5 players who will use the World Cup to announce themselves to the world

With the coming of 2018, thoughts are already starting to turn towards the summer and the World Cup, which is set to dominate the footballing landscape of the year.

There is a long tradition of the game's greatest competition introducing previously unknown stars to the globe. In 1958, an unknown Brazilian teenager by the name of Pele charmed the watching fans as he made his way to become known as perhaps the greatest player ever, while cult heroes such as Cameroon's Roger Milla and Bulgaria's Yordan Letchkov have been established.

The increased visibility of football throughout the world means that there are typically fewer breakout stars at the tournament with each passing competition, yet such is the scale of the game that there are always players who slip through the net.

Typically, these stars do not play in any of Europe's biggest leagues, though some younger players may only be known to fans who follow particular divisions.

#5 Aleksandr Kokorin (Russia)

Zenit St Petersburg striker Aleksandr Kokorin will be the man to spearhead hosts Russia’s World Cup challenge. The 26-year-old striker is considered to be one of his country’s best players and is set to have the hopes of a nation pinned on his shoulders.

With 12 goals in 48 international matches, his record for the national team is hardly phenomenal, yet he is a player coming towards the peak of his powers. He has been in prolific form with Zenit this season, netting 18 times in 29 outings, including a formidable five in five in the Europa League as the Russians steamed through to set up a knockout meeting with Celtic.

Despite this impressive scoring tally, being a finisher is not naturally an intrinsic part of his game. He is the type of forward who buzzes around the penalty box, often in a withdrawn position.

He is a player much has been expected of for a long time. He was built up as a wonder kid and two seasons ago, the striker was linked with a move to Arsenal, but the deal never materialised, with the player’s flashy off-field lifestyle perhaps putting Arsene Wenger off.

However, there are signs that he has matured and if Russia are to progress past the group stage and deep into the competition, much rests on his shoulders.

#4 Tom Rogic (Australia)

Celtic v Hapoel Beer-Sheva: UEFA Champions League

Celtic have been responsible for uncovering numerous gems in the recent past. Fraser Forster, Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk are just some of the players who have graced Parkhead before moving on to star in the Premier League.

While much of the focus is on Moussa Dembele being the next big star to move from the Scottish champions to succeed to the south, Australia international Tom Rogic is a player often unheralded.

The 25-year-old attacking midfielder offers a mix of physicality and technical skill – he has also represented his country at futsal – and is best suited to playing in a role behind the striker, where he has the opportunity to influence the game with his inventive passing.

He has also proven himself a big-game player before, notching the winning goal in the Scottish Cup final of 2017 to secure a domestic treble for his Celtic side.

Less than a month later, he struck Australia’s opener as they pushed Germany close before going down 3-2 against the eventual Confederations Cup winners in their first match of the tournament.

Placed in a group with France, Denmark and Peru, Australia, who have not yet appointed a coach following the resignation of Ange Postecolglou, will feel that they have a genuine chance of finishing second.

If they are to shine, Rogic is one player who will have a major role to play, as he boasts a wealth of experience, both in terms of the national team and in the Champions League. In a team that lacks difference makers at the top level, he is one player who could graduate to that standard in Russia.

#3 Henry Onyekuru (Nigeria)

RSC Anderlecht v Bayern Muenchen - UEFA Champions League

Nigerian football has been going through a relatively difficult period in recent years. After winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, the Super Eagles failed to qualify for either of the subsequent editions, yet they have responded by reaching the World Cup finals.

Gernot Rohr’s side have been fired by a collection of exciting young individuals, such as Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi and Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho. One young man who is just starting to make his mark, however, is Henry Onyekuru.

The 20-year-old attacker is on loan from Everton at Anderlecht and is tearing things up in Belgian. Blessed with outrageous speed, the wingers has already scored 10 times for the Jupiler Pro League leaders.

Even in the Champions League, he showed glimpses of what he is capable of, unsettling Celtic and Paris Saint-Germain most notably.

However, he has received something of a setback in his push to make Russia as he has damaged knee ligaments. On Saturday, he revealed the prognosis is not as bleak as was first thought and that he will not require surgery, but he faces a battle to be back to his best.

Should the former Eupen man make the cut, this will be his first great chance to shine on a big stage. Everton fans should be very excited indeed about the prospect they have on their books.

#2 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Serbia)

Not many watch the Serie A, where 22-year-old Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is having a breakthrough season and is linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Manchester United and Inter are among the clubs linked with a €100 million move for the youngster, who has not even been a first-team regular with Lazio for 18 months.

Nevertheless, his star has risen rapidly. In his debut campaign, he got four goals and nine assists in 34 outings and already this season he has five league strikes plus a further assist.

He is considered to be a complete midfielder, boasting skill but also the physique to thrive in the modern game. That is reflected in his defensive statistics; he has taken part and won more duels than any other midfielder in Serie A this season, while he is also towards the top of the charts in terms of aerial battles won.

Such performances have seen him heralded as one of the league’s top midfielders, as he has been at the vanguard of Lazio’s return to prominence in Serie A.

So impressed was Mateja Kezman, his agent, that he needed only to watch him for 10 minutes of him training with Vojvodina’s youth team before signing him up for his agency.

No Serie A fan will be surprised to see him thrive in Russia, but his performances are set to be eye-opening for those unfortunate enough not to have seen him yet.

#1 Ismaila Sarr (Senegal)

In the summer, Ismaila Sarr took the bold step of turning down the opportunity of joining Barcelona from Metz. Instead, the teenaged attacker elected to move to Rennes, citing a greater opportunity for first-team football at Roazhon Park.

It’s not exactly been a move that has worked out – yet. Injury problems have prevented the winger from featuring regularly at his new club, yet he is back in training and has five months to prove himself worth of a place in Senegal’s World Cup starting XI.

With 10 caps already to his name, his place in the panel is surely not in doubt, despite his troubles.

He has been compared to Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane in terms of his style but also due to his path in the game, which started at the Generation Foot academy and took him to Metz, where both made their first steps in the senior game.

Sabri Lamouchi, his coach at Rennes, who has yet to have the pleasure of using him since being appointed in the autumn, says it is former France star he is better compared to.

“It’s better for him to attack from one side, where he can pick up speed. He reminds me a bit of Thierry Henry, who played like that at Monaco,” he told Ouest France.

The legend of Henry is already written and Russia could be just the stage Sarr needs to make his big breakout.