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The 2026 World Cup is almost here, with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa just a week away.
There is no other sporting event — perhaps no other event, period — that unites the world in discourse quite like it. On barstools, in classrooms, at water coolers around the globe, fans will spend the next six weeks debating the quality of their favorite teams and players.
Today’s debate centers on the latter. This World Cup lands at a moment in between generations. The old guard — led by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, buttressed by Neymar and Luka Modric — arrives in North America for one last tournament. Meanwhile, for many of the game’s brightest young stars, such as Lamine Yamal and Erling Haaland, this is the first crack at the sport’s biggest stage.
Here, then, are the five most overrated players entering the tournament. This is always a complex exercise, as it requires an assessment of external perceptions, but it’s a fun way to look at the field.
There’s no doubting Ronaldo’s status as one of the greatest players of all time. But now he’s 41, having spent the past four seasons in the relative anonymity of the Saudi Pro League. He can still score when chances are presented to him, but he’s no longer capable of putting in the work off the ball or in the press that’s needed to be a well-rounded contributor to a winning team.
And yet, his stardom is still that of a game-changing player. Anywhere you look, Ronaldo’s face is plastered across advertising campaigns and media coverage like it’s 2014.
The same, to a lesser extent, is true of Neymar. He remains a central figure in the broader perception of the tournament when, in reality, his inclusion in Brazil’s squad lacks much on-field justification. Over the past two seasons, he’s scored just 17 goals in 43 games for Santos in the Brazilian Serie A. Meanwhile, manager Carlo Ancelotti left off Joao Pedro, who scored 23 goals for Chelsea and would have filled a weakness at striker.
This ranking has little to do with Pulisic’s actual talent. He is the U.S.’s most dangerous attacker, as he showed again in last week’s friendly win over Senegal. And despite a lack of goals this spring for AC Milan, he remained one of the more important players all season for the Italian giants.
But while Pulisic is a quality, Champions League-caliber player — perhaps the most talented in American history — he is not a global superstar. And at home, that is too often how Pulisic is presented. In April, Fox Sports, the World Cup rightsholder, ranked him the No. 6 player who will define this tournament. In reality, he might be the No. 6 player who will define Group D.
Perhaps Saka will benefit from some time away from Arsenal, where Mikel Arteta’s defensive focus mitigated his creativity. After three consecutive seasons in which he averaged more than 0.7 goal contributions per 90 minutes, Saka managed just seven goals and five assists this season — good for 0.49 goal contributions per 90. That was behind players including Morgan Gibbs-White and Jarrod Bowen, both of whom missed the cut for the England squad.
Vinicius has been one of the most electrifying wingers in the world since he broke onto the scene for Real Madrid more than five years ago. But he arrives at the World Cup off one of his least effective seasons in a Madrid shirt. And more importantly, he’s never quite carried his club form over to the national team. In his career, he has averaged one goal every 352 minutes with Brazil, compared to every 213 minutes with Madrid.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ronaldo, Neymar among 5 most overrated players at 2026 World Cup
Continue reading...
There is no other sporting event — perhaps no other event, period — that unites the world in discourse quite like it. On barstools, in classrooms, at water coolers around the globe, fans will spend the next six weeks debating the quality of their favorite teams and players.
Today’s debate centers on the latter. This World Cup lands at a moment in between generations. The old guard — led by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, buttressed by Neymar and Luka Modric — arrives in North America for one last tournament. Meanwhile, for many of the game’s brightest young stars, such as Lamine Yamal and Erling Haaland, this is the first crack at the sport’s biggest stage.
Here, then, are the five most overrated players entering the tournament. This is always a complex exercise, as it requires an assessment of external perceptions, but it’s a fun way to look at the field.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
There’s no doubting Ronaldo’s status as one of the greatest players of all time. But now he’s 41, having spent the past four seasons in the relative anonymity of the Saudi Pro League. He can still score when chances are presented to him, but he’s no longer capable of putting in the work off the ball or in the press that’s needed to be a well-rounded contributor to a winning team.
And yet, his stardom is still that of a game-changing player. Anywhere you look, Ronaldo’s face is plastered across advertising campaigns and media coverage like it’s 2014.
2. Neymar, Brazil
The same, to a lesser extent, is true of Neymar. He remains a central figure in the broader perception of the tournament when, in reality, his inclusion in Brazil’s squad lacks much on-field justification. Over the past two seasons, he’s scored just 17 goals in 43 games for Santos in the Brazilian Serie A. Meanwhile, manager Carlo Ancelotti left off Joao Pedro, who scored 23 goals for Chelsea and would have filled a weakness at striker.
3. Christian Pulisic, United States
This ranking has little to do with Pulisic’s actual talent. He is the U.S.’s most dangerous attacker, as he showed again in last week’s friendly win over Senegal. And despite a lack of goals this spring for AC Milan, he remained one of the more important players all season for the Italian giants.
But while Pulisic is a quality, Champions League-caliber player — perhaps the most talented in American history — he is not a global superstar. And at home, that is too often how Pulisic is presented. In April, Fox Sports, the World Cup rightsholder, ranked him the No. 6 player who will define this tournament. In reality, he might be the No. 6 player who will define Group D.
4. Bukayo Saka, England
Perhaps Saka will benefit from some time away from Arsenal, where Mikel Arteta’s defensive focus mitigated his creativity. After three consecutive seasons in which he averaged more than 0.7 goal contributions per 90 minutes, Saka managed just seven goals and five assists this season — good for 0.49 goal contributions per 90. That was behind players including Morgan Gibbs-White and Jarrod Bowen, both of whom missed the cut for the England squad.
5. Vinicius Jr., Brazil
Vinicius has been one of the most electrifying wingers in the world since he broke onto the scene for Real Madrid more than five years ago. But he arrives at the World Cup off one of his least effective seasons in a Madrid shirt. And more importantly, he’s never quite carried his club form over to the national team. In his career, he has averaged one goal every 352 minutes with Brazil, compared to every 213 minutes with Madrid.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ronaldo, Neymar among 5 most overrated players at 2026 World Cup
Continue reading...
