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The World Cup always brings us amazing things; fans, emotions, memories but one thing that each World Cup seems to bring is the best out of unproven talent, from Pele bringing home the Jules Rimet Trophy as a teenager 1958, to Landon Donovan's stellar performance's in Japan and Korea, to James Rodriguez's magic 2014 World Cup. Let's dive in to what Russia had to offer.
5. Moussa Wage (SEN)
The rapid 19-year-old right back broke onto the scene during Les Lionceaux magical run to the semifinals of the U-20 World cup in New Zealand. During the World Cup, Wage showed great stamina, constantly linking up with winger Ismaila Sarr, creating a deadly right flank where the brunt of Senegal's potent attacking force came from. This partnership allowed him to score, being the youngest African to score in a World Cup. The KAS Europen man has garnered interest from the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal from his performances.
4. Takashi Inui (JPN)
When thinking about potential World Cup breakout stars, a forward on the wrong side of thirty doesn't always come to mind, but Japan's Inui has definitely shown us that age doesn't matter. The Real Betis man showed immense close control, composure and pitch-perfect passing, not to mention his curled shot that potentially could have forced a playoff against third-place finishers, Belgium. Real Betis have pulled off one of the bargains of the transfer window, signing him on a free just before the World Cup started.
Not bad for a man who's only really played mid-table Bundesliga and La Liga football if you ask me.
3. Aleksandr Golovin (RUS)
As an Arsenal fan, I remember his absolute bomb of a goal against us in the Europa League, but unless you are a Russian football fanatic, I doubt Golovin is known name. The CSKA man provides versatility across the front line, deployed as a CAM or LW during the World Cup, he is known to be accomplished down the right and even as a false nine. Placing a beautifully curled freekick and 2 assists during the opening match, he would run the game against Russia's victory over Mo Salah's Egypt. The 22-year-old showed composure and vision beyond his years, running the midfield for Russia before keeping his cool and slotting in a penalty against David De Gea, helping Russia to an impressive quarterfinals appearance, losing only to finalists Croatia.
A.S. Monaco did very good business signing the Russian for $35M before Sarri and Chelsea could get to him. If he plays the way he did in the World Cup, he could lead Monaco in a title race against oil-rich PSG.
2. Hirving Lozano (MEX)
Mexico seems to always to do three things at World Cups: have great fans, not get to the sixth game, and unearth a new star. This year, it was winger Lozano to fulfil the latter. He was vital in El Tri's qualification out of the group stage, setting up West Ham's Chicharito against South Korea, and of course, that strike against Germany. It's not just his goalscoring, though.
Lozano had a stellar season for PSV, averaging just above a goal or assist ever 90 mins over all competitions. The reigning champions are going to have to work hard if they want to keep the Mexican, with the likes of Barcelona and Tottenham sniffing around.
1. Benjamin Pavard (FRA)
Benjamin Pavard, the 22-year-old centre-back, showed his versatility, playing at right-back for Les Bleus. Pavard only just made Deschamps's squad, facing a lot of understandable criticism along the way, since he was playing for Stuttgart in the second-tier of German football. Pavard showed a great deal of consistency, allowing for his more attacking teammates to overlook their defensive duties. Let's not forget the tasteful volley against Argentina, which was voted as the goal of the tournament.
The "New Lilliam Thuram" is now getting attention from the likes of Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Barcelona, meaning Stuttgart will have a tough summer keeping the Frenchman at Mercedes-Benz Arena.
