I’ve picked out 10 players from each of the 10 favourites for the World Cup in the summer that could make the decisive impact and win the trophy for their nation.

From Julian Naglesmann’s most important player to Portugal’s talisman, read on to uncover the potential stars of the summer.

Spain 🇪🇸

World Cup Odds - 6.0

Player to Watch - Fermin Lopez (BAR, 22)

Fermin Lopez has been sensational this season and has gone under the radar slightly at Barcelona due to the brilliance of Pedri and Lamine Yamal. It’s pretty crazy that Spain have all three players at their disposal, which is one of the many reasons why they are favourites to lift the trophy in the summer.

At the time of writing, Lopez has registered 21 goal contributions across just 27 appearances for Barcelona across all appearances. Eight of these have made seven appearances in the Champions League, so he is capable of handling the extra pressure that comes with a stage like this. He has featured briefly for Spain under Luis de la Fuente in qualifiers, and I think this will be the tournament where he solidifies himself in the national team.

Lopez’s output is impressive on its own, but when it comes to the eye test, he also passes with flying colours. He is a very intelligent player and can be the perfect complement to Pedri and one of Zubimendi/Rodri in the middle of the park for Spain. He does have competition from Dani Olmo, but I think Lopez has more talent than Olmo and will start to show that at this tournament.

England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

World Cup Odds - 7.0

Player to Watch - Marc Guehi (MCI, 25)

There are storylines everywhere you look in this England side and you could pick out a few players worth watching at the World Cup, but my specific focus is on the backline.

This is the weakest area of the England side, with centre back being a particularly problematic position which means that Guehi will have to be at his very best if England are to end their curse in international tournaments and lift the World Cup.

Guehi has been the best English centre back for a few seasons now in my view, and his move to Manchester City has further solidified him in the discussion as one of the best centre-backs in Europe. 

Guehi was brilliant in England’s run to the final of the European Championships in 2024, featuring in six matches and notably ranking high for key metrics which could prove to be essential to England’s chances of going deep:

Marc Guehi 2024 European Championship: 

• 78.5 touches per 90

• 66.0 successful passes per 90 (93.5%)

• 3.79 duels won per 90 (51.1%)

• 1.26 fouls won per 90

• 0 times dispossessed

Guehi is clearly ready to perform at this level and should be trusted by Tuchel as his main centre back, with Stones’ position still unsecured due to injury issues. Guehi offers England so much on the ball as well, that 93% pass completion rate is not a fluke and a standard that Guehi achieves regularly.

France 🇫🇷

World Cup Odds - 9.0

Player to Watch - Michael Olise (BAY, 24)

Kylian Mbappe always gets the headlines whenever France are discussed, but in truth they have a few superstars that could power them to the trophy and I think this tournament is set up perfectly for Olise to show his talent on the biggest stage.

Olise has been sensational since making the move to Bayern Munich from Crystal Palace, which isn’t a jump that should be underestimated - Olise hadn’t played in the Champions League before joining Bayern Munich but has adapted to the biggest stages with ease, suggesting that he is tailor made for pressure environments like the World Cup.

Olise has only registered 13 caps for France, but I can’t see him being too far away from Deschamps’ plans in the summer. He’s too talented for the French coach to ignore, and should line up either just behind Mbappe or on the right wing at the World Cup.

Brazil 🇧🇷

World Cup Odds - 9.5

Player to Watch - Joao Pedro (CHE, 24)

Brazil have been missing a striker for a while, and Joao Pedro is currently the best option available to Carlo Ancelotti. Joao Pedro has only made five appearances for his national team, but should attract more attention now that he is at Chelsea, with there being a natural bias when it comes to international selection to players that are at the biggest clubs in the world.

Joao Pedro showed his quality at the Club World Cup last summer, settling with ease just days after becoming the latest in the long conveyor belt to join Chelsea from Brighton. He’s kicked on from those displays to register 20 goal contributions across his 35 appearances for the Blues across all competitions. This is a superb record for a player who has moved to a club where there are higher standards, and it shows that Joao Pedro can handle pressure environments.

Joao Pedro also has that bit of star quality to him, which can help him create moments for Brazil. His goal against Fluminense in the Club World Cup and recent strike against Napoli in the Champions League, show the talent that Joao Pedro has, which can be further unlocked by Carlo Ancelotti.

It’s also pretty notable that Andrey Santos and Estevao could make the World Cup squad for Brazil, so Joao Pedro has connections within the camp which can help him settle down on the international stage with this set to be his first World Cup.

