(Photo by SkySports)
The World Cup is underway and instead of sun and beer gardens it is going to be blankets and hot chocolate as we tune it at some rather strange kick off times to see who will be crowned the greatest Footballing nation in the world once again. With final squads finalised for the trip to Qatar, we are going to have a look at some of the players that have the potential to take the tournament by the scruff of the neck.
Whether they are the first name on the team sheet or whether they might be a dark horse looking to shine and announce themselves such as the likes of James Rodriguez and Thomas Muller have done before them, the World Cup is the biggest stage in Football and it will be interesting to see what players can spur on their country to put in some memorable performances or even walk away with the Jules Rimet Trophy.
I only have one rule for this list, only one player per nation. Just so we can spice the list up a bit and see a range of different players in different positions and different countries.
Federico Valverde
What a season this man is having. The Uruguayan from Real Madrid is arguably one of the best players in the world right now after a string of impressive performances for Los Blancos over the last couple of years, but this is the year where he seems to have really hit his stride.
An incredibly versatile player that can play on the wing, in the centre of the midfield with his key strengths being his ability to advance quickly from wide positions whilst still being able to provide support for his centre midfielders. He often covers every blade of grass when he plays, striding forwards to join the attacking forces, or being more disciplined and retaining possession with his incredibly passing and movement with the ball at his feet.
This man is going to be the star of Uruguay, a spot that has been often dominated by their attacking options such as Luis Suarez or Edinson Cavani.
He demonstrates exceptional talent when receiving quick passes, when he adopts the ideal body position and controls the ball with the leg furthest from his marker so that he can protect it with his frame. A player with those qualities can consistently relieve pressure when he is required to do so.
In terms of sheer goal contributions he has contributed 7 in 11 games this season for Carlo Ancelotti’s side and it seems like each goal he scores are an absolute banger. Boasting an impressive 89.8% pass completion rate in La Liga and picking up 3 man of the match awards so far, it isn’t going to surprise many people when he is in contention for the Ballon D’or next season, especially if he performs well in Europe and at the World Cup.
Looking at Group H in which Uruguay reside, there are some potentially tricky fixtures in there such as Portugal and Korea Republic, but if Valverde shows the quality that he is putting in for Madrid each week, he could be the man to carry them and they should be able to qualify from that group and pose a threat to whoever they come up against in the knockouts.
Look out for this man in Qatar as well as at the award ceremonies he will be sweeping up in the following years.
Jamal Musiala
I am still upset that this lad decided to represent Germany instead of England, he is going to be a mega star. I recently had the pleasure of watching Musiala in the flesh during Bayern’s convincing 6-1 win over Werder Bremen a couple of weeks ago, the same match where Senegal’s Sadio Mane got injured (which completely derailed this list as I had to remove his entry, thanks Sadio).
Recently making my list of 10 Young Players to Watch this Season (check out the video if you haven’t seen it already, Dave Says on YouTube), Musiala was a revelation to see in the flesh. An incredibly skilled dribbler with the mental read on the game like a 20 year veteran, this kid has the tools to go right to the very top.
After leaving Chelsea’s academy of hoarded wonderkids in 2019 to join German giants Bayern Munich, Musiala has taken German and international football by storm by his maturity and versatility in attack. Musiala plays both on the wings and can be deployed in any part of the midfield.
According to the manager who gave him his debut at Bayern, Hans-Dieter Flick, "He has a great eye and feeling for choosing the right spaces. He is very confident on the ball and can play well between the lines."
He’s lightning quick on the dribble and can unleash a deadly strike at a moments notice, Musiala has every chance to be a mainstay for the Germany national team for the next decade and beyond. In the same manner that Thomas Muller announced himself in the 2010 World Cup, Musiala has every chance of running this tournament and walking away as the hottest prospect in world football.
Germany’s group stage is filled with tantalising matchups, especially with that meeting against Spain, with some wonder kids sharing the pitch together such as Musiala, Adeyemi, Pedri, Gavi, and many more.
Not a lot of people are talking about Germany as potential winners for the tournament, but with that experience of youth and experience, along with Musiala’s talents, Germany could be world champions once again.
Lionel Messi
Undoubtably one of the greatest players to have ever laced up a pair of boots, this tournament signals the final appearance of Lionel Messi on the World Cup stage, and what an impact he could have in his international Swan-song. Many have predicted Argentina to go far and potentially win the entire tournament, the one major trophy that has eluded Messi for his entire career.
There doesn’t need to be much said as to why Messi could have a major impact on this tournament, he is one of the greatest players of all time and is enjoying a good season so far with PSG (still feels weird to say that), notching up 25 goal contributions in just 17 matches this season and winning the Ligue 1 Player of the Month already this season.
The greatest dribbler that the game has ever seen, watching Messi with the ball at his feet is like watching a magician in the flesh, you are trying to figure out how on earth he is performing the tricks that he is, even though he is doing them right in front of you.
