught against which Hassan Al Tambakti stood firm. This was the stuff of World Cup legend in real time.
Biggest surprise
Johnson's pick: Morocco. There are a few candidates, but a heroic run to the semifinals and history made for African and Arabic soccer is tough to beat. The Atlas Lions' technical qualities were talked up pre-tournament, but few really had them pegged to go as far as they did. Slaying Belgium, Spain, and Portugal on their way to the final four was impressive and everybody will fondly remember Walid Regragui's team and hope to seem them build upon this showing. It could also inspire future great teams now that the Moroccan blueprint is being examined.
Biggest disappointment
Francesco Porzio's pick: Germany. Hansi Flick's side is definitely the biggest disappointment, along with Brazil. The Germans were eliminated for the second time in a row in the group stage. This is definitely a huge disappointment when you consider the number of talented players in the roster and a new cycle that had started last year with the ex-Bayern Munich coach who took over for Joachim Low. Despite the failure of the team, Jamal Musiala was probably one of the best players of the group stage and showed the potential he has. He will definitely be one of the most interesting talents to watch in the coming years. The 2024 Euro will take place in Germany and the hosts can't replicate the failures of the past two World Cups.
Best moment
Porzio's pick: Achraf Hakimi's panenka. Morocco's 2022 World Cup campaign was one of the most incredible stories of the tournament. Their penalty-kick shootout win over Spain in the round of 16 featured Achraf Hakimi scoring the deciding fifth penalty with a panenka that will be etched in World Cup lore. Plus, give him points for the penguin celebration.
Best drama
Booth's pick: Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Cho Gue-sung. Not only was this one of the most dramatic moments of the tournament, it also became one of the costliest. Ronaldo isn't a fan of losing even in a game that didn't mean much to Portugal, having already qualified for the knockout stages. As he walked off the pitch to sub out, Ronaldo claims that Gue-sung told him to leave quickly and he quickly clapped back. Ronaldo was fuming at the idea of being subbed out before this exchange, which led to Portugal coach Fernando Santos benching Ronaldo for Goncalo Ramos against Switzerland. Ramos responded with a hat trick. Did Ronaldo's exchange possibly end his international career for Portugal?
Igor Mello's pick: Mean-streak Messi. Three words I'll never forget from this tournament: "Qué mirás, bobo?" Four words to live by when dealing with haters: "Andá para allá, bobo." It's probably safe to assume that the Argentine legend binged-watched "The Last Dance" on his way to Qatar because he's taking everything personal. And as a Brazilian who's programmed to root against Argentina, my dirty little secret is that I'm all the way here for this version of Messi as he's 90-plus minutes away from the best swan song we may have ever seen in this sport.
From the cupping-of-the-ears to celebrate a goal -- ala Juan Roman Riquelme -- in the face of Louis van Gaal to his postgame confrontation with Edgar Davids and then Dutch super sub Wout Weghorst, this is a performance that would leave any pro wrestler with envy. In the spirit of the holidays, the greatest player of our generation is making a list and checking it twice on his way to glory. Now, that's some good drama.
Best young player(s)
Johnson's pick: Aurelien Tchouameni. France were not favorites coming into this tournament and one of the reasons for that was a weakened midfield with no Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante. Not only has the Real Madrid man been an adequate deputy, he has arguably put the pair in the shade given how he and Adrien Rabiot have functioned together so well. Looking ahead to 2024, Deschamps many well have found his midfield base already given Tchouameni's mature performances and eye for goal in Qatar.
Benge's pick: Jude Bellingham. Phil Foden said the Borussia Dortmund youngster will be the best midfielder in the world. The only follow-up question that could have possibly prompted is "how soon will that be?" Barring unforeseeable circumstances, Bellingham will be the benchmark against which so many are measured over the next decade. From disrupting opposition build up and winning tackles to driving through the engine room and making key passes, Bellingham showed he can do it all at this World Cup. Come the next one, he may have no equal.