Ranking Europe's top clubs by player performance a...

playAre France World Cup favorites after victory vs. Senegal? (2:41) With the first round of games completed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, it is clear which nations have started well. But which of Europe's top clubs can say the same? Many of the continent's biggest teams have sent a host of players to the finals, which gives fans the chance to not only root for their country, but for the players that represent their beloved club too. With that in mind, let's have a little fun and rank the teams based on how well their players have performed over the opening round of fixtures. Note: Players are contracted to their current clubs until June 30, so impending free agents or expiring loanees still count toward the team they played for in the 2025-26 season. For example: Bernardo Silva still counts for Manchester City despite officially signing for Real Madrid, and Nicolas Jackson counts for Bayern Munich, not Chelsea, as his loan is not yet finished. play1:03Moreno full of praise for Haaland after brace on World Cup debut10. Manchester City Standout star: Erling Haaland, NorwayCity had a whopping 15 players in action in the first round of games at the World Cup, but only a handful can claim to have played to a leading level. The clear highlight was Erling Haaland's brace for Norway in the 4-1 win over Iraq, while Spain midfielder Rodri held his end of the bargain up, completing 115 passes and shutting off counter-attacks, despite the 0-0 draw with minnows Cape Verde. Most of the rest of City's player put in middling showings, but a couple visibly struggled -- midfielder Tijjani Reijnders was ineffective for Netherlands' 2-2 draw vs. Japan, while center back John Stones (who is leaving this summer) looked rusty for England in the 4-2 win over Croatia -- so City ended up ranking quite low here. Several of Spain's players failed to hit the requisite levels in their shock 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, but not Cucurella. He may be on his way to Real Madrid but there really wasn't much more he could have done for his country; the left back was a blur of activity, a consistent threat, and teed up a huge chance that went begging. Elsewhere, midfielders Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo were influential in midfield for Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria and Ecuador's 1-0 defeat against Ivory Coast, respectively, while winger Pedro Neto claimed an assist in Portugal's 1-1 draw with Congo DR, but right back Reece James was a touch muted for England. With just four players at this World Cup, Napoli are far from the most represented club, but all four showed up in round one so you have to respect the hit rate. Midfielder Scott McTominay shook off a stomach bug to help Scotland to their first World Cup win in 36 years, 1-0 over Haiti, while Mathías Olivera was a big presence in defense during Uruguay's 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and striker Romelu Lukaku helped haul Belgium out of a hole to save a 1-1 draw with Egypt. Dortmund's 2025-26 campaign was built on a surprisingly sturdy defense, as they conceded just 34 goals in the German Bundesliga, and central to that was the pair of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and center back Nico Schlotterbeck. Both took their club form into the World Cup; the former saved Switzerland from embarrassment against Qatar, making crucial saves early on in a 1-1 draw, while the latter was imperious in Germany's 7-1 win over Curaçao. And, speaking of that thumping win, Felix Nmecha was the man to get the ball rolling on that as he scored Germany's first goal and proved a constant threat in the penalty box. play1:23Burley slams 'extremely pedestrian' Spain after Cape Verde draw6. Barcelona Standout star: Pau Cubarsí, SpainBarcelona had 12 players in action across round one, including loanees Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) and João Cancelo (Al Hilal). Most played fairly well without truly excelling, but it should be noted that forward Ferran Torres had a bit of a nightmare in front of goal during Spain's 0-0 draw with Cape Verde. The Blaugrana had a heavy presence in that game, limiting how highly they can rank here given they did not do the business, but credit has to go to Pau Cubarsí, whose performance on and off the ball from center back was immaculate. You probably expected Paris Saint-Germain to be ranked higher. So did we. But then a PSG-heavy Portugal severely underwhelmed in their opening 1-1 draw with Congo DR, limiting them to fifth place in the list. At the very least, midfielder João Neves popped up with a great headed goal in that game, and elsewhere there were some excellent showings to pick out: Morocco's Achraf Hakimi blitzed Brazil's flanks in the 1-1 draw, while both Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye scored in France's 3-1 win over Senegal. But the best of the lot, Lee Kang-In, was sensational in South Korea's 2-1 win over Czechia, grabbing an assist and pulling the defense all over the place. play1:58Robson: Germany's 7-1 win vs. Curaça

Ranking Europe's top clubs by player performance a...

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