Bryan Robson has named two Manchester United players in Raphael Varane and Casemiro in his 2022 FIFA World Cup best XI. The former Red Devils skipper, however, picked only Lionel Messi from the World Cup-winning Argentina squad.
The rest of Bryan Robson’s FIFA World Cup best XI consisted of Dominik Livakovic, Kyle Walker, Josko Gvardiol, Theo Hernandez, Sofyan Amrabat, Antoine Griezmann, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.
Robson, however, defended his decision to name two Manchester United players in the best XI. The former club captain gave his reasons for picking the duo despite them not winning the World Cup. Varane finished runners-up to Argentina while Casemiro and Brazil lost to Croatia in the quarterfinals.
In his column for the Daily Mail, Bryan Robson wrote (via the Metro):
“I’ll probably get accused of Manchester United bias, but Varane has been a huge influence on France’s defence all the way through and held them together with his composure and anticipation.”
He added:
“At times, those around him, such as Dayot Upamecano, have looked rash and prone to lunging in yet Varane covered well and got them out of trouble. He was terrific en route to the final.”
Providing his reasoning for picking Casemiro, Bryan Robson said:
“[Casemiro] oozes calmness in the centre of the park and is an excellent passer of the ball.”
Both Varane and Casemiro are relatively new players at Old Trafford. Raphael Varane joined Manchester United from Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 for a fee of around £41 million.
Casemiro also arrived from Real Madrid earlier this year. The defensive midfielder cost United around £70 million prior to the start of the 2022-23 season.
Lisandro Martinez is the only Manchester United player to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Manchester United had players representing both Argentina and France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. It was, however, the Argentine defender and another new United recruit, Lisandro Martinez, who lifted the World Cup.
Martinez was not Argentina’s starting defender at the tournament. The former Ajax defender made five appearances at the World Cup, with three of those coming off the bench.
Lisandro Martinez did not feature in the World Cup final on Sunday (December 18) despite the game going into extra time.
Argentina lifted their third FIFA World Cup trophy with a penalty shootout win against France in the final. The game ended 3-3 after extra time with La Albiceleste winning 4-2 on penalties.