Young talent is abundant at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, so let's look at one player from each nation who could break out on the big stage.
Starting from Group A teams, Qatar is the toughest team to gauge. It has never appeared in a World Cup tournament before, so the players have little experience in competing in global competitions against the world’s best. If there was a player on the roster who could break out, left-winger Akram Afif stands out.
He’s an attacking-minded profile that has created 3.18 shot actions per game with Monaco this season, good for the 92nd percentile among Europe’s top-five leagues, the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, according to . Get him the ball on the left flank and good things can happen. Other names here include Ismaïla Sarr and Kreppin Diatta .The Oranje are one of the few teams that have the luxury of a young but quality-filled squad, which also ranks asgoing into Qatar. The center-back options at Louis Van Gaal’s disposal are world-class, but it’ll be up to the forwards to find the back of the net and advance. Memphis Depay is the headliner in attack, and Cody Gakpo could join him on that list.
Gakpo has nine goals and 12 assists so far in the Eredivisie, and two other candidates also in that league could fit here: Xavi Simons and Jurriën Timber . Iran makes this both easy and difficult in the sense that its youngest players on the squad are 25, but 27-year-old striker Sardar Azmoun comes in the fold instead.
He might not be an immediate starter, but he’s exceptional on the ball, aerially, and rarely loses duels, even against the fastest attackers. Based on form, there’s not many center backs better than him in the game, which feels implausible to say for someone of his age. But it also highlights just how good he’s been. Can Costa Rica repeat its 2014 triumph in 2022? It certainly won’t be easy in Group E with Germany, Spain and Japan, but never say never in this sport.
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