England vs France Survey: Who's the best player for each position?

In the biggest match ever between them, England and France face off in the quarterfinals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. This will be only the third meeting for these two teams in tournament's history. England won 2-0 in the last game of the group stage at Wembley in 1966 and the Three Lions also got a 3-1 victory at Bilbao in the first round of Spain 1982. 

During the Qatar 2022 World Cup, England finished as first place of Group B after winning against Iran (6-2), a tie with the United States (0-0) and a resounding victory over Wales (3-0). In the Round of 16, they defeated Senegal (3-0). Meanwhile, France led Group D with two wins (Australia, Denmark) and a loss (Tunisia). In the knockout stage, the reigning world champions had no problems facing Poland (3-1).

The names in these rosters are just spectacular: Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Harry Kane, Phil Foden or Harry Maguire. So, this is not your usual World Cup survey. Here you will have to pick a player for each position. Before a battle for the ages between England and France, who are your favorite ones?

Jordan Pickford vs Hugo Lloris

Jordan Pickford has earned Gareth Southgate's trust with his perfomances at Everton. England's goalkeeper has three consecutive clean sheets in the Qatar 2022 World Cup: United States, Wales and Senegal. Meanwhile, Hugo Lloris has been the name for France since 2010 at South Africa. All his experience has made him one of the best in the Premier League with Tottenham. 

 

 

Harry Maguire vs Raphael Varane

Two defenders with uncertain times at the club level, but with spectacular performances in the World Cup. Raphael Varane was heavily criticized for leaving Real Madrid to sign with Manchester United, but he's been the leader in the back for France. Harry Maguire is one of the most scrutinized players in the Premier League and he's not even a starter for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. However, he's just another version of himself when playing for the Three Lions.

 

 

John Stones vs Dayot Upamecano

During Gareth Southgate's tenure, John Stones has been the perfect partner for Harry Maguire as centre-back. Those two names are non-negotiable. Though a hamstring injury put his participation at risk, Stones has proven his worth. On the other side, since his arrival in 2021 to Bayern Munich, Dayot Upamecano has become one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga and in the world. He's taken over Samuel Umtiti's place in France with amazing performances. 

 

 

Kyle Walker/Kieran Trippier vs Jules Kounde/Benjamin Pavard

As you can see, the right-back position is one of the most contested for both teams. Kieran Trippier started the first two games for England, but then Kyle Walker returned for the decisive matches. Even legendary Gary Lineker said that Walker is the only one able to stop Kylian Mbappe. In France, the story is very similar. Benjamin Pavard started in the opener and then Jules Kounde took over. Who will play? Who is the best matchup against the attacking rivals? That's a huge question for Gareth Southgate and Didier Deschamps.

 

 

Luke Shaw vs Theo Hernandez

During the last years, Luke Shaw has been one of the best left-backs in the Premier League for Manchester United and, in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the defender has started every game for England. With France, in a very unfortunate situation, Theo Hernandez replaced his brother Lucas as a knee injury left him out of the tournament. Theo has been a key piece during AC Milan's extraordinary rebuilding process.

 

 

Declan Rice vs Aurelien Tchouameni

Declan Rice is an extraordinary defensive midfielder for West Ham in the Premier League. After his controversial decision to leave the Irish team to play for England, he has become crucial for Gareth Southgate. Another amazing young player in this position is Aurelien Tchouameni. When everyone doubted he could fill the role left by injured N'Golo Kante, Real Madrid's promising star delivered with France.

 

 

Jordan Henderson/Mason Mount vs Adrien Rabiot

This is one of the biggest questions for Gareth Southgate towards the game with France. Mason Mount was the starter in the first matches and then, in the Round of 16, Jordan Henderson appeared and suprised everyone allowing a change of wing for Jude Bellingham. On the other side, there are no doubts with Adrien Rabiot. The Juventus' player has all the experience and the quality to face a single-elimination game. 

 

 

Jude Bellingham vs Antoine Griezmann

This is a duel between creative and technical soccer masters. One is the future and the other is a fantastic veteran. At 19-years old, Jude Bellingham has revolutionized Borussia Dortmund and next summer could sign for Real Madrid or another European powerhouse. Meanwhile, after a tough stint with FC Barcelona, Antoine Griezmann is trying to recover his form, but, at least with the National Team of France, he has been a superb player.

 

 

Bukayo Saka vs Ousmane Dembele

If we're talking about speed and dribbling, this is the matchup to follow. 21-years old and Bukayo Saka is already one of the biggest revelations in the World Cup for England (three goals) and of course at the Premier League with Arsenal. On the other side, Ousmane Dembele keeps trying to recover his Borussia Dortmund's glory days now playing for FC Barcelona. He is definitely back as a dangerous wing for France. 

 

 

Phil Foden vs Kylian Mbappe

This seems an unfair one, but let's get to it. First of all, Raheem Sterling was supposed to be the name here for England. However, he might be out of the tournament for personal reasons. So, Phil Foden now has a great responsibility with a spot totally earned as a remarkable player with Manchester City. Now, what can we say about Kylian Mbappe? At 23-years old, he is the youngest player to score nine goals in World Cup history and could hoist the trophy in back-to-back editions. Just amazing.

 

 

Harry Kane vs Olivier Giroud

Harry Kane has been one of the best strikers in the Premier League during the last years and is just one goal away of tying Wayne Rooney as England's all-time top scorer. In the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Olivier Giroud has already done that by becoming the best scorer in the history of France with 52 goals. After Karim Benzema's injury, Giroud has taken over remember everyone he was the man in attack when the French squad hoisted the trophy in 2018.

 

Gareth Southgate vs Didier Deschamps

In 2018, Gareth Southgate led England to their best World Cup performance in almost 30 years after reaching the semifinals. Then, in 2021, the coach took them to a UEFA Euro final at home. However, Southgate have no titles to show for and that's the biggest difference with Didier Deschamps. The French manager conquered the World Cup as a player (1998) and as a coach (2018). Only three people have done that in history.