PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cristiano Ronaldo Country: Portugal Age: 33. Internationals: 150
After winning his fifth UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, Ronaldo will want to add the World Cup to his trophy collection. He carried Portugal to a first major title two years ago when they won the European Championships.
Lionel Messi Country: Argentina Age: 30. Internationals: 124
Messi announced his retirement after Argentina lost to Chile on penalties in the 2016 Copa America final. He was persuaded to return with Argentina President Mauricio Macri leading the calls for Messi to have a rethink. Like Ronaldo, the only thing missing on Messi’s resume is a World Cup winners’ medal.
Kylian Mbappe Country: France Age: 19. Internationals: 15
Mbappe came to prominence in Monaco’s Ligue 1 success in 2016-17 before joining Paris St Germain. Has scored 47 goals in 88 games at club level during the last two seasons but is still finding his feet at international level.
Gabriel Jesus Country: Brazil Age: 21. Internationals: 17
Jesus was Brazil's highest scorer in the World Cup qualifiers with seven goals in 10 matches. He also played a starring role for Manchester City, scoring 13 goals as Pep Guardiola’s men raced to the English Premier League title. Should form a powerful attacking unit for Brazil alongside Neymar and Philippe Coutinho.
Kevin De Bruyne Country: Belgium Age: 26. Internationals: 62
Ranked by The Guardian as the fourth best player in the world in 2017, de Bruyne is one of the stars in a star-studded Belgium team. Was one of the key figures in Manchester City’s runaway English Premier League success and will want to carry that on to the world stage as the Belgians, under coach Roberto Martinez, try to turn their potential into a major title.
Isco Country: Spain Age: 26. Internationals: 26
The Real Madrid star is often called one of the best attacking midfielders in the world and played a big role as Madrid defeated Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final. In March, he scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 friendly win over Argentina.