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The World Cup is the biggest stage and a great burden of most national sides will be borne by their star experienced players: Lionel Messi for Argentina, Xavi and Iniesta for Spain, Ronaldo for Portugal etc. However, previous World Cups have been testament to the fact that young blood can be that extra spark of brilliance that can propel a team to glory. We saw some youngsters come of age in the 2010 World Cup; the likes of Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira were critical to Germany’s successful campaign that saw them finish third in the competition. The likes of Michael Owen and Lukas Podolski impressed the world through their vibrant performances in previous editions of the World Cup. This year will be no different as a number of key players will be under the spotlight as they try to establish themselves on the scene.
The English team will be banking upon a lot of young blood as they continue to pursue their World Cup dreams. Brazil, hosts at World Cup 2014, are shaping up without the likes of Ronaldinho and Kaka as Neymar and Oscar look set to become the new faces of the football-crazy nation. Germany and Spain continue to produce the most exciting young talent. The fact that stakes at the club-level are so high now and a lot of investment is made to scout new talent means that some of these players already have big contracts with clubs. They will be under the spotlight as they attempt to come to terms with the immense nature of the occasion.
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1. Neymar – Brazil
The Brazilian prodigy, who has grabbed all the eyeballs for his much-awaited and much talked about transfer to the Catalan giants Barcelona from Santos, is a part of Felipe Scolari’s squad. He has been vocal about his desire to achieve for his country as they go into a historic World Cup to be played on their home soil. Scolari’s tactical arrangement might suit the youngster as he tries to maximize his speed and willingness to take on defenders. It will be critical to see how he develops over the next year that he spends at Nou Camp. Such an experience might just quicken his pace of growth and exposure to more competitive football can’t do him any bad.
2. Raphael Varane – France
The Real Madrid central defender-cum-defensive midfielder held his own against Barcelona a number of times last season. He is likely to develop over the next season and become a consistent fixture in that French side that looks good for qualification at the moment. He is not a one-dimensional center back but contributes heavily to building forward movements without compromising on his defensive duties. France will have fresh wounds from the last edition but if the potential of this young lad is anything to go by, the future augurs well for France.
3. Mario Gotze - Germany
The ability of this German midfielder, who made a name for himself at Borussia Dortmund, has evoked uninhibited admiration from all quarters. German legend Franz Beckenbauer compared his ability to run at defenders to Messi and called him an instinctive footballer blessed with talent. He has no weaker foot as such and likes to trip defenders on his way to the goal. He has been another player who has already seen a bit of limelight at such a young age, especially due to his impending transfer to rivals Bayern Munich. It earned him some hostility ahead of the Champions League final contested between the two teams and such pressure may be harsh nurture for the youngster.
4. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain – England
The English are always optimistic when it comes to the World Cup. They are hyped and the media in England always has great expectations, but the team has failed to deliver. Often the reason stated is that the club stars fail to perform at the same level and there is a general lack of understanding. Under Roy Hodgson, the England side has shown a greater trust in youth even though the experienced campaigners have had a role to play. England will travel to Brazil, in most probability, with a number of exciting young players like Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain. Chamberlain, who scored in an international friendly against Brazil a few days ago, has excited everyone with his performances at Arsenal. His pace, ball control and skill can be turned into potential weapons if he is nurtured and not forced into too much football.
5. Oscar – Brazil
Another Brazilian player on this list. This Chelsea midfielder will be key to Brazil’s ambitions as they are likely to go into the tournament with a lot of experience in the midfield. They do boast of a solid, experienced defense but the midfield’s creativity is likely to come from Oscar. He was also on the scoring sheet for Brazil in their recent 3-0 win over France and reportedly celebrated the goal with excited claims of “I am here!” Has he arrived? Well, we will know come 2014.
