FIFA World Cup 2022: players to watch out for in Qatar

This grand occasion brings the best out in some players and takes their drive for success and competitiveness to new levels.

As the 2022 FIFA World Cup looms ever closer, it is interesting to look at stars who could make an impact. We have looked at the different teams and chosen six players to watch out for in Qatar, and who should have epic performances.

Kylian Mbappé

Mbappé is currently the poster boy of professional football. If you were to look at a FIFA World Cup betting guide, you can guarantee that this megastar will appear as one of the favourites for winning the Golden Boot and for first goal scorer bets.

Aside from incredible club performances, Mbappé has solidified himself as a World Cup performer due to the 2018 World Cup. Here, he was awarded the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award and scored an amazing 25-yard strike in the final against Croatia.

Cristiano Ronaldo

The list of awards and accolades that Ronaldo has amassed is legendary and includes five Ballon d’Or awards. The fact that this footballing legend is 37 and still considered one of the best players in the world is incredible.

At this point in their career, most forwards are on the decline and have regressed physically – but not Ronaldo. He had a great season with Manchester United and although the team didn’t perform well overall, he logged 24 goals in 38 appearances. Ronaldo is the all-time international leading goal scorer, and you can count on him increasing this tally in style in Qatar.

Lionel Messi

We could not list Cristiano Ronaldo without also including Lionel Messi. Although this footballing megastar had a relatively pedestrian first season with PSG, he remains a once-in-a-generation talent and has proved himself time and time again as the leading force behind Argentina’s international squad. He is also a major reason why football is the most popular sport in the world.

After disappointment in the 2018 World Cup, we can count on Messi to up his game and lead his team in Group C. This is not the easiest of groups and aside from Saudi Arabi, Argentina don’t really have any certain wins, with Mexico and Poland both being strong teams.

Neymar

Neymar is one of the most exciting and legendary Brazilian footballers since Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. He has proved to be an incredible player at both club and international level and has scored 74 goals in 119 appearances for Brazil.

He has scored over 400 career goals, and has been honing his talents in Paris since 2017. On the international stage, Neymar has competed in many events, including the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, the 2015 Copa America and the Olympics. His pedigree and talents are undeniable.

Virgil van Dijk

We will not feature only forwards and prolific goal scorers in this list! Virgil van Dijk is an incredible talent and one of the best central defenders in the world. Since starting his club career in Groningen and playing for various UK teams, Virgil has found his home at Liverpool and has continued to improve and turn into a stalwart defender.

In the 2022 World Cup, we can guarantee that he will make the Netherland’s defence tough and hard to break through. In the group with Qatar, Ecuador and Senegal, we also expect Holland to progress to the knockout stage and thus we should get to see Virgil play more.

Robert Lewandowski

Did you know that Robert Lewandowski is the third-most prolific international goal scorer, tied with Sándor Kocsis with 75 goals? He is topped only by the legendary Puskás and still-playing Cristiano Ronaldo. That’s some pretty impressive company and it proves that Lewandowski has what it takes to make an impact in international games. Lewandowski is still considered one of the most dangerous strikers on the planet and continues to have amazing success at Munich, scoring 50 goals in 46 appearances during the 2021-2022 season.

We hope you have found this article interesting. We will be incredibly surprised if the six players discussed here don’t have standout performances and make an impact in their team’s 2022 World Cup campaign. Legendary players such as Ronaldo and Messi always have the capabilities to change the course of games and create memorable moments.

Who do you think are the players to watch out for? These are only six picks, after all, and there are many more talented stars who will be looking to make their name in Qatar.

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