Attack
Lionel Messi
Again, the world expects. Widely regarded as the best player on the planet, the Argentine magician comes off another stellar season with FC Barcelona, which he nearly inspired to an unbeaten La Liga campaign – the team finally succumbed to Levante in their penultimate game. Messi wasn’t playing, of course. At 30 years of age, the five time Ballon d’Or-winner will be desperate to correct the only blemish on his CV – a lack of silverware with his country.
Cristiano Ronaldo
A five-time Uefa Champion’s League winner and the other player considered the world’s best, the 33-year-old Portuguese winger-turned-striker has been nothing but consistent since 2008. He's averaged a little over 46 goals a season at a club level over the past decade, a period that saw him score 60 goals for Portugal. As a young player, he helped his team to the final of Euro 2004. As a senior star, he helped them win the tournament against a much-fancied French side. Despite being in what should be the twilight years of his career, a stunning bicycle kick goal against Juventus a couple of months ago demonstrated his enduring athletic prowess.
Neymar
While his fellow attackers in this 11 battle over title of world’s best, few people would argue against Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior becoming the next one. Proficient with both feet and a lethal finisher, the outrageously skilled Paris Saint-Germain Brazilian has helped himself to 17 goals in 30 competitive international (54 in 84 games, if you include friendlies). He averaged nearly a goal a game in his debut Ligue Un season and played a crucial role in the much-feared Barcelona trident, alongside Messi and Luis Suarez. Neymar’s last world cup may have ended in tears – one of the planet’s most marketable faces will be hoping for waterworks of joy this time around.
Midfield
Kevin De Bruyne
This Belgian playmaking technician has been a revelation in England this season. An instrumental part of a record-breaking Manchester City side, KDB has more assists since the 2015/16 season than anyone else in Europe’s top five leagues. A master of the incisive through ball, perfectly lifted cross and vicious, swerving shots from range – even with his weaker left – De Bruyne presents a true headache for any manager tasked with instructing a team to negate his considerable strengths. He’ll be looking to make amends for Belgium’s disappointing exit to Wales at the Euros.
N'Golo Kanté
The only player to be named as best in the league by his peers in consecutive seasons for two different clubs, Kanté is the ultimate midfield destroyer. Possessing an almost unmatched ability to read and break up opposition plays – nobody had more tackles across the top European leagues from 2014 to 2016 – he was arguably the key cog in Leicester City’s fairy-tale Premier League win in 2016. This was brought into sharper focus when, upon his departure to Chelsea, his former side fell down the table while his new employers cantered to an easy title. With just 22 appearances for France and a point to prove after being forced to sit out the Euro 2016 final, which his side lost, Kanté would provide an ideal base for his more creative fellow midfielders to build on.
Mesut Özil
“He was the player who best knew my moves in front of goal... I’m angry about Özil leaving.” This was Cristiano Ronaldo’s lament after he learnt of his team-mate’s departure from Real Madrid to Arsenal in 2013. Ronaldo was right – Özil managed to rack up a mind-blowing 60 assists across his three seasons in the Spanish capital. While he has turned out occasionally anaemic performances for the North London club, the Turkish-origin German is rarely anything less than effervescent for Germany. With “a great imagination” (Ruud Gullit) and “probably the best vision” (former national team-mate Philipp Lahm), when Özil turns up with his unique brand of the beautiful game, he can be unplayable.
Defence
Diego Godín
The experienced Uruguay captain may not compare to some of the more illustrious players on this list in terms of star power, but there’s little doubt that no striker fancies a game against him. Compatriot Luis Suarez called Godín a nuisance – “he's always there next to me, he never leaves me alone.” A natural leader on the field, the 32-year-old has expertly marshalled a parsimonious Atlético Madrid defence, which managed more clean sheets and fewer goals conceded than anyone else in La Liga. If anyone can give Egypt’s Mo Salah a tough time in the June 15 group game, it’s the tough-tackling Godín.
Gerard Piqué
The definitive modern centre-back, Piqué has been a 1.94m pillar at the heart of La Roja’s defence since 2010, when he helped his country win their first world cup in South Africa, where they conceded just two goals en route to the Jules Rimet trophy. He repeated the trick two years later at Euro 2012, where his side conceded just one goal up to the final, in which they hammered Italy 4-0. However, the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Euros were less kind to the Catalan centre-back, with his country exiting the tournament at the group stage and round of 16 respectively. He’s played a role in Barcelona’s glut of trophies along the way, and his country will be expecting more from him in Russia.
Joshua Kimmich
Bayern Munich fans were understandably devastated when club captain and legend Philipp Lahm retired at the end of the 2016/17 season. However, wunderkind Joshua Kimmich has stepped in as the most soothing of balms. Like his predecessor, Kimmich is versatile – able to play across defensive midfield, central defence as well as his native right-back position. He marries expert tackle timing with a great eye for goal – the 22-year-old registered six goals last season, which followed a remarkable run of four goals in four appearances in September 2016. Despite his position at right-back and tender years, Kimmich has already captained his country.
Marcelo
Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior is undoubtedly one of the world’s most exciting players to watch. His zany hairstyle and cheery Brazilian demeanour may play a part but, Barcelona fans aside, it’s impossible for any watcher of football not to appreciate Marcelo’s gut-bursting runs forward. His position at Real Madrid, electric pace and powerful left foot have earned him many a comparison with compatriot Roberto Carlos, who himself has said “Marcelo has better technical ability than me.” A mainstay in a club side that has achieved unprecedented European dominance, this former Fluminese youth product hopes to bring back some silverware to the World Cup’s most decorated team.
Goal
David de Gea
Thanks to cat-like reflexes and a remarkable recent season with Manchester United, where he won the Golden Glove by helping his side keep 18 clean sheets, there is no doubting who the world’s best goalkeeper is right now. The Atlético youth product’s talents shone brightest during United’s 3-1 away win over Arsenal, in which he recorded a record-breaking 14 saves. It was always a tough ask to inherit the great Iker Casillas’ spot in a decorated national side, but de Gea looks more than up to the task.