As previously mentioned, Argentina are among the bookies favourites to go all the way in Qatar and should qualify with ease from Group C, with a dangerous side with a mixture of experience, youth, pace, power, and skill in all areas, Messi could finally cast away his international demons by winning the biggest prize in world Football.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
Serbia have a seriously underrated and dangerous team at their disposal. A mixture of pace, power, height, youth, and experience makes them outsiders with a chance of going a fair distance during this tournament.
Milinkovic-Savic is one of Europe’s elite midfielders and it will be his job to overpower the opposition midfield and create the big chances for the likes of Vlahovic, Mitrovic, Kostic and the others. Despite the conspiracy that Milinkovic-Savic isn’t a real player and his only role is to be linked to Manchester United each transfer window, the Lazio man will finally be able to announce himself on the biggest stage this winter.
Milinkovic-Savic is one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world. Nicknamed the Sergeant, and at the age of 27, he's just about to reach the peak of his powers. A scary thought. But not as frightening as the potential he demonstrated during his breakout campaign back in 2017/18, which made the whole world stand up and take notice.
Don’t be deceived by his sheer size, because In the blink of an eye, Milinkovic-Savic can make the ball disappear like a magician, hypnotising his markers with lightning footwork before popping it off to a teammate to kickstart an attack. And more often than not, he'll manage to make a forward pass, even if he finds himself facing his own goal.
Milinkovic-Savic also provides an impenetrable shield ahead of his grateful defence, and he has perfected his judgement and timing of a tackle over the last few seasons, now allowing him to dispossess his opponents with precision and incision. His large frame grants him great strength and pace at either end of the pitch, letting him keep the ball and play it into one of his attackers grateful grasp.
Heading, tackling, short and long-range passing, deadly finishing from all angles, quick feet and a gliding dribbler of the ball, there is nothing that this man can't do.
Looking at their group, Group G, some rather tough fixtures, with seemingly a free for all for that spot to qualify alongside Brazil, Milinkovic-Savic’s ability to perform admirably in defence, offence, and the press makes him a key figure in driving Serbia towards the knockout stages and into the latter stages of the tournament.
Manuel Akanji
Manchester City’s latest defensive acquisition, the Swiss international is settling in well at the Etihad and showing why he has become one of Europe’s elite defenders during his time with Borussia Dortmund. The Swiss international is physically excellent, possessing strength and toughness alongside pace.
The man with the scarily good mathematic skills could prove to be important for Switzerland and their hopes of making it out of the group stages, especially after an impressive showing for them at the last European Championships where they shockingly dumped out favourites France on penalties in the knockouts.
Akanji is not just pace and power, even though they are incredibly beneficial to his game, his versatility and confidence with the ball makes him a valuable asset both at club level and at international level. His ability to read the game from a defensive perspective regardless of his position is very important to his game, never wasting possession and being in the right spots to make interceptions and crunching tackles.
Whilst his first few seasons at Dortmund were not ideal due to a mixture of injuries and a lot of clinical errors costing his team crucial points, over the years Akanji honed his craft in a variety of roles in order to maximise his strengths as opposed to his weaknesses as an out and out centre back. He excels now in a back three predominantly, where his confidence on the ball has really grown and it has made him a lot more reliable in 1 on 1 situations both offensive and defensive.
For his country, Akanji has been a constant in the Swiss backline for the last 5 years, recently scoring his first international goal in a Nations League victory against Spain in September.
Qualification from Group G is going to be difficult for Switzerland, but I am certain that any success coming their way will be as a result of the strong Swiss backline with the likes of Akanji, Schar, Elvedi, Mbabu, Rodriguez, and Sommer in goal.
Rafael Leao
This man had a fine season last campaign and is enjoying the current campaign with Milan, building towards the new generation of the Portuguese national team. With Cristiano Ronaldo coming towards the end of his illustrious career, it is up to the likes of Leao, Jota, Trincao and the likes of them to carry Portugal towards World Cup glory.
Rafael Leao burst onto the scene last season for Milan after his move from Lille in 2019, he was an integral part of Milan’s league winning side, contributing 26 goals and assists and using his electric pace in attack to crown Stefano Pioli’s side as Serie A champions for the first time since 2011, the awakening of one of Europe’s sleeping giants.
Leao already has 15 goal contributions in 16 games this season and could prove incredibly useful for the Portuguese national team in Qatar combining with the likes of Ronaldo, Felix, Bernardo Silva, Jota and many more dangerous players.
Portugal’s group contains Valverde’s Uruguay as previously mentioned and you would expect them to qualify from the group stage and go a fair way. Leao could be one of Portugal’s greatest weapons in Qatar and could end up winning the World Cup in possibly Ronaldo’s last one.
Dominik Livakovic
The most nerve-racking position on the pitch, keepers need to be well disciplined with an extra emphasis in the modern game of being able to play out with their feet to launch counter-attacks. Of all the goalies on display in this tournament, one I don’t think gets the recognition he perhaps deserves is Dinamo Zagreb’s Croatian stopper Dominik Livakovic.
