Three weeks out from the first whistle and the World Cup feels closer now than it did when the draw was made. Real competitions clarify things. You start to see who’s actually in form, who looks sharp, who’s carrying an edge. And this one’s different. Not because of the format or the host nations, but because we’ve got a crop of players who can genuinely decide matches on their own. Not many tournaments can say that.
I’ve watched enough football to know the difference between hype and substance. This lot have substance.
Kylian Mbappé
Start with the obvious. Mbappé is the best player in the world right now and it’s not particularly close. He’s been the best player in the world for about eighteen months. What he did in Qatar was extraordinary, but he’s better now. Faster thinking, better finishing, more ruthless in the box. He just beat Lens 2-0 with PSG and the manner in which he took look his goal was absurd. No backlift, no shaping up, just instant execution.
France are favourites for a reason and that reason has a name. When he’s on the pitch, opposition managers have to dedicate at least two players to him, which opens space for everyone else. When he’s off it, they can breathe. Simple as that.
The only question is whether he’ll show up in the tight knockout games the way he did four years ago. My sense is yes. He’s matured. He doesn’t sulk anymore when things aren’t going his way. He works harder defensively than he used to. And crucially, he looks like he’s enjoying himself again after a season where the PSG drama got tiresome.
Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid beat Oviedo 2-0 three days ago and Vinicius was central to everything good they did. That’s been the story all season. He’s gone from being a frustrating luxury winger to the spine of that team. Still direct, still explosive, but now he picks the right moments. Knows when to take players on, knows when to slip the pass.
Brazil need him to be this version. Not the 2022 version where he was electric but wasteful. Not the version from three years ago where he couldn’t finish. This one. The complete forward who can beat a man, create a goal, and score himself.
What makes him dangerous at a World Cup is his unpredictability. You can plan for Mbappé because he’s so direct. You know what he’s going to try to do, you just can’t stop it. Vinicius is harder to read. He’ll go inside when you expect him to go out. He’ll shoot when you expect the pass. Against packed defences in knockout football, that randomness matters.
The diving and the theatrics still wind me up. He goes down too easily and stays down too long. But I’ll take that if he performs at the level he’s capable of. Brazil haven’t won this tournament in over twenty years. If they’re going to end that drought, it’ll be because Vinicius dragged them there.
Jude Bellingham
I didn’t expect to be writing this paragraph two years ago, but here we are. Bellingham is the most important English player going into this World Cup. Not the best, necessarily. But the most important. Because he’s the one who makes the midfield function. The one who connects defence to attack. The one who actually wants the ball when things get tight.
He’s playing at Real Madrid like he’s been there a decade. Comfortable on the ball, physically dominant, tactically smart. And unlike some young English players who shine at club level and shrink for country, he’s been brilliant in an England shirt. Scored in three of the last four qualifiers. Pressed well. Covered ground. Did the ugly work.
What I like about him is that he’s not trying to be something he’s not. He’s not trying to be Gascoigne or Gerrard or whoever the press want to compare him to. He’s just playing his game. Box to box, high energy, willing to take responsibility. That’s what England need. Not flair for the sake of it. Not heroes. Just someone who can control a match when it needs controlling.
If England go deep, it’ll be because Bellingham had a massive tournament. If they don’t, it’ll probably be because he got injured or suspended. That’s how central he is now.
Erling Haaland
Norway aren’t at the World Cup. Worth saying that upfront so nobody thinks I’ve lost the plot. But if we’re talking about players who define the current era of football, Haaland has to be in the conversation. City just beat Palace 3-0 and once again he scored without really needing to do much. That’s his gift. He doesn’t need chances. He needs half-chances. Quarter-chances. He turns nothing into goals.
The point of including him here is this: he’s set the bar for what a modern striker looks like. Clinical, physical, instinctive. Every other centre forward at this tournament will be judged against that standard. Can they finish like him? Can they move like him? Can they impose themselves the way he does?
The answer is probably no. Which tells you how high the level is right now.
Pedri
Spain are a strange one. They’ve got talent everywhere but you’re never quite sure if they’ll actually deliver. Pedri is the exception. He’s the one player they have who absolutely guarantees quality. Every single time he plays, he’s at least an eight out of ten. Touch, vision, movement, decision-making. All elite.
Barcelona just lost to Alavés which isn’t ideal preparation, but Pedri’s season has been strong. He’s stayed fit, which is crucial. He’s played with authority. He’s become the player everyone hoped he’d be after Euro 2020.
Spain will go as far as their midfield takes them. That’s always been true. And right now, their midfield runs through Pedri. If he has a quiet tournament, they’re out in the quarters. If he dominates, they could win the thing.
We’re three weeks away. These five will decide how this tournament is remembered. Not tactics, not managers, not penalty shootouts. Players. The ones who can do things others can’t. The ones who make you sit forward in your seat when they get the ball. That’s what the World Cup is supposed to be about.