Arsenal’s Best Performers at the Two Most Recent World Cups | OneFootball

 Arsenal fans won’t have given too much thought to this summer’s World Cup. They have enough on their hands. The Gunners looked set to embark upon a famous quadruple just a few weeks ago. Then, the League Cup final changed everything.  

With the bookies installing Mikel Arteta’s men as narrow favourites to dispatch Manchester City at Wembley, it was Pep Guardiola’s men who rose to the occasion. Two quickfire second-half goals from academy product Nico O’Reilly were enough to secure a 2-0 victory for the Blues, plunging Arsenal’s campaign into uncertainty.  

Arsenal’s Nervy End to the Season

The Gunners looked a certainty for the Premier League title heading into the Wembley clash, sitting nine points clear of second-place City. Now, with the momentum Pep’s side has garnered from their League Cup triumph, Arsenal fans are looking over their shoulders, knowing that their nine-point lead could well become just three in double quick time should their campaign unravel in the worst way.  

The bookies still list Arteta’s men as a clear 1/10 favourite, with City still as long as 6/1 with some outlets. However, for the Gunners who are starting to get twitchy, now might be the time to hedge your bets. And right now, an arbitrage calculator makes that easier than ever. Arsenal at 1/10 and City at 6/1 across different bookmakers represents exactly the kind of pricing disparity the calculator thrives on. Input the best available odds on both sides, and the tool will calculate the exact stakes needed to secure a risk-free win, turning what has become a deeply anxious title race into a guaranteed payday either way. 

But regardless of what happens between now and May, one thing that is for certain is that the World Cup will take centre stage after the club commitments have drawn to a close. And when North America opens its doors to the world, as many as 20 Arsenal players could be headed across the pond. But which Gunners stars have shone brightest at recent World Cups? Let’s take a look.  

2022: Bukayo Saka

William Saliba was the Gunner who made it further than any other in Qatar four years ago, reaching the final with a France team determined to defend their title. However, the Gunners centre back played just 27 minutes throughout the course of the tournament, making it difficult to select him as the club’s best performer. As such, there can only be one other option: Bukayo Saka.  

Despite being just 21 years of age by the time the tournament kicked off, the Gunners winger was already a household name at the international level. Saka had burst onto the scene when he beat both Jack Grealish and Jadon Sancho to a starting berth at the European Championships in 2021, famously missing England’s decisive penalty against Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma in the final at Wembley.  

Fast forward to the World Cup, and Saka was determined to leave that painful memory firmly in the rearview mirror. He began the tournament with a stunning brace in England’s opener against Iran, a thumping 6-2 win. He would then add his third goal of the tournament in the Three Lions’ 3-0 win against Senegal in the Round of 16, but as we all remember, England’s tournament would once again end in heartbreak.  

In the quarterfinals against France, Gareth Southgate’s men were arguably the better team, but being the better team counts for little unless you can find the back of the net. Les Bleus did that twice to England’s once, with former Gunner Olivier Giroud’s late header sealing a 2-1 win and progression. For the Three Lions, it was yet more quarterfinal agony.  

2018: David Ospina

2018 was a dark time to be a Gunner. Prior to the Russia World Cup getting underway, Arsenal had just finished down in sixth place in the Premier League, missing out on Champions League qualification for the second straight season. Long-serving manager Arsene Wenger would depart the club after 21 years, ushering in a new era in North London.  

Before that could get underway, the World Cup took centre stage, and for Arsenal, it was a strange summer as just six of the club’s players headed to Russia. Mesut Ozil expected to contend as he looked to defend the title with Germany, but Die Mannschaft were shockingly dumped out in the group stage, falling victim to the champion’s curse.  

As such, it was Gunners’ backup goalkeeper David Ospina who was arguably the club’s finest representative. He helped Colombia to the top spot in Group H, keeping clean sheets in the wins against Poland and Senegal, despite facing the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Sadio Mane.  

In the Round of 16 against England, he was on top form once again, but he was unable to prevent the Three Lions winning their first-ever World Cup penalty shootout. He got a hand to Eric Dier’s decisive spot-kick before it ultimately nestled in the net behind him and ended Colombia’s campaign.