Arab players have a remarkable global advantage over Ronaldo

Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's success in scoring three goals for Portugal at the 2016 World Cup, it wasn't enough to place him among the tournament's top-rated players. Statistics from the performance analysis platform WhoScored showed that six Arab players outperformed him. Ronaldo's tournament ended with Portugal's elimination in the Round of 16 after a 1-0 loss to Spain. He played five matches, totaling 441 minutes, during which he scored three goals. However, his performance in the group stage, particularly against Colombia and DR Congo, was reflected in his final rating of 6.94. Moroccan Achraf Hakimi topped the list of Arab players, ranking 22nd globally with a rating of 7.46. This followed his outstanding performances in six matches, during which he scored one goal and provided two assists, contributing to Morocco's advancement to the quarterfinals and cementing his status as one of the world's best full-backs. Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir ranked 28th globally with a rating of 7.38, having impressed with his strong performances. He participated in five matches and saved two penalties, establishing himself as one of the tournament's standout goalkeepers. Egyptian captain Mohamed Salah ranked 48th globally with a rating of 7.27, having scored one goal and provided two assists in five matches, leading Egypt to the Round of 16 for the first time in its history – a historic achievement for the Pharaohs on the world stage. The list also included Moroccan Azzedine Ounahi, who ranked 108th globally with a rating of 7.03 after scoring two goals in six matches, while his compatriot Ismail Saïbari came in 141st with a rating of 6.96, having scored three goals before injury ended his tournament participation. Moroccan Nayef Aguerd completed the list of Arab players ranked higher than Ronaldo, coming in at 153rd globally with the same rating as the Portuguese captain (6.94). However, the Moroccan defender's higher ranking was due to his contribution to his national team's advancement to later stages of the tournament, in addition to his greater playing time. This notable Arab presence in the rankings reflects the progress made by Arab national teams during the last World Cup, where several of their players delivered outstanding performances both individually and collectively, contributing to historic results and confirming their ability to compete with the game's biggest stars on the global stage.