There’ll be almost 900 players listed in the 23-man squads from the 32 countries taking part in this summer’s W. Cup.
With so many players taking part, and with such a gulf in talent between best and worst, it’s impossible to pick between who to watch out for, especially as the sport of football is also a team game.
From a player who’s had a sensational Premier League season, to one who’s spent three weeks training with Manchester United in preparation for the tournament, here are five players to keep an eye on this summer.
Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk, Brazil)
The Brazilian midfielder has impressed at Shakhtar Donetsk this season, enough to earn a recall to the international side for the first time since 2015. His performances have been so impressive that a tug of war between both Manchester clubs could take place if he’s equally as impressive in Russia this summer. At the age of 25, he’s got plenty of time on his side and could be seen as a younger replacement to either Fernandinho or Michael Carrick.
Luis Suarez (Barcelona, Uruguay)
Luis Suarez’ track record in W. Cups is mixed to say the least. He scored three times in South Africa in 2010, but caused controversy by committing a professional foul in the late stages of extra time in the quarter-final. With the game delicately poised at 1-1, Suarez blocked Dominic Adiyiah’s header with his hands, preventing Ghana from effectively winning the game. The Ghanaians were awarded a penalty, only for Asamoah Gyan to miss.
Uruguay qualified again in 2014 and Suarez caused even more controversy, biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in a completely unprovoked attack. Two days later, the disciplinary committee found him guilty and he was banned for a record nine international matches.
With this being his third W. Cup, it’ll be fascinating to see if he makes it a hat-trick of World Cup controversies.
Mohammad Al-Sahlawi (Al-Nassr, Saudi Arabia)
Al-Sahlawi has spent his entire professional career playing in his native Saudi Arabia, firstly with Al-Qadisiya and with Al-Nassr since 2009. However, he reached global prominence earlier this year with the announcement that he’d spend three weeks training with Manchester United in order to improve his game ahead of this summer’s tournament. He’s scored 28 goals in 38 appearances for Saudi Arabia, although eight of them came in two games against Timor-Leste. Despite this though, he’s a relative unknown quantity and is definitely worth keeping an eye on as Saudi Arabia take on Russia, Egypt and Uruguay in the group stage.
Radamel Falcao (Monaco, Colombia)
Falcao was expected to be one of the stars four years ago in Brazil, but unfortunately, he suffered a severe knee injury in January 2014 which ruled him out of the tournament. That means that this will be his first W. Cup, which is incredible to think, with the striker now at the age of 32.
After two poor loan spells, first at Manchester United, then at Chelsea, Falcao has returned to his best with Monaco in Ligue 1 over the last two years, with 54 goals in 78 games in all competitions. His form saw him nominated for the Ballon d’Or last year. If he brings his club form to the international stage this summer, or performs like he did for Atletico Madrid in the Super Cup in 2012, then he’s definitely one to watch out for.
Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium)
De Bruyne was one of Manchester City’s star players this season, scoring eight goals and producing 18 assists as Pep Guardiola’s team won the Premier League by 19 points. He’ll be expected to produce the same level of performance with his national team too and there’s plenty of talent around him to make it happen. In a team featuring Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and a rejuvenated Michy Batshuayi, Belgium should be expecting to progress deep into the knockout stages of the tournament. The key to how far they’ll go with undoubtedly be their star midfielder, Kevin de Bruyne.
