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With the start of the FIFA World Cup 2018 under a week away, the hype surrounding the tournament sure is building up. A number of sides look extremely strong and could pose quite a claim to win the biggest and most significant trophy in world football.
Brazil are the most successful team in the tournament having won it five times; a feat that no other team has been able to match so far. Naturally, all eyes will be on them at the World Cup 2018 as they will be bolstered by the return of their superstar Neymar, who had missed the last few months of club football due to an ankle injury.
With an average squad age of 28 years and 220 days, the side will have plenty of experience to rely on. However, only 6 of their 23 players were a part of Brazil's 2014 World Cup squad and thus, the side may be relatively inexperienced on the grandest stage.
On that note, here is a look at the top 5 Brazilian stars you should look out for at this World Cup:
#5 Marquinhos
Position: Defender
Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos will be making his first World Cup appearance next week. The 24-year-old is expected to partner PSG teammate and captain Thiago Silva at the centre of Brazil's defence.
Marquinhos has had an excellent season himself and won the domestic treble with PSG. The Brazilian has been a mainstay in his club's side and is no rookie. He is a solid presence at the back and could become the eventual successor of Thiago Silva at both club and international levels.
#4 Casemiro
Position: Defensive Midfielder
Casemiro's quick rise to fame at Real Madrid over the last 3 years was bound to force coach Tite to include him in the squad. Over the past two years, he has become a prominent part of the Real Madrid side and has made 48 appearances this season.
In 3 years, he has won 11 major titles at the club level and has become one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. However, he has only made 23 appearances for Brazil since 2011 and isn't very experienced on the international stage.
He will have to compete with Manchester City's Fernandinho for a spot in the side, but after winning the third consecutive Champions League title, Casemiro is bound to be high on confidence and Tite will do well to tap into it.
#3 Philippe Coutinho
Position: Attacking midfielder
Philippe Coutinho's widely covered transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona for a fee of €120 made him the second most expensive footballer till date (until Kylian Mbappe signs a permanent deal with PSG)
Over the course of the season, Coutinho played 20 games across all competitions, scoring 12 goals before going on to play 22 games for Barcelona, scoring 10. He also helped Barcelona lift the La Liga and Copa del Rey trophies.
Expect him to link up wonderfully with Neymar and co. to wreak havoc on opposition defenders at the World Cup.
#2 Gabriel Jesus
Position: Striker
Last year, a picture of Gabriel Jesus went viral on the internet. It was a picture of him painting the streets of Brazil before the 2014 World Cup. Since then, Jesus has seen his life change like he couldn't even have imagined.
After excellent performances for Palmeiras, Jesus joined Manchester City in 2016 for a reported fee of €33 million plus add-ons. Under Pep Guardiola's guidance, he slowly displaced Sergio Aguero as the club's leading striker during the 2017/18 season.
The 21-year-old has grabbed every opportunity given to him and is also expected to be favoured to spearhead the attack in Russia. He is a prolific goal scorer and an exciting talent, capable of singlehandedly winning games on his day. He could certainly light the World Cup up.
This season, Jesus scored 19 goals and assisted 3 more across all competitions - phenomenal stats for someone who is just 21-years-old and was also hindered by injuries.
#1 Neymar
Position: Winger
Neymar is the world's most expensive player for a reason. The uber-talented Brazilian achieved great things at Barcelona, learning from Lionel Messi, before moving to PSG for a world-record transfer fee of €222 million.
It didn't take long for Neymar to make the Ligue 1 his own as he immediately started terrorizing defences for fun. Despite missing months of action due to injury, Neymar played 30 games across all competitions for PSG this season, scoring a stunning tally of 28 goals and assisting 16 more.
The Brazilian superstar is, by far, the best footballer in the world after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and if he continues this way, he may just soon surpass the two legends. Neymar has returned to fitness and is expected to play a complete ro in Brazil's campaign.
Expect him to go all out during the tournament, cause winning it will certainly give him a solid chance at winning the Ballon d'Or and finally ending the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly.
Let us know what you think of the list in the comment section below.
