FIFA World Cup 2018: 5 young stars poised to break out at Russia
The FIFA World Cup 2018 is the crucible where reputations are earned, legacies cemented and players placed into the pantheon of all-time greats.
James Rodriguez in 2014, Thomas Muller in 2010, Lukas Podolski in 2006 are but a few names who burst onto the scene with an exceptional World Cup and became household names at a young age.
This year’s World Cup promises to be no different, with a smattering of exciting, young talent sprinkled across the participating nations.
With league football winding down in leagues around the world, now is the perfect time to ramp up the build-up for this summer’s highly awaited tournament and in that vein, here is a look at five young stars, who are worth watching out for in Russia:
#5 Giovani Lo Celso (Argentina)
When a player displaces an established name like Javier Pastore from the starting lineup and at the age of 21, it becomes clear that such a player possesses something special.
Lo Celso’s rise in the past 12 months at PSG has been meteoric. Signed for €10m from Rosario Central in 2016, he had a slow start to life at PSG, mustering only 82 minutes of league action in the first half of the season.
But injuries to first team players paved a way for him to get a starting spot, and it was an opportunity that he has grabbed with both hands.
He might not be the most muscular of players and stands at a mere 5’9’’, but he has excelled in a deep-lying (regista) role in PSG’s midfield.
He has made 17 appearances for PSG in Ligue 1 this season and has grabbed four goals and three assists.
These may not eye-popping numbers, but are impressive for a player in his position. His play is more characterised by the 90.2% pass completion and 1.2 tackles won per game; statistics which highlight a technically sound and solid pass-first player who performs a role every team desperately needs.
Lo Celso could end up being similarly important for Argentina at the World Cup. A lot has been spoken about regarding the wealth of options that the Albiceleste has in the attack, but their midfield has often failed to rise to the occasion.
He could well be the spark that brings together the entire unit and given that he has raised his profile considerably in the last few months, he is expected to be picked in Jorge Sampaoli’s 23-man squad and will be a vital cog in Argentina’s midfield.