The World Cup always provides a stage for young players to make a name for
themselves and the younger generation will be eagerly awaiting Sunday's start
of the 2022 edition.
اضافة اعلان
AFP Sport takes a look at six of the possible breakout stars of the
tournament in Qatar hoping to follow in the footsteps of Pele and Kylian
Mbappe.
Moises Caicedo
(Ecuador)
-- Much of the focus of the opening match will be on hosts Qatar but Caicedo
will be aiming to run the game from Ecuador's midfield. The 21-year-old has
been a key player for Brighton in the Premier League since breaking into the
first team last season. He has been linked with a potential move to several big
clubs, most notably Liverpool. Caicedo has already made 25 international
appearances, including 15 starts in Ecuador's successful World Cup qualifying
campaign. He is part of a Brighton trio in Ecuador's squad alongside Pervis
Estupinan and Jeremy Sarmiento.
Jude Bellingham
(England)
-- The Borussia Dortmund midfielder is fast becoming a global star and is
still only 19 years old. He was a member of the England squad that reached the
European Championship final last year but was behind Declan Rice and Kalvin
Phillips in the pecking order. Bellingham is now a sure starter for Gareth
Southgate after a fine 12 months, capped by four goals in this season's
Champions League group stage. Real Madrid and Liverpool are among the teams
reportedly chasing his signature and he could further bolster any possible
transfer fee by helping to end England's 56-year wait for a second World Cup
title.
Cody Gakpo
(Netherlands)
-- The 23-year-old winger only made one brief substitute appearance at Euro
2020 but is expected to feature far more heavily in Qatar. Gakpo has already
netted 13 goals for PSV Eindhoven in all competitions this season, just seven
fewer than his total tally last term. With Memphis Depay having been out of
action since September due to injury, Gakpo could start the Netherlands' first
outing against Senegal on Monday.
Gio Reyna (United
States)
-- Reyna has always drawn praise for his performances for Dortmund despite
struggling with injuries in his short career so far. He made his league debut
for Dortmund in January 2020 aged 17, becoming the youngest American to play in
the Bundesliga, taking now international teammate Christian Pulisic's record.
Reyna, now 20, is likely to be competing with Lille forward Timothy Weah and
Leeds' Brenden Aaronson for a spot in the United States' starting line-up.
Jamal Musiala
(Germany)
-- The 19-year-old has enjoyed a brilliant start to the campaign with Bayern
Munich, scoring 12 goals and creating nine more. Musiala, who also played for
England's youth teams before declaring for Germany, could start for Hansi
Flick's men, even at the expense of veteran Thomas Mueller. Germany may need
Musiala to fire if they are to seal a record-equalling fifth
World Cup, with
the possibility Flick will play without an out-and-out striker following an
injury to Timo Werner.
Mohammed Kudus
(Ghana)
-- Kudus was still playing for Ajax's youth team as recently as last year,
before making an impact on the big stage with four goals in this season's
Champions League. The 22-year-old from Accra has already made his mark for
Ghana with five goals in 18 appearances. Kudus will be an important figure for
the last African nation to reach a World Cup quarter-final, alongside the more
experienced Andre Ayew and his brother Jordan.
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