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365Scores the Best of 2022: Best XI of the Year

Photo of Interns Interns31/12/2022 - 09:07 am

With 2022 coming to an end, 365Scores looks at the best XI from the past 12 months.

GK: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium)

Starting at the back end of the pitch, in goal is Thibaut Courtois. The Real Madrid and Belgium keeper played 48 times in 2022, keeping 20 clean sheets and producing 153 saves, at an average of more than three saves per game. 42 of his appearances were for his club while the other six were with his national team.

Courtois made nine saves against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final and claimed the Man of the Match award for his efforts. The two-metre tall goalie made 54 saves in the Champions League this year, more than any other counterpart in the competition. He also kept out five of the nine penalties he faced in 2022.

His performances and Real’s successful year steered Courtois to scoop the Yachine Trophy, given to the best goalkeeper of the year, at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in October. He was also nominated for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, but ultimately lost out to club teammate Karim Benzema.

Courtois and Real celebrated four titles in 2022, namely La Liga, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the Supercopa de España.

 
 
 
 
 
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DR: Achraf Hakimi (Paris St-Germain, Morocco)

On the right-side of defence, we have Achraf Hakimi. The Moroccan full-back represented his country 14 times this calendar year as the Atlas Lions took part in both the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and FIFA World Cup.

The North African nation reached the semi-finals at the World Cup, losing to Croatia in the third place play-off. At the start of the year Morocco had been knocked out of AFCON in the quarter-finals, by eventual runners-up Egypt. Hakimi made 26 tackles at the World Cup, more than any other player at Qatar 2022.

Hakimi also played 38 times for PSG this year and contributed seven goals and eight assists to their title-winning campaign. The Parisians conquered the French top flight for an eighth time in the last 10 seasons and also captured the Trophée des Champions (French Super Cup).

DC: Ruben Dias (Manchester City, Portugal)

At the heart of defence is the Portuguese warrior, Ruben Dias. The 25-year-old continues to prove a colossus at the back for Man City and he is comfortably among the very best central defenders in world football.

Dias played 41 times this past year, 33 for Man City and eight with his native Portugal. Of the 30 matches Dias started for the Citizens in 2022, they kept 17 clean sheets. Overall, he contributed to 24 clean sheets in his 41 games this year.

Dias celebrated back-to-back Premier League crowns with the Sky Blues and he has also donned the captain’s armband on several occasions under Pep Guardiola, showcasing his natural leadership traits on the biggest stages.

Ruben Dias as captain of Manchester City.
(Photo: Danehouse/Getty Images)

DC: Éder Militão (Real Madrid, Brazil)

Partnering Dias is Brazilian centre-back Éder Militão. The defender racked up 51 games for club and country this year – 43 for Real Madrid and eight with his national team. All but two of his appearances for Los Blancos this year came from the first whistle and he completed the full match in the vast majority of these.

Militão, 24, was under heaps of pressure to fill the void left by Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, and he exceeded with distinction.

Not only did the centre-half put in solid defensive shifts, he also contributed five goals as Real stormed to both the La Liga and Champions League titles last season. They also triumphed in the UEFA Super Cup and Supercopa de España.

He also featured four times for Brazil at the World Cup, albeit the five-time world champions were knocked out by Croatia (and Militão’s club teammate, Luka Modrić) in the quarter-finals.

Militão with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
(Photo: DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

DL: Theo Hernández (AC Milan, France)

At left-back is none other than Theo Hernández. In recent years the Frenchman has emerged as a mainstay in the AC Milan setup and in 2022 he played 47 times, with 39 coming in the colours of the Rossoneri.

For Milan, Hernández started every one of those 39 games and he played the full 90 (or 120) minutes all but four times. The 25-year-old earned eight caps for France this year, of which six came at the recent World Cup where he scored once in the semi-finals versus Morocco and earlier gave two assists in the group stage.

Although a defender by nature, Hernández is known for his tendency to make darting runs into the final third and he is no stranger to attacking returns. In 2022 he scored five goals and produced 11 assists.

This year Hernández has been one of Milan’s best performers and he played his part in the Italian giants securing its first Scudetto since 2011.

MC: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid, Croatia)

Modrić has played a total of 61 matches this year, 45 for Real Madrid and 16 with Croatia, and he delivered 11 goals and 10 assists.

The seasoned midfielder added several pieces of silverware to his growing collection, notably the La Liga and Champions League titles, and he is a five-time European champion with Real. Modrić and Los Blancos also enjoyed successes in the UEFA Super Cup and Supercopa de España.

To cap off a splendid 2022, he earned a bronze medal at the World Cup with Croatia, and the 37-year-old was also named the third-best player at the event, behind Messi and Mbappé. Modrić was on the pitch for all but 24 minutes of his nation’s seven matches in Qatar. He is the most-capped Croatian player of all-time (162) and he has served as national team captain since 2016.

Despite approaching his 38th year, there is a slim chance Modrić could put international retirement on hold for the time being as Croatia have also qualified for the UEFA Nations League finals due to take place next summer.

