The World Cup concluded with Spain defeating Argentina in the final, and Manchester City midfielder Rodri was named the tournament's best player. City sent 19 players to the United States for the competition, though John Stones and Bernardo Silva became free agents mid-tournament, and Nathan Ake departed for Fenerbahce in a £7m deal. Notable involvement included £116m midfielder Elliot Anderson, who joined City from Nottingham Forest after the group stage and helped England reach the semi-finals. Six City players remained until the final weekend. Here is a look at how each City player performed.
England Contingent
Nico O'Reilly never replicated his Premier League form for England, showing early nerves against Croatia and ultimately losing his starting spot to Djed Spence. Rating: 6/10. Marc Guehi, initially left out, became a key part of the England backline, looking most comfortable alongside John Stones and showing promise for future tournaments. Rating: 7/10. James Trafford was not expected to play except in emergencies, with Dean Henderson preferred for the third-place match. He must now consider his club options to challenge for the starting role. Rating: 5/10.
Midfield Stars
Elliot Anderson started strongly despite his £116m transfer, showing excitement for City fans but occasionally being caught out of position. Rating: 8/10. Rodri was simply the best in the world, earning a perfect 10/10 with no notes.
Portuguese Players
Ruben Dias was hampered by injury early on but performed well as Portugal reached the last-16, though their exit was disappointing. Rating: 7/10. Matheus Nunes made the squad after missing the Euros, but was barely used by coach Roberto Martinez, unable to influence games. Rating: 5/10.
Other Nations
Abdukodir Khusanov of Uzbekistan was the only City player not to advance past the group stage, but his team made history by qualifying and did not disgrace themselves. Rating: 7/10. Rayan Ait-Nouri had a decent effort for Algeria, reaching the last-32 but making little impact. He now needs to focus on breaking into City's first team. Rating: 6/10.
Croatian Duo
Josko Gvardiol returned from injury but suffered heartbreak as his last-gasp equaliser against Portugal was ruled out. Croatia fell short of expectations. Rating: 6/10. Mateo Kovacic, recovering from Achilles surgery, showed his quality for Croatia, though his future at City remains uncertain. Rating: 7/10.
Dutch and French Players
Nathan Ake, now a former City player, started for Netherlands in their last-32 match against Morocco but was substituted at 0-0 as they exited early. Rating: 6/10. Tijjani Reijnders performed well in the group stage but was surprisingly benched for the last-32 match and not used as Netherlands were eliminated. Rating: 5/10. Rayan Cherki had a frustrating tournament, struggling to get playing time behind France's major talents and trying too hard when given opportunities. Rating: 5/10.
African Representatives
Jeremy Doku could not replicate his club form for Belgium, who offered little and exited early. Rating: 5/10. Omar Marmoush remained behind Erling Haaland at City and was on the bench for Egypt's last-16 tie against Argentina, witnessing a stunning collapse as Egypt lost a two-goal lead. Rating: 6/10. Antoine Semenyo was happy to represent Ghana on the biggest stage, but they struggled and exited in the last-32 to Colombia. Rating: 6/10.
Haaland's Record-Breaking Tournament
Erling Haaland had a phenomenal tournament, scoring seven goals to set national records and challenge for the Golden Boot. He also gained 29 million Instagram followers. Rating: 10/10.
