The FIFA World Cup usually gives a chance for players from all 32 teams to really make a name for themselves and become heroes for their nation. Below I’ll be looking at some of the players who could shine during the world cup from Group A that you should keep a close eye on.

Akram Afif (Qatar)

The hosts of this tournament are not well recognised as a major footballing nation, and has already been written off by many, however, Akram Afif could be the man to boost Qatar to upset a few teams in the group. The former Villareal winger was the first Qatari-born footballer to sign for a La Liga club, and has been dubbed as one of the most exciting prospects to come from Qatar footballing wise. That being said, he would likely play a vital role in any success for the hosts in the tournament and definitely would keep an eye on him if Qatar can cause a few shocks.

Moisés Caicedo (Ecuador)

Lá tri have an exciting squad in place for this world cup. Players who are flourishing from leagues all over Europe and the Americas made it difficult to pick one individual who will stand out. The likes of Gonzalo Plata, Piero Hincapié and Pervis Estupiñán are just a handful of the names that Ecuador possess that can bolster their chances of qualification, but the young star Moisés Caicedo is one who can really establish himself as a world class player in the tournament. Caicedo is linked with the crème de la crème, clubs such as Manchester United and Real Madrid. This calibre of potential suitors he’s attracting is just a testament to the talent he has. He has significantly helped his current club Brighton in achieving a brilliant start to the season, gaining some valuable results and with his talent, there is no doubt that he can do the same with Ecuador, albeit it could very well be an uphill battle to climb for qualification.

Sadio Mané (Senegal)

The AFCON winners have already proved themselves as the best of Africa, but they face a very different and much more difficult task ahead of them with the world cup, and despite the quality they have in their squad, there’s no looking past Senegal’s all time top scorer, Sadio Mané to be their talisman once again for the tournament. Mané was ranked second in the Ballon d’Or rankings in this year’s edition and fourth in the 2019 edition. Very few countries will be able to provide a player of that standard in their front line. Senegal are backed by many to be one of the 2 teams to make it through group A however they face competition from Netherlands and Ecuador, and the Bayern forward will no doubt have an imperative role in determining whether they can outperform their opponents.

Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)

The strong favourites to not only go through, but to also top the group have an abundance of talent to choose for their final playing 11. There are the obvious candidates for who most people think will be the player to watch for the Netherlands in Virgil Van Dijk, Frenkie De Jong, Memphis Depay, etc. However, I think that Cody Gakpo will be able to add a whole lot more firepower to an already fierce squad. His blistering start to the campaign for PSV Eindhoven has resulted in Gakpo winning the Eridivise Player of the Month award back to back in the previous 2 months. 9 goals and 12 assists in 13 league games are mind blowing stats, and any sign of that form continuing into the world cup will mean trouble for anyone coming up against the 23 year old sensation.

Just to round up, the players that I believe that people should keep an eye out for during the world cup from group A are:

Akram Afif (Qatar)

Moisés Caicedo (Educador)

Sadio Mané (Senegal)

Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this and I would appreciate any sort of constructive criticism or any opinions that you have on this matter.

By Daniyal