World Cup viewers have cast a very strong verdict on Liverpool striker Alexander Isak after he struggled to find a bolt from the blue in Sweden’s attempts to turn around a 5-1 loss against the Netherlands on Saturday evening.

After a slow start to this summer’s tournament with a 2-2 stalemate with Japan in their opener, Ronald Koeman’s side – featuring a trio of Isak’s clubmates – found a way to change their own fortunes and find an instant response to concerns they may not continue to build on their reputation as perennial dark horses.

But while the scoreline might suggest the reaction to Sweden’s number nine is bound to be negative, there were parts of his game that shone stateside. There was a feeling that his teammates let him down somewhat, too, and points being made on social media make for an interesting – and insightful – read.

How World Cup Fans Have Reacted to Isak’s Performance vs Netherlands

Phil Noble via Reuters

One X user wrote of Isak, who also still managed to grab an assist: “Isak had such a good first half, he started all three of Sweden’s best moves,” while another added:

Of course, Liverpool fans had a lot to say as well, and it would seem his fitness level is slowly getting back to how it was with Newcastle, prompting more positive reactions. As one supporter put it: “Alexander Isak is definitely returning to his level. He’s a huge footballer, huge. He has the full repertoire to lead the front line and invent plays out of thin air.”

Another continued: “One thing I’m proper excited about seeing from Alexander Isak for Sweden here, is that he’s playing really well with a second striker alongside him in Victor Gyokeres. That means him and Hugo Ekitike can do the same at Liverpool. Exciting thought.”

Statistics Support the Idea that Isak is Returning to Form

After registering three goal involvements last week, it would surely have been a tough ask for Isak to continue that rich vein of form, especially when his team found themselves with their backs against the wall for the majority of their visit to the Houston Stadium. But his FotMob rating suggests he did just that.

In fact, he was the fourth highest-rated player on the pitch, with Cody Gakpo earning Man of the Match with two goals and an assist. Isak created the most chances of any player with four, while registering a shot on target, a 100 per cent dribble success rate, all while also winning both his ground duels.

Perhaps the most promising part of his game that cannot be tied to statistics, though, is how often he was chasing the ball, making runs, or coming short to pick up the ball from deep or out wide. His movement, especially under an expansive head coach like Andoni Iraola, will provide his teammates with an incredible asset in attacking plays next term.

There are a host of footballers – both past and present – who have struggled to replicate their excellent international form domestically. There are a number of reasons why this could be the case. Some are more suited to international football and adapt better to that environment, with club football often too strenuous due to the tightly-packed schedules and relentless nature of it all.

With the international game much less frequent, but also reliant on tournament-style formats rather than drawn-out seasons, it’s difficult for managers to implement various different styles of football. Often, those who can get along with their players and keep things simple will thrive.

The likes of Harry Maguire spring to mind – but the status quo for major countries and big players is often that international breaks can be a hindrance to their domestic season, but there are actually just as many players who relish those international breaks and camps, be it as an escape to find form, or simply because they live for the international game.

Perhaps one of the strangest quirks in football is seeing a player frequently star on the international stage but consistently amount to very little when club football comes back around. Therefore, below are 16 of the best examples of players who thrived only for their country.

Ranking Factors

• The difference in performances for their country compared to their clubs
• Their overall quality
• Consistency and longevity
• Trophies/awards won on the international stage

16

Harry Maguire

England

At points in his career, Maguire has played more minutes for England than he did for Manchester United. Indeed, there was a stage when Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez cemented themselves as former manager Erik ten Hag’s preferred duo and while he was struggling for club form, ex-England boss Gareth Southgate continued to select and start the much-maligned centre-back for the Three Lions.

Despite his club troubles, Maguire has over 60 caps to his name. He also has seven goals, which is more than any England defender in history and is always at the top of his game when donning international colours. For his nation, he was named in the Team of the Tournament for both Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup. Injury ruled him out of Euro 2024 where he no doubt would have been a starter too. The Three Lions are under new management with Thomas Tuchel, and it finally seems like his international playing days are behind him.

