The new, reformed Club World Cup has brought many new viewers like never before, with numerous European giants competing like PSG, Chelsea, and Real Madrid. Alongside them, South American underdogs have surprised us, while even some Saudi teams have impressed. Here are our top five performing players at the Club World Cup for those who may be using online betting for goalscorer markets on the semi-finals and final.Â
Top Five Best Performing Players At the Club World Cup
5. Pedro Neto
Pedro Neto had a fairly strong 2024/25 Premier League season, but was by no means a dead-set starter for Chelsea. However, after coming straight to the United States for the competition after winning the Nations League final, Neto has hit the ground running. With three goals, he is the only Blues player to find the back of the net multiple times in this tournament.Â
He’s played at least 87 minutes in each of his four appearances, including the full 120 against Benfica, and managed a solid performance just days after the passing of his friend, Diogo Jota.
4. Thiago Silva
The Brazilian teams have been this tournament’s surprise package, but Fluminense have been the standouts by a mile. On their way to the semi-finals, they went unbeaten in the group-stage, knocked out European giants Inter Milan by two goals to nil, and defeated an Al Hilal side that had just beaten Manchester City.
Their captain, Thiago Silva, has led from the back, and a mix of his experience, leadership, and footballing impact at his boyhood club gives him a spot in this list over a more attacking option.
3. Joao Neves
PSG have very comfortably reached the semi-finals of this competition, barring a freak 1-0 loss to Botafogo that ultimately changed nothing (the Parisians topping their group).Â
PSG blew Atletico Madrid away, 4-0 in their opening game. After losing to Botafogo, they have recontinued their perfect record, beating Seattle Sounders 2-0, Inter Miami 4-0, and, impressively, Bayern Munich 2-0 with nine men.Â
In four out of five matches they have won with a clean sheet, so it is hard to pick an attacking or defensive option, particularly as there has been no specific talisman. However, Joao Neves has been a presence throughout in the midfield. Starting every game except the Botafogo loss, he has contributed to both the attack and the defence, dictating play and winning back possession. At 20-years-old, he is already one of the most impressive players in Europe.
2. Marcos Leonardo
You’d be forgiven if you hadn’t heard of Marcos Leonardo before this tournament, but the 22-year-old Brazilian striker has managed four goals (currently the joint-most), with three coming in the knockouts. This includes a brace against Manchester City, with his second being the goal to knock the Cityzens out. Despite Al Hilal’s journey finishing in the quarter-finals, Leonardo will surely have his eye on a move back to Europe after leaving Benfica last summer.Â
1. Gonzalo Garcia
Gonzalo Garcia came into the Real Madrid starting lineup after playing just 53 La Liga minutes in the 2024/25 season. He was thrown in at the deep-end with Kylian Mbappe out due to acute gastroenteritis. However, the 21-year-old Spaniard hit the ground running: a goal contribution in each of his three group stage starts saw him rewarded with a place in the lineup for the Round of 16, despite Mbappe’s presence on the bench.
Mbappe managed 22 minutes as a substitute, but not before Garcia netted the only goal of the match to help Madrid progress against Juventus. The academy product was again granted a start over Mbappe against Dortmund, when he scored after just ten minutes. He was left on the field until the 86th minute, meaning that Mbappe’s substitution had to come at the expense of a different player.Â
The Frenchman did score what went on to be the winner, an outstanding goal, but Xabi Alonso’s willingness to keep Garcia on the pitch shows just how good this player is, and how big of a role he could play in the future.
Main Image: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
