While he mightn’t have been officially recognised with the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player, Colombia’s James Rodriguez was undoubtedly the golden boy of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Scoring an outrageous volley, which won him the Puskas award, on his way to being the tournament’s top scorer, his standout efforts made him a Galactico, signing for Real Madrid on a big-money deal.
Ahead of the World Cup in Russia, who is set to step into the limelight?
Mateo Kovacic – Croatia
Despite playing at Italian giants Inter Milan as a teenager, and currently plying his trade at Real Madrid, Kovacic has struggled for consistent game time throughout his career and, at 24, is yet to truly unlock his potential.
His versatility across a number of midfield positions has led him to primarily be deployed as a stopgap player during his Madrid career.
An attacking midfielder during his formative years in Dinamo Zagreb, his versatility has eventuated in a more deeper lying, box-to-box type role, excelling at picking up the ball, driving towards the defence and spraying passes from deep.
Competition for midfield places in the Croatian starting line-up is fierce, with Real teammate Luka Modric, El Clasico rival Ivan Rakitic and Inter powerhouse Marcelo Brozovic after what is likely to be three roles. Despite the heavy competition, Kovacic brings the all-round performance of power and precision that could be crucial.
After failing to find the back of the net for first time, a change of scene could be what Kovacic needs to reignite his career, and there’s no better way to put yourself in the shop window than an outstanding World Cup for a dark horse team.
Ramadan Sobhi – Egypt
After Stoke City’s recent relegation, another player looking to get a new deal is Ramadan Sobhi. While expectations and focus will be rightly on another Egyptian winger by the name of Mohamed Salah, Sobhi’s skills and ability in tandem with Salah will be crucial.
In two seasons with Stoke, Sobhi had a poor return of three goals, all in the 2017-18 season. The numbers can be ultimately deceiving, in his 24 ’17-18 appearances, he was substituted on after the 60th minute nine times, failing to play the full 90 minutes on six occasions after starting the match.
At only 21, time is well and truly on his side, and spending time in camp with Salah can only be a positive for a player with the potential to begin the transition from tricky winger to a goal-scoring threat.
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Kasper Dolberg – Denmark
Part of Ajax’s next-gen world beaters is striker Kasper Dolberg. The soon to be 21-year-old has been playing for Ajax’s first team since 2016, making his international debut as a 19-year-old back in 2016. After featuring 30 times in all competitions, contributing nine goals, his output saw a dramatic decrease in comparison to his break out campaign in 2016-17, where he notched 23 goals in 47 games.
The discrepancies between his first two seasons highlight the raw element in Dolberg’s game, rawness that can only be aided with experience, and there is no better experience or exposure than the biggest stage of them all.
With Denmark seemingly lacking talent, Tottenham’s Christian Erikson the standout star, there is a real chance for someone of Dolberg’s potential to announce himself on the global stage. Having previously been linked with Manchester United, there is firm interest in the young star and he is one to watch.
Keita Balde Diao – Senegal
Keita is on a similar path to Rodriguez, having earned a €30 million move from Serie A club Lazio to reigning Ligue 1 champions Monaco. After a breakout season at Lazio, he largely failed to kick on in the 2017-18 campaign, registering a respectable eight goals and five assists in 23 league games, before picking up an injury and missing the final ten games of the season. He is expected to be fit for the World Cup, a timely return in what is expected to be a competitive group stage for Senegal.
Equally adept at playing a wide role or centrally as the focal point of attack, forming a successful partnership with Liverpool wide man Sadio Mane is key for Senegal.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – Serbia
Milinkovic-Savic looks likely to be donning new colours come the start of the 2018-19 season, and there will be no better chance for him to prove himself as worth the £100 million pricetag that Lazio have placed on his head.
The Serbian team will set up with Premier League stars Nemanja Matic and Luka Milivojevic creating a midfield base, allowing Milinkovic-Savic the freedom he craves to unleash.
Boasting a pass completion of 81 per cent, averaging 1.63 chances created and 1.27 completed tackles per 90 minutes in Serie A, he is a truly complete midfielder. In addition to his outstanding midfield stats, he notched 12 league goals, equal ninth in the league.
Already possibly the most in-demand star on the planet, previously linked with all of England’s top six, along with numerous Spanish and French giants, Milinkovic-Savic can prove his quality and earn a big money move.
What are your thoughts on who will be the breakout players during the Russian World Cup?
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