Every World Cup turns unproven players into household names. Qatar 2022 was no different, with a group of young talents using the tournament to launch themselves onto the biggest stage. Within months, most of them had earned moves to some of the biggest clubs in the world.
Performances like theirs are exactly what fans look out for every four years: the breakout stars who shift the World Cup odds and reshape the transfer market in their wake. Five players stood out in Qatar.
In this article, we look at five players who made a name for themselves at the 2022 World Cup.
Enzo Fernandez
Enzo Fernandez was barely known outside Argentina before Qatar, having only joined Benfica that summer. By the end of the tournament, he was a world champion and the official Best Young Player, having scored a fine goal against Mexico in the group stage. Chelsea moved quickly in January 2023, signing him for £106.8 million, a British transfer record at the time. Few players have seen their value rise so sharply on the back of one tournament.
Cody Gakpo
Cody Gakpo arrived in Qatar with a strong reputation in the Netherlands but little beyond it. He answered that by scoring in each of the Netherlands’ three group games, one of the standout attackers of the early rounds. Liverpool signed him in the January window that followed, beating other interested clubs to his signature. He has since become a Premier League champion and a regular for one of Europe’s biggest sides.
Goncalo Ramos
Goncalo Ramos produced the most memorable individual performance of the tournament. With Cristiano Ronaldo dropped to the bench, the young striker started Portugal’s last-16 tie against Switzerland and scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win. It was the first hat-trick of the 2022 World Cup and a remarkable way to take a senior international chance. He earned a move to Paris Saint-Germain the following summer.
Josko Gvardiol
Josko Gvardiol was among the best defenders at the tournament as Croatia reached the semi-finals and finished third. The young centre-back, often seen in a protective face mask, more than held his own against the world’s best forwards, including a memorable duel with Lionel Messi in the semi-final. Defenders are harder to spot than goalscorers, but emerging talent is what fans and those who bet on football follow closely across a tournament. Manchester City signed him the following summer.
Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham was already highly rated, but Qatar confirmed his arrival among the elite. Although it was his second major international tournament, having featured at Euro 2020, this was the stage where the teenager truly stood out, driving England’s midfield on their run to the quarter-finals. He scored in the opening win over Iran and controlled games well beyond his years. Real Madrid signed him the following summer, and he quickly became one of the best midfielders in the world.
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Qatar 2022 showed once again how quickly a World Cup can change a career. All five of these players turned strong tournaments into major moves within months. The 2026 World Cup will almost certainly produce the next set of breakout names.
