Lionel Messi
So where do you start exactly? With the goals, or the creation of chances? With the ability to run with the ball like it’s part of him, or the fact he never slackens off? With the fact he’s still only 26, or the way he eschews the glamour and high-life and prefers to be a low-maintenance footballer? If Messi desires to be seen as the world’s best player, he’s determined to win the accolade by dint of performance only, not through his off-field image - and he’ll never have a better chance of driving Argentina to glory than at this World Cup.
Andres Iniesta
Yes, yes, it’s true. You could equally include the balding maestro of Spanish football in a collection of No 6s, No 8s and a few others, for there is little by way of conventional positioning in the tiki-taka style that has dominated world football for six years. You could also mount a powerful case for Xavi being here, or even Juan Mata, in a celebration of the creative arts. But there’s something about Iniesta’s ability, not so much to find space, as invent it, his ability to draw opponents close and then leave them stranded, that makes him the high priest of making chances.
Oscar
So willowy is the 180cm frame of Chelsea’s 22-year-old Brazilian that he somehow seems smaller on the field - but you try getting the ball from him, or closing off the angles for his wonderfully intuitive passes. The fact he has the confidence of an arch pragmatist like Jose Mourinho shows there is a discipline and work ethic underpinning his performances. But that’s hardly the focus - if Brazil win a World Cup on home soil - he’s likely to play a senior role.
Wesley Sneijder
Twelve years after he stepped out of the Ajax academy, Sneijder’s career has dimmed a little since his move to Galatasaray took him away from the European elite. Yet memories are still strong of his magnificent displays at the last World Cup that were a major reason for Holland going all the way to the final. And he has been praised by Dutch boss Louis van Gaal for the condition in which he has got his body ahead of the World Cup. At 29, Sneijder aims to show his greatest days are far from over.
Mesut Ozil
It sees to be the playmaker’s role in life to divide opinion, and Ozil doesn’t disappoint in that regard. In one camp, presided over by Arsene Wenger, are the purists who delight in his vision, his economy of touch and the speed with which his brain anticipates where a move might unfold. On the other side is the Carlo Ancelotti tendency, who see a player with prodigious talent but less of an ability to impose himself on a game when the going is tough, who needs his German colleagues to be on song. Brazil 2014 might settle the argument.
Wayne Rooney
Some people might quibble at Rooney’s inclusion alongside other names on this list, but there’s a strong argument for putting him in this exalted company on the basis of the tournament he has to have. Since electrifying the Euro 2004 championship, injuries and loss of form have seen him disappoint at all subsequent events, with consequently disastrous implications for England’s hopes. Finally, with brilliant young talent around him, it’s now or never for the Manchester United star to shine.
Shinji Kagawa
After two years of purgatory at Manchester United, even Kagawa has admitted that the prospect of this World Cup has helped keep his spirits up – and a group containing Colombia, Greece and the Ivory Coast could be the perfect environment to make a point to those who have undervalued him at United. Ceaseless running and acute positional awareness make him a nightmare to mark, as he showed at Borussia Dortmund before the ill-fated move to Manchester.
Mario Gotze
After a season of frustration at Bayern Munich, is Gotze ready to unleash all his anger on the World Cup? Still only 21, Gotze has big decisions ahead of himself – does he stay at Bayern, in the hope of a more central role next season after his big-money move from Dortmund, or try his luck elsewhere? His guile, passing and drive would make the list of potential suitors a long one, especially if he can force his way into a starring role with Joachim Low’s Germany side in Brazil.
Alexis Sanchez
The epitome of the modern footballer, Sanchez can play anywhere along the forward line, and scores goals. But in the high-pressing, up-tempo Chilean side of Jorge Sampaoli, Sanchez’s ability to drop off and find space will be crucial if they are to find a way past Spain, Holland (and Australia), working in tandem with Arturo Vidal and Eduardo Vargas. Sanchez admits the Chilean style suits him more than his club side, Barcelona’s, which makes the meeting with the Spanish all the more interesting.
James Rodriguez
The 22-year-old has accrued several nicknames in a short career, but it’s perhaps being dubbed ‘El Nuevo Pibe’ that is most significant. “The new kid” means that Colombians see him as the worthiest successor to the venerated Carlos Valderama – and that includes Valderama himself, who believes Rodriguez has the potential to surpass him as the country’s finest-ever footballer. Two-footed, his balance on the ball makes it seem at times like he’s floating – but it’s defenders who end up sunk.
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