Currently at 27 years of age, Livakovic finally became Croatia’s first choice stopper in 2019 and has put in some memorable performances for both club and country. One club performance that springs to mind might give Tottenham fans horrible flashbacks as he famously saved a Harry Kane sitter in the Europa League round of 16 against Spurs, leading Dinamo Zagreb to a 3–2 aggregate victory and the first Europa League quarter-final in its history. Hopefully there are no repeats of that in Qatar please.
Possibly one of Europe’s most overlooked keepers, Livakovic stands at 6ft 2 and is having a relatively good season with Dinamo Zagreb, with a memorable performance in a shock 1-0 win against Chelsea in this season’s Champions League.
He is prolific when it comes to making saves with his feet, expanding his frame quickly in order to get to places where a lot of other goalies would struggle to get to. He boasts lightning quick reflexes and is never afraid to charge and narrow down the attackers areas to aim at. Whilst his saves are often times not the prettiest, he is willing to put everything on the line in order to claw the ball away from his goal with whatever body part is closest and most convenient.
Croatia should qualify from Group F but you never know with these tournaments, there are shocks around every corner.
Guillermo Ochoa
Staying on the topic of goalkeepers for a second, I am convinced that this man doesn’t exist until it is time to put on his gloves for the World Cup and become on of the tournament’s best players, before disappearing again for another 4 years. Guillermo Ochoa absolutely baffles me. Mexico’s man in goal turns up when the stage is the biggest, performing admirably in both the 2014 and 2018 World Cup.
On 17 June 2014, in the second group stage match against hosts Brazil, Ochoa made four notable saves, including one following a powerful header from Neymar that helped secure a 0–0 draw, Ochoa was named man of the match, earning praise from many, including Brazilian head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Ochoa himself commented on his performance, saying, "It was the match of my life. To do it in a World Cup, in front of all the fans, it's incredible."
Ochoa only conceded one goal in the group stage, in the 3–1 victory against Croatia that qualified Mexico for the round-of-16. Ochoa started in Mexico's knock-out match against the Netherlands, in which he made several crucial saves to hold on to Mexico's 1–0 lead. However, the Dutch ultimately won 2–1 through a penalty scored in the 91st minute. Ochoa's performance was praised, and he was named man of the match for a second time.
In the 2018 World Cup, whilst Mexico didn’t make it past the group stage this time, Ochoa made the second most saves in the entire tournament, only behind Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois.
With Mexico’s scary looking team with a mixture of pace and power with players such as Hirving Lozano, Raul Jiminez (if he is fit), Edson Alvarez, Jesus Corona and many more put Mexico in with a chance to qualify from their group as they last did in 2014 during Ochoa’s incredible run in the tournament.
Group C contains Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, so qualifying won’t be an easy task by any means, but if the high flying Mexican can rediscover the form he seems to find during the World Cup this year, anything is possible.
Kevin De Bruyne
The best midfielder playing football today, is it finally time for Kevin De Bruyne to achieve the greatness that many predicted Belgium’s golden generation to achieve?
Arguably one of the greatest midfielders to ever play in the Premier League, the rise of Kevin De Bruyne has been incredible to watch (as well as heartbreaking for me as a United fan). The Belgian is always high up on the scoring charts and he absolutely runs away with the assisting charts as he is showing this season in the league with 9 assists so far this campaign.
Whilst the so called ‘golden generation’ of Belgian football may have passed everyone by without them winning a major international trophy, this could perhaps be their last chance for this current lot to get their hands on a trophy, and what a trophy to win.
Belgium’s group has them poised against Canada, Morocco, and Croatia, some potentially tricky fixtures, but you would expect them to qualify. De Bruyne’s experience and sheer quality in all aspects on the pitch should guide Belgium into the latter stages of the tournament, with De Bruyne being a favourite for the player of the tournament award.
Kieran Trippier
For me, Trippier has been the most consistent full-back that England have this season so far, alongside Reece James. But with James’ injury now ruling him out for the tournament, Gareth Southgate absolutely must play the Newcastle defender in his starting 11 in Qatar.
One of Europe’s most underrated defenders over the last few years, the Newcastle man is gifted not just defensively, but bombing forward in attack and from set pieces, in particular that one that got us all dreaming in that World Cup Semi Final against Croatia in 2018. I’m not crying, you are.
If Southgate runs with his 5 at the back that he has deployed in the last few international tournaments, I think he has to have Trippier at wing back on that right side with Walker next to him as that right centre back.
England on paper have the easiest group of the lot, with it being a massive shock if the three lions don’t get out of their group with ease. The run in for England in the knockouts could allow them to go a real distance, as they did in the Euros and the last World Cup.
With Trippier’s versatility in attack and defence, he could be one of Southgate’s key men in Qatar as they try to bring football home.
Comments