Stars are meant to shine – and many of the star players of this World Cup did just that. At the same time, many fans were bitterly disappointed by their heroes, whereas underdogs rose to the occasion and took the spotlight they deserved!

Here are some of our new favorites.

Cho Gue-Sung

South Korea is known among the Bangladeshi youth largely for K-pop and K-dramas, but this World Cup they made waves in football as well.

One of the standouts of this team is Cho Gue-Sung, who scored two goals in the space of three minutes against Ghana. He became the first Korean to score two goals in a single World Cup match. Right after that, his popularity soared and the number of followers on his Instagram rose from 20 thousand to over 3 million.

Sadly, Korea's World Cup run ended when they lost to Brazil in the Round of 16, but they have proved they are the dreamers who make it happen!

Enner Valencia

Once upon a time, he used to practice with a water bottle because that's all he could afford. In 2022, Enner Valencia proved to be Ecuador's standout player, scoring 100 percent of the team's World Cup goals. Sadly, Ecuador was eliminated on 4 points, whereas many teams had managed to get to the round of 16 with the same number. The World Cup needed more of this player, and this player definitely deserved more in the World Cup.

Goncalo Ramos

The Pistoleiro (Gunfighter) of Portugal scored the first hat-trick of the 2022 World Cup.

Despite the odds against him, he made it to the squad after Rafa Silva's retirement, and Portugal supporters couldn't get enough of his presence on the pitch! At first he was a substitute, then when he started he played like a star, winning over Portugal fans.

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Lisandro Martinez

Martinez's last-minute tackle to what could have been a fatal Australian goal was one of the key moments that led Argentina to a 2-1 victory against Australia.

All eyes are on Argentina as they are the team which made it furthest among Bangladesh's favorites (we can admit that Bangladesh is mostly divided into 2 factions). Lisandro's passion on the pitch is worth keeping an eye out for.

Jamal Musiala

Despite Germany's rapid exit from the World Cup, one can't help but cheer for Jamal Musiala.

Although Musiala is only the fourth youngest German to play in the World Cup, his style is indistinguishable from veterans. The way he cuts through opponents and takes away the ball – silky smooth!

Yassine Bounou

Get yourself a lawyer who defends you like Bounou defends his goalpost.

Morocco has made history by becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals. Their defense is fantastic, and Bounou's penalty saves against the Spanish team (who had practiced a thousand penalties) proves it.

Portugal's powerful team, who played mainly on the offensive against them, couldn't break through. Even before that, Yassine Bounou was the best goalkeeper in La Liga last season.

The Wall of Morocco blocked one of Ronaldo's shots, contributing to Morocco's 1-0 and history-breaking achievement.

Dominik Livakovic

Every time Croatia wins, I see a minimum of five club football fans begging their clubs to take Livakovic in.

Where do we BEGIN with this man?

Croatia's matches have been ADDICTIVE to watch, and Dominik Livakovic has been phenomenal. Croatia went to the tie-breakers twice, and Livakovic, being the goalkeeper, must have felt the immense pressure of shouldering the fate of the team. He blocked penalty after penalty against Japan. He almost blocked Casemiro's lightning-fast penalty shot; he swerved in the correct direction and was within inches of blocking the goal. This guy was pivotal in winning against a team like Brazil, who attempted 11 shots on target, but managed to get only one in.

Dominik Livakovic breaks your heart by knocking out your favorite football players, and steals it by giving his 200 percent to the game.

Zaheen equates watching productivity videos to actually getting work done. Send help at www.instagram.com/tasfiazuhair