World Cup 2018: Top 3 Chelsea players who could return as Champions

#2 Cesar Azpilicueta- Spain

Spain v Argentina - International Friendly — Azpi's versatility will be a great asset

Cesar Azpilicueta a.k.a Dave has been one of Chelsea's most consistent players over the past 5 years or so. The versatile defender who can play at centre-back just as well as he can deputize at right-back is all set to represent Spain in Russia.

Azpilicueta is an excellent passer of the ball and it is difficult to dispossess the 28-year-old. While he may not have the flair that the Spaniards are renowned for, his focused approach to the game and mighty impressive defensive abilities will go a long way in determining Spain's chances in Russia.

Though Azplicueta will not have his friend and teammate Alvaro Morata, with whom he has a telepathic understanding, at the World Cup, he is expected to play an influential role in Spain's campaign.

Azpilicueta scored twice and assisted 6 goals in the Premier League this season. The Spain team that has a raft of world-class midfielders and attackers and could very well be one of the most exciting teams at the World Cup. If their recent 6-1 thrashing of Argentina in an international friendly is anything to go by, Spain have more than just a decent chance to win the cup.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Amit Mishra