The Club World Cup has come to an end, and while many are already putting it in the rear-view mirror, there has been some good performances from certain individuals in the tournament, some even making a name for themselves at their club and on the World stage ahead of a possible summer move or push for more first team minutes.

Due to the impressive displays seen, we decided to do a special edition of our POTM awards, where we usually recognise the player of the month for the Premier League and top European leagues, but this time we’re giving out the award to the standout performer in the tournament that nobody had asked for.

Gonzalo Garcia had only 6 appearances for the senior team at Real Madrid since moving through the reserves, but the Club World Cup has shot the 21 year old forward to a genuine contender for adding to the already stacked front line for Madrid under new manager Xabi Alonso. While Madrid didn’t meet many peoples expectations by winning the whole tournament, Garcia’s efforts were certainly doing everything possible to get his team through some big games. With 6 games in the competition, Garcia bagged 4 goals and 1 assist, making him the joint top scorer for the tournament and joint G+A player of the tournament. Although the goals came in some winnable games for the Spanish side, Garcia’s been shot into super-stardom as a result of his performances this summer.

If you have anything to add to our decision, or disagree with our pick, head over to X (@NextGoalWinBlog) or Instagram (@NextGoalWin) and let us know what you think.

Match By Match

June 18th: Real Madrid 1-1 Al Hilal – Starting off in the group stages, Garcia provided the goal that helped Madrid to a draw against Saudi side Al Hilal. While the result wasn’t quite what fans and neutrals would have expected, Garcia’s efforts to start the tournament were quite impressive. Having led the line between Vinicius and Rodrygo, the forward managed 6 shots (4 on target), 100% dribble success, 100% ground duels won and his goal which initially put Madrid ahead, earning an 8.1/10 FotMob rating.

June 22nd: Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca – After his efforts against Al Hilal, Garcia was given another start in the clash against Pachuca. Playing just 45 minutes, he provided an assist for the goal just before half-time to make it 2-0. With only limited game time in this one, he still won 100% of his tackles and produced his 2nd goal contribution in as many games, giving him a 7.9/10 FotMob rating.

June 27th: Real Madrid 3-0 Salzburg – Goal no.2 of the tournament came against Salzburg as Garcia added the 3rd and final goal in the win. Back to playing the full 90, he managed 2 shots and produced his goal despite having the fewest touches of any player. He received an 8/10 FotMob rating to keep his group stage performances at an 8/10 average.

July 1st: Real Madrid 1-0 Juventus – Into the round of 16 and Garcia’s 3rd goal of the tournament put Real Madrid through in the clash against Juventus. With 4 goal contributions in as many games, the 21 year old had already impressed fans of the club, but being the difference maker certainly put him on the radar of neutrals and fans around the world. Despite playing just 68 minutes in the win, his goal and 100% shot accuracy again provided the run of goals, and also kept him consistent with a 7.6/10 FotMob rating.

July 5th: Real Madrid 3-2 Borussia Dortmund – It took only 10 minutes for Garcia to score again in the next round, as Madrid and Dortmund had a 5 goal clash which saw a lot of late drama. With Garcia opening the scoring early, he was withdrawn just before the chaos began, but he still produced a strong performance. With his run of goal contributions stretching to 5 in 5, he also managed 100% of tackles won and earnt a 7.8/10 FotMob rating in this one.

July 9th: Real Madrid 0-4 PSG – The scoring run came to a close as Real Madrid exited the competition in dramatic fashion as they were dismantled by PSG. Garcia, like his entire team had their worst performance in this one, playing only 71 minutes and losing the most duels (7). With no shots or real threat from Garcia or the team, this performance went against the standard he had set leading up to the semi-finals, and only received a 6/10 FotMob rating which may have damaged his previous 8/10 average, but still he remains deserving of the recognition for his earlier work.