15

Sergio Romero

Argentina

Before his stint as Manchester United’s number two behind David de Gea, Sergio Romero‘s club football highlights weren’t all that special. He’d floated from AZ Alkmaar to Sampdoria without amounting to much but was always the man between the sticks for Argentina, where he would suddenly look world-class – even earning Man of the Match in the 2014 World Cup semi-final.

He sits on 96 caps, with Aston Villa’s Yashin Trophy-winning Emiliano Martinez the main man in net these days following his retirement. A cult hero, there has to be a part of him that hates the fact he never quite reached a century of appearances.

14

Asamoah Gyan

Ghana

Remembered by most Premier League fans for his spell with Sunderland, Asamoah Gyan was very much a ‘streets won’t forget’ calibre of forward. Despite his career for the Black Cats being overshadowed by that penalty miss at the 2010 World Cup after Luis Suarez’s handball, it was on the international stage where Gyan consistently looked like a talisman.

Having scored 49 goals in 107 games for Ghana and notably scoring twice at the 2014 World Cup, Gyan certified himself in his nation’s folklore, though – by that point – the striker had assumed journeyman status at club level, plying his trade for the likes of Stade Rennais and Udinese.

13

Hal Robson-Kanu

Wales

Failing to break through at Premier League giants Arsenal as a youngster, settling for Reading was as good as it got for Hal Robson-Kanu, and when he was released in 2016, you would’ve been forgiven for not batting an eyelid.

In the same summer, he became a free agent, was included in the Wales squad for Euro 2016 and proved instrumental by scoring against Slovakia and Belgium in their historic run to the semi-finals. His goal against the latter is enshrined in football mythology forever as he sent three defenders before slotting past Thibaut Courtois. The striker remained a regular for Wales but would remain a relatively quiet man at club level.

12

Wout Weghorst

Netherlands

Fans in England will remember Wout Weghorst as the Burnley striker who somehow secured a loan move to Manchester United in January 2023. His time with the Red Devils didn’t go well, as he scored just twice in 31 games – which is the same number of goals he managed with the Clarets.

That said, he’s been a different beast when it comes to the international game. Often called upon as a super sub, the large striker’s most memorable moment came in the 2022 Qatar World Cup as he struck twice from the bench vs Argentina, helping his team come from behind to take the match to penalties. He then stepped up once more as a substitute at the opening game of Euro 2024, netting the winner vs Poland.

11

Xherdan Shaqiri

Switzerland

Xherdan Shaqiri is one of those players who has always caught the eye. With his stocky frame and muscular calves, power is what springs to mind whenever he takes to the football pitch – especially in terms of striking the ball with that left foot of his.

His club career has been a relative success, winning league titles with FC Basel, Bayern Munich and Liverpool – but he was often a bit-part player in Germany and England. With the Swiss international team, however, it’s a completely different story. A hat-trick vs Honduras at the 2014 World Cup was a high point, but he’s also netted for Switzerland at Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, as well as at Euro 2016, Euro 2020 and – most recently – Euro 2024.

10

Eduardo Vargas

Chile

Eduardo Vargas finished as the tournament top scorer when Chile secured the Copa America in 2015 and had gone on a record-breaking run of scoring in six consecutive games for his country two years prior to that. Adding to that, the striker repeated the same achievement and became the Copa America’s top scorer twice in 2016, too. Goals were his forte on the big stage.

At club level, though, Vargas struggled to show the same ruthlessness that people expected of him with failed stints at Valencia and Hoffenheim – to name a couple. Napoli also shipped him off on loan several times, the final of which was a loan to QPR, where again he failed to impress in the Premier League.

9

Joan Capdevila

Spain

Winning 60 caps for Spain in one of the greatest-ever iterations of the national team, you’d have thought just about everyone in that Spain setup from 2008 to 2012 was a superstar. And before the emergence of Jordi Alba, Joan Capdevila was the go-to guy for La Roja on the left-hand side of the defence.

