Best Forward: Salomón Rondón – Venezuela
This is a surprisingly tricky honor to give. Brazil lack any true center forward, and Colombia have suffered from an overabundance of subadequate ones. Rondón scored only one goal, but did it in the midst of an expert performance. He often ran the risk of being isolated at the top of a Venezuelan team that, at least prior to the tournament, seemed due to sit back well behind the ball. His goal and his overall quality performances throughout the tournament came in part due to Venezuela’s tireless midfield, but also due to his own technical skills and perfectly wielded physicality. He might have been contained after that opening match, but he never stopped being a threat.
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