2026 World Cup: Turkish players among disappointing performers, A Bola reports

The 2026 World Cup, like previous tournaments, has seen some stars shine while others have fallen short of expectations. Portuguese sports newspaper A Bola has compiled a list of players who delivered disappointing performances, notably including three individuals from the Turkish national team.

Leading the list of disappointments is veteran Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. A Bola singled him out as the biggest letdown of the tournament, citing a series of errors that marred his performance. The list also features other high-profile international players who failed to live up to their reputations.

Among those named are Joshua Kimmich and Josko Gvardiol, both expected to be key figures for their respective teams. Other notable inclusions are Gabriel Magalhaes, Piero Hincapie, Federico Valverde, Jamal Musiala, Bruno Fernandes, Leroy Sane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Heung-min Son, Manuel Neuer, Declan Rice, Scott McTominay, Orkun Kökçü, Bernardo Silva, Antoine Semenyo, Kenan Yıldız, Neymar, Arda Güler, Viktor Gyökeres, Jeremy Doku, and Raphinha.

The inclusion of Turkish players Orkun Kökçü and Kenan Yıldız, along with Arda Güler, suggests that their performances did not meet the anticipated standards for the national team during the tournament. The list reflects a critical assessment of individual contributions in a major international competition.