Cristiano Ronaldo: Arriving with high expectations for his final World Cup appearance, the iconic forward struggled throughout the tournament and looked out of pace. Despite two goals against Uzbekistan and one from the penalty spot against Croatia, Ronaldo's World Cup was underwhelming

Neymar: After a long selection saga, Neymar eventually made it to the Brazil squad but failed to have any impact. The Brazilian star was a squad player for most of the tournament and only scored once as Brazil were knocked out at the Round of 16 stage

Manuel Neuer: The veteran goalkeeper came out of retirement for the World Cup but suffered a nightmarish tournament, committing uncharacteristic positional errors that directly cost his side. His shaky presence between the posts signalled the end of an era as his side crashed out far earlier than anticipated

Federico Valverde: Expected to dominate the midfield with his trademark energy and box-to-box dominance, Valverde instead delivered flat, anonymous performances. He failed to influence games or control the tempo as Uruguay were knocked out in the group stage of the World Cup

Christian Pulisic: Carrying the pressure of co-hosting on home soil, the American winger was expected to lead the USA deep into the tournament. However, the winger was largely silenced by disciplined physical defending as he failed to make a real impact on the tournament