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Every four years, the whole world comes together to celebrate the beautiful game. A fantastic performance at the World Cup can change the fortunes of a player or maybe a spectacular goal can give someone instant fame.
Remember the 2010 FIFA World Cup? A relatively unknown Javier Hernandez came off the bench against France and broke the deadlock to help his country win all three points. During the same tournament, Keisuke Honda of Japan caught the eye with his spectacular skills and wonderful free-kick against Denmark.
Such spectacular moments at the World Cup can do wonders for young players and some brilliant youngsters are going to light up the FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Everyone knows about the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Timo Werner, Gabriel Jesus and Marcus Rashford. So we are not going to discuss prodigies who play for some of Europe’s biggest clubs. We are going to introduce you to some of the hidden gems.
Notable exclusions: Fyodor Chalov (Russia), Luka Jovic (Serbia), Maxi Gomez (Uruguay), Ruben Dias (Portugal), Amine Harit (Morocco) and Ola Aina (Nigeria)
#5 Cristian Pavon (Argentina)
Argentina were runners-up at the previous World Cup, but it’s still difficult to list them as favourites to win the World Cup with the likes of Germany, France, Brazil and Spain. However, the Argentina attack is one of the best on paper at least.
Led by Lionel Messi, the Argentine attack features the likes of Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala. However, the wild card in this attack is the 22-year-old winger, Cristian Pavon.
The Boca Juniors player made his debut for Argentina last year against Russia and assisted the only goal of the game scored by Aguero. He also assisted one of the two goals in a 4-2 defeat to Nigeria during the same international break.
Pavon, who has five caps for Albiceleste, is an excellent dribbler with an eye for a pass and the ability to score from distance.
He has won back to back league titles in Argentina with Boca Juniors and has been picked for the World Cup on the back of an impressive season during which he scored 6 goals and assisted 11 goals in 26 Primera División games.
Pavon can provide width to the Argentina attack and is one of the very few natural wide players in their squad for the World Cup. He may not be an automatic starter, but he is more than capable of producing an impact off the bench.
#4 Ismaila Sarr (Senegal)
Just like his compatriot Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr also started his professional career with Metz in France after coming through the Academy of Génération Foot in Senegal.
The 20-year-old’s dribbling skills also remind fans of Mane and if Sarr can maintain his current progress, then he too can emulate the success of the Liverpool wide man.
Sarr currently plays for Rennes in the Ligue 1 and he wrapped up his debut season with the club by racking up 5 goals and 3 assists in 22 starts and two further substitute appearances.
He made his debut for Senegal as a substitute for Mane in a game against Namibia in September 2016 and has gone on to play for his country on 10 occasions while scoring twice.
The Senegal team which participated at the 2002 FIFA World Cup produced one of the World Cup’s greatest upsets by beating holders France in the opening game. In Russia, Sarr will be part of a strong Senegal attack consisting of Sadio Mane, M'Baye Niang, Keita Baldé, Diafra Sakho, Mame Biram Diouf, Moussa Konaté and Moussa Sow. Write them off at your own peril.
#3 Lucas Torreira (Uruguay)
The Uruguay team was one of the surprise packages of the 2010 FIFA World Cup as they reached the semifinal albeit in controversial circumstances.
The current squad has the potential to be a dark horse for the showdown in Russia with an attack spearheaded by Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani coupled with a defence marshalled by Diego Godin and José María Giménez.
The midfield is one area of concern for the South Americans but the 22-year-old Lucas Torreira can provide some respite.
The defensive midfielder who plies his trade for Sampdoria in the Serie A was one of the best midfielders in the league last season. He played 33 league games making 67 interceptions, winning 66 tackles and creating 33 chances.
Torreira only made his debut for Uruguay this year but it won’t be surprising if he becomes a regular starter for Uruguay at the World Cup. There will be plenty of scouts watching the player who has already been linked with a move to Arsenal and Napoli.
#2 Aleksandr Golovin (Russia)
If rumours are to be believed, then Golovin will not remain an enigma to a vast majority of the football fans as he has been linked with a move to Manchester United. Although such a move seems unlikely at the moment because of the midfield options the club already possesses and the impending transfer of Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Golovin is one of the key players for the hosts Russia. The 22-year-old central midfielder has 18 caps and two goals for Russia since making his debut back in 2015.
The CSKA Moscow player, who was part of the Russian team that won the 2013 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, is a midfielder capable of bridging the attack and defence with his superior dribbling skills, good passing ability and strength to hold up the ball. What makes him stand out though is his work rate and strong defensive contribution.
Although Golovin’s defensive traits are one of his major strengths, he scored 7 goals and assisted 4 more from midfield in 38 games across all competitions during the 2017/18 season.
#1 Hirving Lozano (Mexico)
Mexico are a team that can cause trouble to any opposition on their day and they have gifted us some entertaining and memorable encounters at the World Cup. Their story could continue in Russia and a pivotal figure for them will be one of the youngest members of their squad, Hirving Lozano.
Lozano started his career with Pachuca for whom he scored 43 goals in 149 games. His last season at Pachuca yielded 18 goals in 37 games and earned him a move to PSV in the Netherlands amidst interest from other European clubs.
His debut season in the Eredivisie ended with 17 goals and 9 assists which made him the club’s top scorer, the league’s 5th highest goalscorer, the club’s leading assist provider and the league’s eight best assist provider. Lest we forget, PSV won the Eredivisie.
Lozano is a set-piece specialist and an excellent crosser of the ball. He also likes to dribble and cut inside. These explain why he has such good numbers for both goals and assists.
The 22-year-old made his debut for Mexico in February 2016 against Senegal and marked the occasion with an assist. He now has 7 goals in 26 games for Mexico which includes a brace against a strong Belgium team in a 3-3 draw in November 2017.
Lozano is sure to start for Mexico and a good World Cup could see him move from PSV this summer.
