Top 11 players with most goal contributions in World Cup knockout stages

The quadrennial tournament is reaching its summit with Argentina making it to the finals.

We've seen world-class players score tons of goals in World Cups and propel their teams to victory. Several of them established records that are still valid and will take a beating to surpass, such as Just Fontaine, who scored the most goals in a single tournament, and World Cup top-scorer Miroslav Klose.

However, as the tournament progresses, we see various players' personalities that carry them to the final. In this article, we will look at the top ten players that contributed the most goals in the World Cup knockout stages.

11. Roberto Baggio - 7 goal contributions

Roberto Baggio has long been a folk hero for the Italian national team, having led them to the World Cup final in 1994. He was their standout player in the 1994 World Cup, scoring in all knockout phases, including five goals in the last 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals. Italy advanced to the finals and faced Brazil. Both nations couldn't be separated until the game went to penalties after 120 minutes.

Despite the fact that Italy lost 4-2 to Brazil, Baggio missed the penalty kick, which harmed his sporting career for years. Following his outstanding performance in the competition, Roberto Baggio was given the Silver ball.

10. Antoine Griezmann - 7

Griezmann had one of the best World Cups of his career in 2018, finishing second to Kane in scoring. He also contributed the most goals in the knockout rounds, with his goals against Argentina after converting from the penalty spot. He was also on the scoresheet against Uruguay in the quarter-finals and turned supplier as well. The former Barcelona player assisted in France's 1-0 semi-final victory over Belgium.

In the end, he was both the scorer and the supplier, scoring from a penalty and subsequently providing a pass to Pogba in the build-up, which the midfielder crushed from long range. Griezmann was named MOTM and got the Bronze Ball for his efforts.

9. Rivellino - 8

Rivellino was a member of Brazil's World Cup-winning team in 1970. He scored seven goals in the tournament, including three in the knockout rounds and memorable goals against Czechoslovakia, earning him the moniker "Patada Atómica" (Atomic Kick) from Mexican supporters. Rivellino also competed in the FIFA World Cups in 1974 and 1978, finishing fourth and third, respectively.

8. Grzegorz Lato - 8

Lato was the reason Poland had such a big influence in the 1974 World Cup, finishing third in the competition. He played in every game and got his name on the scoresheet with assists as Poland advanced from the group of death, which included Argentina, Italy, and Haiti.

In the knockout stages, he also played a role in Poland's victories over Sweden and Yugoslavia. With Poland facing host nation West Germany - the winner would play the final and the losers would move to third place - Poland lost 1-0 despite their efforts. Poland faced Brazil, and Lato once again proved crucial with his goal, bringing his tournament total to seven.

7. Thomas Muller - 8

Thomas Muller had a World Cup to remember in 2014 when Germany won their fourth trophy. But his most stunning performance came in the 2010 World Cup, when Germany finished third, with Muller contributing eight goals and the most goals in the knockout stage.

Despite being suspended for the semi-final against Spain owing to two yellow cards, Germany was knocked out of the competition, with Müller earning the best young player and the Golden Ball.

6. Mario Kempes - 8

He alone took Argentina to the World Cup trophy in 1978, Kempe's predator attributes saw him winning the Golden Boot in the tournament as well as Golden Ball. he had the most contribution in knockout games, scoring three braces brace, two against Poland, followed up with another two against Peru, and the last two in the final against the Netherlands, as Argentina won the World Cup 3-1 against the Dutch side.

5. Paolo Rossi - 8

Rossi was picked up to the 1982 World Cup by then-manager Enzo Bearzot despite a terrible showing at the club level and many journalists describing him as a ghost strolling around the pitch. Italy won their group and faced defending champions Argentina, which they defeated 2-1. They next faced another big challenger, Brazil, and Rossi hit a hat-trick as Italy advanced to the semi-finals, where they met Poland.

Rossi demonstrated his striking ability once more, scoring twice to help Italy win the match. Italy defeated Germany in the final, winning 3-1, with Rossi contributing one of the three goals. He would take home the tournament's Golden Boot and Golden Boy awards.

4. Kylian Mbappe - 9 goal contributions

Mbappe at just 23, now has 9 goal contributions (7 goals and 2 assists) in the knockout round of the FIFA World Cup. He has also lifted the FIFA World Cup title once (France- 2018)

3. Gerd Muller - 9

Gerd Muller is the World Cup's third-leading scorer, with 14 goals. He was the undisputed star in 1974 when he led Germany to the World Cup final, where they defeated Johan Cruyff's Netherlands, with him scoring the game-winning goal. Although his most productive tournament was the 1970 World Cup, in which he scored 10 goals, Muller was by far the most effective player in the competition, trailing only Just Fontaine.

2. Lionel Messi - 10

Lionel Messi scored six goals and reached the World Cup final in 2014, but he was unable to lift the title as Germany prevailed 1-0. The narrative for the 2022 World Cup was the same, with Argentina staring at the World Cup trophy for the second time under Messi’s captaincy.

Lionel Messi surpassed multiple records on his path to the final, becoming Argentina's all-time highest scorer. In the knockout phase, he had three goals and two assists, propelling Argentina to the final, where they will meet either Morocco or France.

Despite being defeated by Italy in a goal-fest encounter, West Germany finished third after defeating Uruguay 1-0.

1. Ronaldo - 10

The 2002 World Cup exclusively belonged to one man, and that player was Ronaldo, who commanded the nation to victory by himself. Except for the encounter against England, he scored in every game. Ronaldo dominated the event, scoring four goals in the knockout stages. In the final versus Germany, Ronaldo scored a brace as his team defeated the Germans 2-0 to claim the trophy for the sixth time, the most by any nation.