World Cup 2018: 5 players who can help Spain win the trophy
Amidst all the drama surrounding Julen Lopetegui's exit and Fernando Hierro's subsequent appointment, the ultimate agenda within the Spanish camp will be to shrug off the distraction and focus solely on producing a stellar WC 2018 campaign.
The Spaniards will look to put in their best in a bid to win their second World Cup trophy, having lifted it just once in 2010. Fernando Hierro has plenty of potential to choose from as the side consists of some supremely talented, albeit relatively inexperienced, players.
While the average age of the squad is 28 years and 178 days, the total number of World Cup goals scored by the players in the side is just 2. Further, teams like Iran and Costa Rica have scored more international goals than this Spanish squad.
Notably, this will certainly be Andres Iniesta's last ever World Cup and the veteran would like nothing more than to bow out in the best way possible - by winning world football's most coveted trophy.
Spain have been grouped alongside Portugal, Iran and Morocco in Group B - One that they are expected to comfortably get through. Their real test, however, will come in the knockout stages.
On that note, here is a look at 5 players who could help Spain win the 2018 FIFA World Cup:
#5 Diego Costa
After being frozen out of the Chelsea squad by Antonio Conte for the first half of the season, Diego Costa completed a move back to Atletico Madrid in January. Since then, he has seemed to be on track to return to his best.
Since moving back to Spain, Costa has played 23 games across all competitions, scoring 7 goals and assisting 4 more.
On the international stage, Costa has made 18 appearances for La Furia Roja since 2014 and has scored 7 goals. The brutish striker is expected to lead the front line at the World Cup and Spanish supporters will hope that he can peak at the right time.
The 29-year-old has been surrounded by controversies his entire career and he will be aware that a good performance at the World Cup could silence his critics for good. If Diego Costa can make his presence felt, expect Spain to mount a legitimate challenge to claim the World Cup.