Capdevila certainly played like one for his country, having won a World Cup, European Championship and Olympic silver medal, but he couldn’t replicate it at club level. While not a bad player, Capdevila was merely an average La Liga full-back; a far cry from what he looked like when he played for Spain.

8

Cody Gakpo

The Netherlands

Annegret Hilse via Reuters

Cody Gakpo has more international goals for the Netherlands than Arjen Robben, won the Golden Boot award at Euro 2024, while he also scored eight goals in 12 total major international tournament appearances. Incredibly, he’s also still only 27, meaning he’s at his prime for most players.

Liverpool would love to have his directness for country be replicated at Anfield, but the truth is that most Premier League defenders have learnt how to deal with his predictableness on the left flank.

7

Keisuke Honda

Japan

Keisuke Honda had one of the strangest careers you can imagine. He earned cult hero status for his long-shots and set-piece abilities, but aside from a spell with CSKA Moscow, was underwhelming at club level and endured a forgettable spell with AC Milan.

He then became a complete journeyman and balanced playing in the Lithuanian top flight with Cambodia managerial duties. At international level, however, it was a totally different story between 2008 and 2018. He registered 60 goal contributions (37 goals and 23 assists) from 98 caps and will go down as a Japanese legend. Honda was key in three World Cups and became an Asian Cup winner in 2011.

Christian Pulisic is looking to fire the USMNT to 2026 World Cup glory, with President Donald Trump set to hand the winners the trophy on July 19.

The AC Milan winger was electric in the USA’s first match against Paraguay, registering an assist in a brilliant first-half display before having to withdraw through injury. Pulisic then missed his nation’s second game against Australia, but his team have qualified for the knockout rounds.

He’ll be vital for Mauricio Pochettino in the coming games and is recognised as the country’s best player. After all, he is nicknamed ‘Captain America’. However, he might want to be careful when it comes to political gestures after receiving backlash last time.

Christian Pulisic Mimicked Donald Trump in US Match

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Gary Vasquez

During a 4-2 win against Jamaica in the 2024 Concacaf Nations League quarter-final second leg, Pulisic celebrated his goal by pulling out the ‘Trump Dance’. Trump was still running to be elected as President in early 2025, but has always been a highly controversial figure.

Pulisic was questioned about why he broke out the slightly peculiar movement, which involves a two-fisted shimmy. “Well obviously that’s the Trump dance,” he said.

The ex-Chelsea forward continued: “It was just a dance that everyone’s doing. He’s the one who created it. I just thought it was funny. I saw everyone doing it yesterday in the NFL, I saw Jon Jones do it. We’re just having a bit of fun, so I thought it was a pretty fun dance.”

Joined by Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi, Pulisic wasn’t the only one to take part in the dance. But the 27-year-old denied it was any form of political endorsement, stating it ‘was just for fun’. He added:

USMNT Hero Slammed ‘Stupid’ Pulisic Actions

One of America’s greatest-ever players, Tim Howard, wasn’t impressed by the current star’s actions. In fact, the 121-cap USMNT legend suggested that Pulisic should ‘own’ his support for Trump rather than hiding behind it being ‘a bit of fun’.

Howard, the former Everton and Man Utd goalkeeper, slammed the ‘stupid’ dance, writing in a Daily Mail column: “Here’s my personal view. Doing a dance that mimics Donald Trump is stupid. Why? Because, whether it’s the president of the United States or my neighbour down the street, I would never back someone who I believe is racist. I wouldn’t glorify that. I wouldn’t do it for anything.”

Taking aim at Pulisic personally, the retired shot-stopper added: “If someone feels strongly the other way, no problem. But if you’re going to make a political statement, then be bold and brash enough to stand behind it. Don’t go quiet and don’t plead innocence like Christian Pulisic.”

Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 20-06-26.