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The World Cup brings together the best players from the best countries from every continent. It presents a chance for individual players to come up against different players with different skill sets, different cultural backgrounds and different reputations.
Some players are already well-known to the majority of football lovers. They play in the most watched football leagues in the world, for the most famous and supported clubs in the world especially in Europe.
For some, however, the World Cup presents an opportunity to introduce themselves to the global audience and make a mark in our hearts. These players may be unfamiliar to most of us but they are household names in their home countries. Some are among the greatest players their countries have ever had and boast numerous records.
Here we take a look at players who are the all-time top goalscorers for their countries who will be at the World Cup 2018, including one country with two players tied for first.
10. Radamel Falcao - Colombia (29 Goals)
James Rodriguez may have been the star of the 2014 World Cup, winning the Golden Boot in the end but he only he is only on 21 goals for Colombia. The all-time top scorer is fellow superstar Radamel Falcao.
Falcao has 29 goals in 71 caps for the national team. He has revitalized his club career at Monaco after some tough loan spells at Manchester United and Chelsea. He is now back among the goals and is expected to bang them in at the World Cup.
The Colombia captain is lethal in front of goal and can score a goal out of nothing. He is also an exceptional header of the ball. With the likes of James, Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) and José Izquierdo (Brighton) also in the side, Falcao will seek to add to his tally in Russia.
9. Paolo Guerrero - Peru (34 Goals)
Peru captain Guerrero came close to missing the World Cup with a 14-month drug ban but it has since been frozen and he has been cleared to participate at the tournament. His participation should be a welcome boost for his country especially considering his goalscoring exploits.
The 34-year-old striker continues to produce exceptional performances for his country and is one of the best players to come out of Peru. He leads the all-time scoring chart for his country with 34 goals over 88 international caps.
Guerrero plays his club football with Brazilian side Flamengo having had stints in Europe with Bundesliga clubs Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV. His experience playing at a high level will be crucial to Peru's chances.
8. Romelu Lukaku - Belgium (36 Goals)
Belgium's all-time top scorer is still only 25 years old. Lukaku has already hit a century of goals in the English Premier League and has carried his club form to the national team. Lukaku has scored an impressive 36 goals in 69 games for Belgium and it looks like this is just the beginning.
The Manchester United striker uses his physicality to bully defenders and has a lethal left foot. He is much more than a target man though as he also possesses decent pace and technical ability and sometimes tends to drift out wide. All that plus his fantastic heading ability makes him a very tough opponent.
Lukaku will expect to add to his tally at the World Cup as he spearheads this 'golden generation' of Belgian football. With the likes of Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne providing the supply for Lukaku, expect him to make a big splash in Russia.
7. Luis Tejada and Blas Perez - Panama (43 Goals)
Panama go into the World Cup as huge underdogs and they will do so with an ageing squad. They will look to call upon the experience of the senior players within the squad. Two of the most experienced players are 36-year-old Luis Tejada and 37-year-old Blas Perez who are the all-time joint top scorers for Panama with 43 goals each.
Striker Tejada has 105 caps for Panama and plays his club football for Sport Boys in Spain. Compatriot Perez plays for Guatemalan club Municipal as a forward and has 118 caps for the Panama national team.
Panama has been drawn in a difficult group alongside Belgium, England and Tunisia. Colombian manager Hernan Dario Gomez has done an exceptional job getting Panama to Russia but it's unlikely they will make it past the group stage. Tejada and Perez though could add some memorable World Cup goals to their tallies.
6. Javier Hernandez - Mexico (49 Goals)
Hernandez, or Chicharito as he is commonly known, is one goal shy of a half-century for the Mexican national team. The striker has notched up 49 goals in 101 appearances for the national team.
Hernandez is a goal-poacher with the ability to pop up in the right place at the right time especially inside the box. He is also adept at playing off the shoulder of the last defender because he possesses decent acceleration and pace. He is also surprisingly good in the air.
These qualities mean that the 30-year-old will be among the ones to watch for El Tri at the World Cup as they seek to progress from a group also containing Germany, Sweden and South Korea. The West Ham man is almost certain to hit the 50-goal mark during the tournament.
5. Tim Cahill - Australia (50 Goals)
Cahill has registered 50 goals in 106 appearances for the Socceroos. The hardworking forward known for his time at Everton is unlikely to make the starting lineup for Australia but will surely get some minutes on the pitch. The team will rely on the experience of the 38-year-old if they are to make any sort of progress in the competition.
Cahill is fond of scoring on the big stage and is chasing a historic goal in Russia. If he does find the back of the net, he will join an elite club of legends Pele and Germans Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose to have scored at four World Cups.
He will get the opportunity in a group containing France, Denmark and Peru. Regardless of whether he gets the goal or not, Cahill will go down as one of the greatest Australian players of all time and their all-time top scorer.
4. Luis Suarez - Uruguay (51 Goals)
Who can forget that goal-saving handball on the line in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinal against Ghana that saved Uruguay from elimination? Or the brilliant individual display as Suarez scored two goals against England at the 2014 World Cup that sent England crashing out of the tournament? Or the biting incident against Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the same World Cup edition that saw Suarez retrospectively banned for the rest of the tournament?
Suarez seems to attract the headlines every time he plays at the World Cup. One thing that stands out though is his will to win. While he seems to have stayed away from controversy recently, his ability on the ball is not in question. The Barcelona man remains one of the most elite players in the world.
With 51 goals in 98 games, Suarez is expected to lead Uruguay's charge in Russia alongside teammate Edinson Cavani.
3. Robert Lewandowski - Poland (55 Goals)
The 29-year-old Polish captain is considered by some as the best striker in the world today. Lewandowski continues to dominate the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich while making Poland a force to be reckoned with on the international scene.
He has scored 55 goals in 95 caps for Poland including 16 in qualifiers for this year's World Cup which is a record for a single European World Cup qualification campaign. His exploits for his country have earned him Polish Player of the Year honours seven times.
With Lewandowski in top form, Poland stands a big chance of making it through to the knockout stages from Group H which also has Colombia, Japan and Senegal.
2. Lionel Messi - Argentina (64 Goals)
Messi holds numerous individual records including the all-time goalscoring record for Barcelona and La Liga so it is no surprise that he is Argentina's all-time top goalscorer. It is an impressive achievement considering the legendary strikers that have played for The Albiceleste including Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta. Messi has amassed 64 goals across 124 international games.
Already considered one of the best players in the history of the game, Messi goes into this year's World Cup with more important targets than adding to his goal tally. He will be seeking to deliver a first World Cup trophy to his home country since their 1986 triumph that was led by Maradona.
With the likelihood of an international retirement for Messi after the World Cup, the goals he scores in Russia could be the very last ones he scores for Argentina.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal (81 Goals)
Another regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has scored 81 goals in 150 caps for Portugal. The Real Madrid superstar and current Ballon d'Or holder is a lethal scoring machine and holds numerous records including the UEFA Champions League all-time scoring record.
Ronaldo has already won the European Championship with Portugal which he did in 2016 but he will be out to win the World Cup to build on his legacy. With the 33-year-old still in top physical condition, it is hard to bet against Ronaldo adding to his tally at the 2018 World Cup.
If he scores, then he will also join the exclusive club of players to have scored in four World Cups. He is currently third all-time in most international goals in history behind Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas (84 goals) and leader Ali Daei of Iran (109 goals). It is likely that he will be at least second on the list by the end of the 2018 World Cup.