MC: Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, Uruguay)

The emergence of Valverde in Real Madrid’s starting XI has been sensational and his rise up the ranks sees him partner Modrić in the Best XI of 2022.

The 24-year-old has been one of the utmost important components for Real this past year and his presence continues to be felt in all areas of the pitch.

Although primarily a midfielder, Valverde has also taken up the position as an auxiliary right-winger while still fulfilling his defensive duties and providing additional support in the centre of the park.

Valverde represented Real 47 times in 2022 as well as 12 with Uruguay. He played all three of his country’s group games at the World Cup, albeit the South Americans failed to advance to the knockouts.

In terms of honours, Valverde earned winner’s medals in La Liga, the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and Supercopa de España.

RW: Lionel Messi (Paris St-Germain, Argentina)

Argentina’s man of the moment ended the year in spectacular fashion, capturing an elusive World Cup winner’s medal. During the tournament, Messi set multiple records such as the most matches and most minutes played at the World Cup.

Messi ended the tournament with seven goals (one shy of Mbappé) and three assists, the joint-most. The Argentine scored more goals at Qatar 2022 than he did at the previous four World Cups combined (6).

He claimed the Golden Ball, becoming the only two-time winner of the award. The 35-year-old scored in every round at the recent World Cup and he is the first and only player to achieve this feat.

Messi with the World Cup trophy and the Golden Ball.
(Photo: AMA/Getty Images)

Throughout 2022, Messi played 51 matches, scoring 35 goals and producing 30 assists. He found the net 18 times in 14 games for Argentina, including a five-goal haul in a friendly versus Estonia.

PSG secured a domestic double (Ligue 1 and Trophée des Champions) though Messi’s greatest addition in 2022, without question, is the status of world champion.

RST: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)

Having turned 35 years-old last week, Karim Benzema endured what was undoubtedly the greatest year of his professional career. He played just 39 matches in 2022 though he mustered 33 goals and eight assists, averaging more than one direct goal involvement per game.

The vast majority of Benzema’s outings this year came in Real Madrid colours, with just three for the French national team. He was (and continues to be) the most prominent goalscorer for his team, having registered 21 goals in 24 domestic games this calendar year.

Benzema also featured 12 times in UEFA competitions (Champions League and Super Cup) and bagged 11 goals for Los Blancos. The French forward netted 10 goals in the knockout phase of the Champions League, including hat-tricks against Paris St-Germain (Round of 16) and Chelsea (quarter-finals) as well as a brace versus Manchester City in the semis.

Benzema was integral as Real won a league and European double for only the second time since 1958. Real’s star striker was the top scorer in both the Spanish top flight (27 goals) and Europe’s primary club competition (15 goals) which propelled him to the Ballon d’Or award in October. Benzema is the second-oldest player to win the prestigious accolade.

Benzema claimed his maiden Ballon d’Or in 2022.
(Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

In total, Real collected four trophies in 2022. Their La Liga/Champions League double was supplemented by the Supercopa de España in January and the UEFA Super Cup in August.

For his efforts in the Champions League, Benzema also walked away with the prizes for UCL Player of the Season and UEFA Player of the Year.

Benzema was named in France’s squad for Qatar 2022 though he did not appear at the tournament, marking the first time since 1978 that the Ballon d’Or holder didn’t feature at the World Cup finals.

LST: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund/Manchester City, Norway)

Haaland played 14 competitive games for Dortmund, scoring 10 goals and giving three assists, before completing a mega-money move to Premier League champions Man City.

The 22-year-old has so far appeared 20 times for the Citizens, netting 26 goals across three competitions (Premier League, Champions League, English League Cup). Earlier this week, Haaland notched his 20th goal in the English top flight, becoming the quickest player to achieve this feat (14 matches).

Haaland scored nine goals in eight games with Norway and, overall, the lethal attacker has bagged 45 goals in 42 matches this year though he is the only player in the Best XI to have not won a major trophy in 2022.

LW: Kylian Mbappé (Paris St-Germain, France)

While Benzema was unavailable for France at the World Cup, countryman Kylian Mbappé was the main source of goals for Les Bleus. 11 years Benzema’s junior, Mbappé struck eight times at Qatar 2022 – the most at a World Cup since Ronaldo Nazário in 2002 – to scoop the Golden Boot.

Mbappé’s is up to 12 goals in 14 games at the World Cup, an identical tally to three-time winner Pelé, and the 24-year-old is four goals shy of Miroslav Klose’s record 16 goals at the quadrennial event.

Golden Boot winner Mbappé walks past the World Cup trophy.
(Photo: AMA/Getty Images)

From a pure goal-scoring perspective, Mbappé had a simply astonishing year with 56 goals and 19 assists in 56 matches (for club and country combined). Domestically, he fired in 35 goals for PSG while also creating another 13. The pacey attacker also scored nine times in eight Champions League ties in addition to 12 goals in 13 matches for France.

As mentioned, Mbappé and PSG clinched the Ligue 1 title as well as the Trophée des Champions (French Super Cup). On an individual scale, he ended as the top scorer (28 goals) and with the most assists (17) in the French top flight.

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Photo of Interns Interns31/12/2022 - 09:07 am

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