Argentina 🇦🇷

World Cup Odds - 9.5

Player to Watch - Nico Paz (COM, 21)

Naturally, the conversation steers towards Messi when Argentina are mentioned - but there is a core group of younger talent coming through which may take centre stage at this World Cup.

I’ve picked out Nico Paz from that young core that is slowly emerging from Argentina with the 21 year old continually impressing me for Como over the last two seasons. Paz has made six appearances for his national team, and was called up to Argentina’s most recent camp back in November.

He’s far from a fixture in the side as there is plenty of competition in Argentina’s midfield - including Premier League stars Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister. However, it is impossible to ignore the form of Paz if you are Lionel Scaloni with the former Real Madrid man registering 14 goal contributions across his 22 starts for Como in Serie A this term.

Portugal 🇵🇹

World Cup Odds - 13.0

Player to Watch - Bruno Fernandes (MUN, 31)

This tournament will be hyped up as Cristiano Ronaldo’s last chance of winning the World Cup, but if Portugal are to go deep in the tournament - I think it will be down to the brilliance of Bruno Fernandes.

Fernandes is a polarising player and regularly splits opinion, more due to his occasional petulance and constant passion rather than his ability as a footballer. 

Fernandes is also likely to see this as his final chance of winning the World Cup as a key member of the squad, he’ll be 35 by the time the next tournament rolls around and Portugal have far too much talent for Fernandes to still be a fixture in the side at that point.

Fernandes has 85 caps for Portugal, notably registering 50 goal contributions across these matches (28 goals, 22 assists). This output is similar to the numbers that we see Fernandes produce regularly for Manchester United, and this season is no different with Fernandes currently sitting on 18 goal contributions across just 23 appearances in all competitions.

Germany 🇩🇪

World Cup Odds - 15.0

Player to Watch - Joshua Kimmich (BAY, 30)

I think this could be the weakest Germany side I've seen at a World Cup, there isn’t much quality in the squad compared to previous iterations of the national team and I also think that Nagelsmann's side are a little light in the final third.

Any success that Germany does have in the summer will be down to Nagelsmann and Joshua Kimmich. The pair have a strong understanding having worked together at Bayern Munich, and Kimmich is the ideal player for a manager with the 30 year old often being the brain and the heartbeat of the side on the pitch.

Kimmich has made 106 appearances for the German national team, making him the most experienced player expected to be called up to the World Cup squad. He can also play in a variety of positions with Kimmich able to fill in at right back and in central midfield.

I’d keep a particular eye on Kimmich’s assist numbers throughout the tournament, he’s registered 10+ assists in seven of his last eight seasons for Bayern Munich - and is on track to cover that line again with eight to his name so far this campaign.

Netherlands 🇳🇱

World Cup Odds - 26.0

Player to Watch - Micky van de Ven (TOT, 24)

The World Cup always throws out intriguing transfer sagas which would otherwise fail to materialise with clubs having a strange relationship with the tournament. There isn’t another competition in football, maybe even sport, where people place so much emphasis on a seven game stretch. 

From James Rodriguez to Enzo Fernandez, the World Cup creates hype for players in a way that few other tournaments can and I think Micky van de Ven will be at the heart of a transfer saga this summer. Netherlands’ main strength is their defence, this was the case at the recent European Championships and should continue to be true at this tournament.

Ronald Koeman couldn’t really ask for a better centre back pairing at international level with van de Ven and Van Dijk expected to line up alongside each other in America. I’ve long thought that Van de Ven is too good for Tottenham, and would eventually get swooped up by a top club - there are already rumours of Liverpool circulating and that will only intensify if he has a strong World Cup campaign.

Norway 🇳🇴

World Cup Odds - 29.0

Player to Watch - Antonio Nusa (RBL, 20)

Another player that I think could earn a move on the back of a positive World Cup campaign is Antonio Nusa. I’ve been keen on Nusa for a while, he took a while to find his feet at Leipzig but is starting to show why he is such a highly rated player.

Nusa has made 20 appearances for Norway which is an impressive feat at just 20 years of age. He’s registered 16 goal contributions across these caps, showing just how effective he can be for his national side. He scored in both of Norway’s games against Italy as they topped their qualifying group and was impressive throughout the campaign with his speed and willingness to run in behind.

Nusa also has the benefit of having someone like Erling Haaland to get on the end of his deliveries into the box. Nusa is clearly still quite erratic and far from the finished product, but this is a stage where he can shine and potentially change the course of his career with a big club bound to come knocking if he can impress in the summer.

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* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.

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