World Cup 2018: 5 Barcelona stars who will be key for their teams at the Mundial

After seeing arch-rivals Real Madrid deservedly win its 13th UEFA Champions League title over the weekend, the attention of Cules and the entire world will switch to the World Cup in Russia with a lot of sub-plots and action expected.

After a stellar campaign where the Blaugrana won the major domestic titles; La Liga and Copa Del Rey, fans will be shifting allegiance to the teams their favourite players play in.

The World Cup has always been about the big names stepping up, the underdogs causing upsets and going deep into the competition while certain favoured teams drop by the wayside.

Russia 2018 is expected to follow along the same lines and a lot of Barcelona players will be in the thick of the action.

Here is a look at 5 Barca players who central to their national teams’ chances at Russia 2018.

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#5 Jordi Alba (Spain)

Alba's pace will be crucial to Spain's progress

The number one left back for the Blaugrana and La Furia Roja, Alba has regained his best form under Ernesto Valverde this season and will be looking to continue to impress at the World Cup.

Spain’s undisputed first-choice left back since he replaced the beloved Joan Capdevila, the 29-year-old will be confident about starting for the team ahead of Arsenal’s Nacho Monreal given the Spanish team’s unique playing style.

Julen Lopetegui’s team are blessed with some of the best midfield talents in the world and also have a host of exceptional young wingers but the manager has chosen to go with a team heavy on central creativity but light on pace down the flanks.

As a result, Alba will be expected to provide the width and pace for stretching the opposition down the left flank, a role which fits him perfectly given his pace and fast running style of play. His work on the left flank will be vital in deciding how far the team goes at the World Cup.

#4 Samuel Umtiti (France)

Umtiti (left) will be the bedrock of France's defence

The French international has been a revelation at the Camp Nou since he joined from Olympique Lyonnais in a €25 million deal in 2016 but under the expert defensive guidance of manager Valverde, he has grown to become one of the finest young centre-backs in world football and will be central to France’s hopes of winning the Mundial for the second time.

Pacy, strong with an immaculate sense of timing for making tackles, Umtiti’s game intelligence and technique has been further enhanced by the patient coaching of Valverde and Les Bleus manager Didier Deschamps will be banking on the Barca star to form a formidable central defensive partnership with Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane.

His strength, agility, and pace will be crucial in helping to shore up the back-line and protect Hugo Lloris’ goal from the opposition at the World Cup and given that an adventurous Benjamin Mendy will probably be starting for the French team at left back, Umtiti will have the extra job of covering the left side of the defence whenever Mendy gallops forward.

#3 Marc Andre Ter-Stegen (Germany)

Ter-Stegen will give Germans confidence even if Neuer is absent

There is still a lot of debate in Germany as to if Manuel Neuer will be fit enough to participate but the debate is actually more of the “lets-just-talk” variety and not the “we desperately need him” kind.

This level of confidence among fans of Die Mannschaft is understandable given that the defending champions of the World Cup have the super impressive Ter-Stegen to call upon in the event that Neuer is unfit for the tournament.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Barca number one has been one of the best goalkeepers in the world in the last couple of years and his performances only went up a notch in the just ended season as his agility, reflexes, decision making, and command of his defence helped shore up a back-line that only gave up 3 defeats in the entire season.

His passing ability which has been much improved since he joined from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014 will be crucial in helping Germany against teams that look to press quickly, while his agility and shot-stopping would give the defenders in front of him great confidence.

#2 Phillipe Coutinho (Brazil)

The diminutive playmaker will be the creative influence for Brazil at Russia 2018

Tite has put in a lot of work to make the Brazilian national team play in a style that is more in-tune with the country’s great footballing history ever since he took over from Dunga in 2016. One of the players that have benefitted from it the most has been Barcelona’s mercurial midfielder.

Coutinho has become the creative force for a very dynamic Canarinho side and was one of the first names on the manager’s 23-man list for the Mundial.

His trickery, accurate passing, dribbling coupled with a reputation for scoring golazos and set-piece abilities have been a godsend for a Brazil side that has at times relied too much on Neymar to be the leading light.

He was brilliant playing as the right-sided attacker alongside Neymar and Gabriel Jesus during the World Cup qualifiers and may reprise that role again in Russia, but he may also be drafted back to play in his customary creative midfield role at the tourney.

His set-pieces would be of great importance for the Seleção and the football-mad nation will be hoping that he can reprise the relationship with Neymar and Jesus and lead the nation to its 6th World Cup title.

#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina)

The GOAT will be desperate to win a first international title

No other person was ever going to be at the top of this list and any hopes the Argentinians have of a third World Cup triumph is resting solely on the shoulders of La Pulga Atomica (The Atomic Flea).

For a team that has been consistently filled with “stars” for a long time, the fact that the Copa America title won in 1993 is the Albiceleste’s last ever title is one of the more baffling things in world football, and the painful defeats in the finals of the last three competitions (FIFA World Cup in 2014, Copa America in 2015 and Copa America Centenario in 2016) by the narrowest of margins has only increased the hurt.

Too many times, Argentina’s big names have wilted and Messi has been forced to be goalscorer, inspiration and creative force all at once and given the state of the 23-man squad named by Jorge Sampaoli for the World Cup, it is a sequence that does not look like it will be ending anytime soon.

The Barcelona legend will be the deciding factor for how far the Argies will go and Cules will be desperate for their idol to finally get his hand on a trophy and arguably cement his GOAT status.