Messi and Ronaldo. Iniesta and Neymar. Suarez and Hazard. Griezmann and Ozil. Salah and Kane. These are the names that will no doubt play big roles in deciding who wins the FIFA World Cup 2018.
But this year’s edition of the tournament also comes at a time when a lot of national teams are in a flux, and a number of young players have the chance to step up and make a difference. Here are the five young players who could make a big impact in Russia:
Bernardo Silva, Portugal
Portugal, lest it be forgotten, won the Euro 2016 final without Ronaldo being on the pitch. The rest of the team put in an incredible defensive shift to keep out a France side that looked like swaggering to the title on home soil, before Eder nicked it in extra time. That kind of defensive performance, however, is unlikely to yield much success this time around, with attacking football very much back in vogue these days – just look at the Champions League and the top leagues around Europe, and this is very clear.
Enter Bernardo Silva. The 23-year-old, who missed out on Euro 2016 through injury, was a key element of the vibrant Monaco side that surprisingly beat PSG to Ligue 1 in 2016-17, and chipped in with useful performances for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team that steamrollered its way to the Premier League this season.
Silva can play in all advanced midfield positions, where he uses his strong technical skills to link play between attack and defence. He is particularly dangerous when floating in from the right of midfield, cutting on to his favoured left foot to curl shots in at goal or pick a pass.
Expect him to supply Ronaldo with a few assists, or swap passes with Joao Moutinho and go for goal himself. Either which way, he will be crucial to Fernando Santos’ gameplan for Portugal’s attack, and vital to his team’s chances of success.
Kylian Mbappe, France
It may be a bit strange to think of Mbappe as a breakout star, given his scheduled move to PSG this summer is supposed to be worth EUR 180 million, and everyone seems to know who he is in the football world. But that is still what he is – still at 19, he only came to prominence in the beginning of 2017 for Monaco as they blitzed their way to the Ligue 1 title, and made his senior France debut in March 2017.
The Parisian forward is at his best on the right side of the attack, burning opposition defenders for pace before getting into the box and either going for goal (21 goals in all competitions for PSG last season) or teeing up a strike partner (11 assists).
While he may not have Edinson Cavani and Neymar alongside him, Didier Deschamps’s France are a quality side, with Antoine Griezmann its creative pivot, Olivier Giroud (who has a phenomenal record for the national side) up front, and a powerful midfield with N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba.
Mbappe can be a bit wayward with his finishing under pressure, but will bring a directness to the French attack which will be required since Giroud is not going to be setting any speed records, and the rest of their forwards are more technical (like Nabil Fekir or Florian Thauvin). His high-speed dribbles, enthusiasm for the game, and confidence in himself should be a big asset to France.
Leon Goretzka, Germany
A common strength of Joachim Loew’s German sides over the years, whether the young, lightning-quick counter-attacking side at the 2010 World Cup or the more mature, possession-oriented edition that won the 2014 World Cup, has been a solid midfield core. Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger were the heart of that side for years, but Schweini has now retired, and Khedira, while part of the squad, isn’t quite the powerhouse he once was (though he is still in the squad).
Loew has a wealth of options for central and central attacking midfield, including Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos, Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan, and of course Khedira. But someone new who should be involved as the defending champions look to win a fifth World Cup is 23-year old Leon Goretzka.
The (former) Schalke midfielder has been one of Germany’s hottest prospects for some time now, and his consistent performances have earned him a move to Bayern Munich this summer – a clear indication of his value as one of the best central midfielders in the Bundesliga. He also gave us a taste of his abilities as he inspired a second-string Germany side to the Confederations Cup in 2017.
He is a complete midfielder – strong with the ball at his feet, tidy passing, and puts in a good defensive shift (1.9 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game on average), and can take decent long shots, whether in open play or from set pieces. He can also play out wide on the right if necessary, if Loew needs to play a game with a false 7 to maintain possession and counter a team with a dangerous left-back (like France or Brazil).
Giovani Lo Celso, Argentina
If you’re looking for an Argentinean player not called Messi who is likely to have an impact for the 2014 runners-up, chances are you’d think of Angel Di Maria, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, or, looking at the younger crop, Paulo Dybala. All of whom are – as you might have realised – attackers.
But where Argentina need to do better, after a traumatic qualification campaign that saw them just about dragged over the line by Messi’s heroics, is in midfield, where Lucas Biglia and Ever Banega were pedestrian. The Albiceleste need someone to take control of midfield in games, someone who can win the ball from the opposition and pick the right pass, reducing the need for Messi to drop deeper and deeper into midfield to create chances for the star-studded attack.
That someone should be Giovani Lo Celso. Only 22, Lo Celso had a breakout season at PSG, where he stepped into the shoes of Thiago Motta when the defensive midfielder was injured, and performing admirably – despite previously being more of an attacking midfielder. In Ligue 1, he averaged 2.3 tackles per game, had a pass success rate of over 90 percent and even chipped in with 4 goals and 3 assists.
He has exactly what Jorge Sampaoli’s side so urgently need, and it would be criminal not to use him to plug the gaps in the team, and make them tick.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Serbia
Group E could well prove to be one of the more interesting groups in Russia, with second place behind Brazil up for grabs between Costa Rica, Switzerland and Serbia. Of these three, Costa Rica and Switzerland may have a bit more pedigree, but Serbia look like they have the tools to progress, and maybe even cause some upsets in the knockout stages.
Central to those chances (quite literally), will be the ‘Sergeant’, 23-year old Sergej Milinkovic Savic. The 6ft 4in powerhouse from Lazio can play anywhere in central midfield, with a tank-like playing style that looks a bit like Yaya Toure in his prime, and yielded 14 goals and 6 assists. Lazio were the top-scoring team in the Serie A this season, and Milinkovic-Savic was the beating heart of the side – form that has seen him linked with an EUR 100 million or thereabouts move to Manchester United.
The World Cup could offer a taste of what the potential move could result in, since the Serbian midfield will also include United lynchpin Nemanja Matic. Matic is more than capable of handling the defensive side of things, and the Serbs have a fair bit of attacking talent at their disposal – the power of Aleksandr Kolarov on the left, the artistry of Dusan Tadic on the right, and a rejuvenated Aleksandar Mitrovic up front. The Sergeant is capable of marshalling all of these and making them tick, making Serbia a definite team to watch out for.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)