MY ACCOUNT
Every World Cup creates a batch of new young stars and the 2022 edition in Qatar has proved to be no different.
This tournament has seen some lauded aces not just live up to their reputations, but enhance them.
We have also witnessed promising talents who were less well known, shine on the biggest stage of all.
As we look forward to four tantalising quarter-final ties, here are five starlets who have lit up the competition.
Goncalo Ramos (Portugal)
21-year old Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos was a surprise inclusion in Portugal’s starting line-up for the last-16 clash with Switzerland.
It was a huge decision by Portuguese coach Fernando Santos and one that was proved justified, as Ramos scored a hat-trick and set up another goal in a 6-1 win.
To put into perspective Ramos’ contribution, the last player to score a hat-trick in the knockout stages of the World Cup was Czechoslovakia’s Tomas Skuhravy back in 1990.
Ramos did not make his debut for Portugal until the eve of the tournament, when he came off the bench to score and assist in the 4-0 friendly victory over Nigeria.
Two more substitute appearances came in the group stage, taking his total international experience to 33 minutes, before his seismic performance against the Swiss.
Ramos made the squad after a breakthrough season at Benfica, in which he has scored nine goals in 11 league appearances.
Enzo Fernandez (Argentina)
Like Ramos, Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez is another player who has seen his reputation transformed at this World Cup.
Fernandez and Ramos are team-mates at Benfica, with the Argentine making a move from River Plate last summer.
His club form saw the 21-year old make his Argentina debut as a substitute in the September friendly against Honduras and made his World Cup bow off the bench in the defeat to Saudi Arabia.
In La Albiceleste’s next match against Mexico, he received a pass from Lionel Messi before netting the second goal in a 2-0 win.
Fernandez has since become a starter in Lionel Scaloni’s midfield, impressing with metronomic passing and defensive nous.
Jamal Musiala (Germany)
Germany cannot look back at many positives from their World Cup campaign, but there is at least one.
Boss Hansi Flick can build a new-look side around the talents of Jamal Musiala, who completed 12 dribbles in the 4-2 win over Costa Rica.
Though still only 19, this was the Bayern Munich attacker’s second international tournament, having enjoyed cameos at Euro 2020.
The future of German football could have been playing for England at this tournament — Musiala appeared for the England Under-21s side before making the switch to represent his country of birth.
He will also be considered to be one that got away for Chelsea, who Musiala left in 2019 to join Bayern, where he quickly established himself as a first-team regular.
Musiala was not able to get on the scoresheet at this World Cup, but nine goals in 14 Bundesliga appearances this season suggest that he can add a cutting edge on the international stage.
Josko Gvardiol (Croatia)
In a sport where the eye is naturally drawn to attacking play, defenders have to be very good to stand out.
Croatia centre-back Josko Gvardiol has managed to do just that, with a series of performances where he has shown a level of maturity at odds with his birth certificate.
Gvardiol is still only 20, but always plays with an air of calmness, whether he is protecting his team’s goal or striding out of the defence with the ball.
In the group-stage clash with Belgium, he produced one of the standout moments of the tournament, with an incredible last-gasp tackle to deny Romelu Lukaku.
The RB Leipzig defender reportedly came close to joining Chelsea in an £80million move on deadline day earlier this year.
Now the Blues face major competition for a player who in the last month has surely become the most sought after defender in world football.
Jude Bellingham (England)
Borussia Dortmund teenager Jude Bellingham already had the world at his feet when this tournament started.
His performances have seen his stock rise even higher, following in the footsteps of past English hopefuls such as Paul Gascoigne and Michael Owen, who went to previous World Cups and exceeded the hype.
At the age of 19, Bellingham is proving himself to be one of the best midfielders in the world. The levels of assurance and maturity on display have been staggering.
Not that we should be surprised. Speaking recently, