ESPN announces 'Worst XI' for the World Cup... No South Korean players among those who were eliminated early

*This content was translated by AI.

U.S. sports outlet ESPN has unveiled its "Worst XI" consisting of disappointing players from the 2026 FIFA North American and Caribbean World Cup. While some players from teams like Scotland and Uruguay, which were eliminated in the group stage under coach Hong Myung-bo, made the list, no South Korean players were included.

On the 21st (Korea time), ESPN stated, "The North American and Caribbean World Cup, which saw 48 teams play a total of 104 matches over 39 days, has concluded. While there were players who delivered outstanding performances, there were also those who fell far short of expectations." The outlet then released its Worst XI filled with the most disappointing players.

The media selected Brazil's Neymar (Santos) as the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation. In the second line, they chose U.S. Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Portugal's Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), and Germany's Florian Wirtz (Liverpool).

ESPN criticized, "It is hard to understand why Neymar even participated in this World Cup. Because he was selected, younger Chelsea player Joao Pedro, who was in better condition, could not make the squad. Ultimately, it was a wrong choice in every aspect."

The outlet further criticized, "Doubts have grown even more through this World Cup as to whether Wirtz is truly a world-class player or just one of the overrated playmakers." It also added regarding Fernandes, "Unlike his performance with Manchester United last season, he showed disappointing form for the national team."

In midfield, Scotland's Scott McTominay (Napoli) and Uruguay's Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) were each selected. Coincidentally, both players belong to teams that, like South Korea, were eliminated in the group stage.

ESPN noted, "McTominay was highly anticipated for leading Scotland to the World Cup finals, but he finished the tournament without any memorable moments." It further pointed out, "Uruguay endured its worst World Cup amid conflicts between coach Marcelo Bielsa and his players, and among them, Real Madrid's Valverde was the most disappointing player."

In defense, Germany's Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Netherlands' Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), England's Marc Guehi, and Nico O'Reilly (both Manchester City) were included. Notably, although England reached the semifinals in this tournament, ESPN stated, "Guehi delivered a performance that did not live up to his name in the crucial semifinal against Argentina, where he was most needed." It added, "He was assigned an unsuitable role simply because of his versatility, and opposing coaches quickly exploited this weakness," thus selecting them for the Worst XI.

The worst goalkeeper was Uruguay's Fernando Muslera (Estudiantes). ESPN explained its reasoning: "Muslera, who reversed his retirement decision to participate in his fifth World Cup, committed three fatal errors and was eventually substituted after playing only the first half in the final group stage match against Spain. It was a tournament that revealed his limitations."

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*This content was translated by AI.