TOP 11 POTENTIAL WORLD CUP DEBUTANTS

The world’s biggest single sporting event, the World Cup, is less than six months away in Russia. The global showpiece brings together an array of footballing talents from all over the world to compete in their respective national colors, for a chance to be crowned as World Champions. Based on their current club performance as at the time of writing, TOMISIN ADERUKU, in this feature, takes a predictive look at a potential Top 11 World Cup debutants you should look out for.

v KYLIAN MBAPPE (ATTACKER)

The Parisian golden boy, who turned 19 last December, has so far had an impressive season with Paris Saint Germain, following his big money loan move from Monaco. The French International has lived up to the hype surrounding his emergence as the biggest thing to come out of France since Thierry Henry. A key player of a highly prolific PSG front three that includes Edison Cavani and Neymar, he finished the year 2017 as the highest scoring French player with 33 goals. Barring any injury or dip in form, the French national team would be looking to him for the goals with other potential debut-ants in Lacazette and Griezmann.

v HARRY KANE (ATTACKER)

Coming of a sensational 2017 with Tottenham, in which he bagged the PFA player of the year, and broke the record for the most goals scored in a single calendar year in the Premier League. A record formerly held by the legendary Alan Shearer. A regular in the English side since his debut in 2015, then featured at the Euros in 2016, where he had a disappointing tournament by his standards. Hopefully, should he make to the World Cup with the Three Lions, he’ll be looking to make amends for his last Euro outing by delivering the goals for England.

v MOHAMED SALAH (ATTACKER)

The pacey Egyptian striker is having a phenomenal season with Liverpool, in what would be his second stint in the Premier League. His second full season with Liverpool has seen him register 21 goals in 29 appearances for the Reds, a performance which has earned him the African Footballer of the year title for 2017. His contributions to the Egyptian national team has equally been immense, scoring 5 goals in 5 appearances, as he helped the Pharaohs qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1990. Egypt would be looking to ‘Mo’ to deliver once again, in a group A that sees them paired against Host Russia, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.

v PHILLIPE COUTINHO (MIDFIELDER)

Hard to believe, but this Brazilian attacking midfield maestro is yet to feature in a World Cup! Despite having had a fairly impressive 2013/14 season with Liverpool, it wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on the Brazilian team for the world cup in his home country. Since then, he has however evolved tremendously as a player. His performance made him a continuous target for Barcelona, with Liverpool unwilling to release their most prized asset before completing a record transfer move of 160Million Pounds to the Catalan club. In a Brazilian team that includes Neymar and Gabriel Jesus, the possible inclusion of Coutinho would greatly increase their world Cup winning chances.

v KEVIN de-BRUYNE (MIDFIELDER)

Kevin has been an integral part of a rampant Man City side that has racked up 20 consecutive wins in the English premier league this season. His game has greatly improved under Pep Guardiola, with the latter describing him as “the best player in Europe after Messi”. Utilized as a purely offensive midfielder this season, he’s become the heart of Man City’s attack, notching 7 goals and 12 assists in 28 appearances. He is equally a vital player for a Belgian side that boasts of other attacking talents like Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard. Should he be able to translate his current club form to the national side, Belgium could potentially become a dark horse that upsets the odds.

v LEON GORETZKA (MIDFIELDER)

At a modest age of 22, Leon has racked up more than a 100 caps in the Bundesliga and a Confederations Cup title with Germany. The talented Schalke midfielder, deployed mostly in an offensive role, is highly rated for his ability to play any position in the midfield. Technically gifted, he can tackle, head the ball, find a final pass and possesses an enviable stamina that helps him cover a lot of ground. Being in the final year of his contract at Schalke, an impressive World Cup debut might just be what he needs to catapult him into greater limelight.

v CORENTIN TOLISSO (MIDFIELDER)

Recruited in the summer of 2017 as a replacement for the retiring Xabi Alonso and for a club record fee of 41.5million euros, he has quickly warmed the hearts of the Bavarian supporters. Despite having a great start to his Bayern career under Carlo Ancelotti, his playing time has become limited since the departure of the former. The former Lyon midfielder, 23, has the ability to play as a deep lying play-maker with a top passing range and a great vision. In a highly competitive French midfield that boasts of Paul Pogba and Kante, Tolisso’s passing ability might just be a distinguishing factor that earns him a World cup spot.

v KYLE WALKER (DEFENDER)

Following his big money move from Tottenham over the summer, Kyle has comfortably owned the right-back position at Manchester City. His performance has made him a consistent pick at right-back for the Citizens, earning 24 starts in a total of 27 appearances. He’s equally been a consistent member of the English national team, and a prominent part of their defense, featuring in 9 world cup qualifiers. A fit Kyle Walker would undoubtedly be a first choice pick for England at RB and can be counted on to make both offensive and defensive contributions on the right flank.

v SAMUEL UMTITI (DEFENDER)

‘Big Sam’ as he is commonly called, has cemented his place in the heart of Barcelona’s defense since his move from Lyon in 2016. The 24 year old Cameroon-born French defender has formed a formidable defensive partnership with Spanish International Gerard Pique since his arrival from Ligue 1, making more than 62 appearances. He’s equally been a regular with Les Blues, making 5 appearances in the World cup qualifiers. When fit, he would undoubtedly be considered as a first choice option to partner Laurent Koscienly at center back.

v MARCUS ALONSO (DEFENDER)

After spells with Bolton, Sunderland and Fiorentina in the Serie A, the Chelsea left-back has become one of the top left-backs in Europe. The Spanish defender has been in free scoring form of late, netting more than 6 goals already, makes him the top scoring defender across Europe’s Top five leagues. A decent free-kick taker, with a physical defensive presence, his abilities would make him an ideal alternative to Jordi Alba at the Spanish defense.

v MARC –ANDRE TER STEGEN (GOALKEEPER)

The German shot-stopper has made a fair claim to becoming one of the best goal keepers in Europe since his move to the Nou Camp. Since the departure of Claudio Bravo to Man. City, his position between the sticks for the Catalans has been largely undisturbed. He was in goal for the Confederations Cup winning side in 2016. With the long-term injury absence of Manuel Nueur for Germany, he has taken up the reins between the posts for Die Mannschaft, featuring in 5 world cup qualifiers. Even with a proposed return of Manuel Nueur before the World Cup, he is still favoured for a World Cup debut in Russia.

About the Author: Aderuku Tomisin

As a Lawyer, writer and bi-linguist, Tomisin Aderuku possesses a creative and inquisitive mind. Often a sports writer, he his however open to exploring other areas of interests such as the Arts, Politics, Lifestyle etc, through the pen. Follow Tomi on Twitter @Wale_Ruku

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