Christian Eriksen

In 2017 he scored nine goals from nine games for Denmark. A very impressive feat for an attacking midfielder. He’s Denmark’s most important and dangerous player by far. In recent seasons, Eriksen has played his club football for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League but rumour has it that Barcelona are after the Danish wizard.

He has excellent vision and a remarkable range of passing. He rarely loses the ball and he’s able to hit it into next week. He’s scored some cracking goals from outside the box especially from dead balls. With murmurs about how Adidas’ latest ball moves, Russia might be the perfect place for him to make his mark on the world stage.

The only things that might hold him back are all his recent off field distractions. Barcelona is a dream come true for nearly every player in world football. Being able to lace up the boots in the Camp Nou with Messi, Suarez and co must be playing on the Dane’s mind. Added to the transfer speculation was the birth of his son during the lead up to the competition. He missed his nation’s friendly against Sweden to be by his partner’s side.  

Kylian Mbappe

The French team is an embarrassment of riches. Inexperience may be the only thing holding them back. That, and Didier Deschamps not yet settling on his best XI. Kylian Mbappe personifies all of this. He’s very young but extraordinarily talented. He has pace, precision and sublime skills.

Over the past two seasons, Mbappe has become the man to watch in French football. He was instrumental in Monaco’s surprise 2016/17 Ligue 1 win. His subsequent loan to Paris Saint Germain has put him in the upper echelons of world football. If PSG were to buy him outright, the rumoured fee would make him the second most expensive player in history, behind only Neymar.

World Cups can be where young stars step up or fade away. With his talent, he’s unlikely to fade away any time soon, which could spell disaster for his opponents at this tournament. Only Deschamps, and his inexperience, might hold him back. At only 19 he still has a lot of football ahead of him and the French manager might decide to introduce him to this World Cup gently.

Tom Rogic

Celtic FC have absolutely dominated the Scottish Premier League for years.  Rogic has been able to flourish in this environment over the last few seasons. There have often been questions about his fitness and stamina. He’s a liability in a hard pressing defensive unit but, on his day, he can turn the best defenders in the world inside out. His touch and ability to glide past defenders is a joy to behold. He’s become a fan favourite in Glasgow for his quick feet and superb goals.

However, it’s outside of Scotland where he needs to show his ability. He’s shown glimpses of his talent in the UEFA Champions League but glimpses weren’t enough with his team constantly outmatched. Will it be a similar situation in the World Cup with Australia? The Socceroos will need to get the most out of those moments of brilliance and hope they can handle the extra defensive workload.

Paolo Guerrero

In a massive boost for Peru, their talismanic captain has been cleared to play in the World Cup. The 34-year-old was set to miss the tournament after being banned for cocaine use. On appeal to FIFA, and with the help of letters from the captains of Australia, France and Denmark, he has been given the green light. Without him, Peru lack a lot of their cutting edge up front.

Guerrero had a very solid career in Germany starting with Bayern Munich where he scored 10 from 27 appearances. He then moved to Hamburger SV for six years before playing the last six in the Brazilian top flight. It’s this wealth of top flight experience that make him Peru’s danger man. He’s won a treasure trove of team and individual honours. Leading his team to their first World Cup finals in 36 years will be more than enough motivation for him to give his all in Russia.

Mathew Leckie

This is an Australian website so it’s only fitting that the Socceroos feature two danger men. And Leckie is dangerous both on and off the pitch. After an altercation with Dutchman Ron Vlaar at the 2014 World Cup, Leckie asked his opponent in no uncertain terms to… ahem… fight him. The footage has made him a favourite among football fans in Australia. In Russia he’ll become even more beloved if he can find his good club form for the national team. 

This season in the Bundesliga has been Leckie’s best. It also happens to be his first season at Hertha Berlin. He got off to a flying start, scoring twice on debut for his new club. He had a dip in form midseason, most of his Australian team mates did. It was a massive season of travel for the squad and niggling injuries popped up for many around Christmas. However, Leckie has ended the season in fine form again.

He’s considered one of the fastest men in Germany and this makes him a handful for any defence. He is also looking more dangerous in front of goal lately. Sheer pace has defined Leckie’s game for years but adding goals to that makes him a real threat. If you don’t think that’s enough to make him dangerous just see what he said to Ron Vlaar…