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The biggest fiesta of football will be happening again in Russia from June 14th – July 15th and the players from the biggest club in the world, Real Madrid, will play a leading role.
Los Merengues are, after all, a team that have provided key players for 5 of the last World Cup winning teams, from Christian Karembeu (with France in 1998) up to Sami Khedira (Germany in 2014).
While Keylor Navas’ position as Real’s number one is almost always under question, he is a demi-god for Los Ticos (The Ticos) as the Costa Rican national team are called and will be the first name on the team sheet as the Central Americans face the threat of tournament favourites Brazil as well as middling European sides Switzerland and Serbia in Group E.
Real Madrid’s Spanish contingent to Russia 2018 is expected to be quite impressive as club & national team captain Sergio Ramos, right-back Dani Carvajal and midfielder Isco are guaranteed to be in manager Julen Lopetegui's plans. Tyro Marco Asensio and utility defender Nacho Fernandez are almost certain to be in La Furia Roja’s final 23 but the fate of utility winger Lucas Vasquez is less certain. The Spanish will battle Iberian neighbours Portugal as well as Morocco and Iran in Group B.
Centre-back Raphael Varane is a favourite of manager Didier Deschamps and will not only be on the plane to the Mundial for France, but his place in the starting XI is guaranteed as well. He might even captain Les Bleus if Hugo Lloris become unavailable. Unless something seismic happens, striker Karim Benzema will definitely not be in Russia as the French take on Australia, Peru, and Denmark in Group C.
Left-back Marcelo and midfield hard man Casemiro have already confirmed their places as part of the Verde-Amarela (The Green and Yellow) contingent for Brazil. Central midfielders Luka Modrić (who is the captain for his nation) and Mateo Kovačić are shoe-ins for the Vatreni (The Blazers) of Croatia which will tackle Argentina, Nigeria, and Iceland in Group D.
The regista-supreme; Toni Kroos is expected to dictate play in midfield for defending champions Die Mannschaft of Germany who will face Mexico, South Korea, and Sweden in Group F.
The Lord High Executioner himself a.k.a Cristiano Ronaldo will be the cynosure of all eyes as he captains his A Seleção das Quinas (Selection of the Quinas) in an attempt to add the World Cup trophy to the European Championship won in 2016.
Young right-back Achraf Hakimi will look to impress against his Portuguese and Spanish colleagues as he is sure to make the squad for the Atlas Lions of Morocco.
While it is too soon to call which team will lift the trophy at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on July 15, if recent history is anything to go by, a Real Madrid player will have a winner’s medal come July 16, 2018.
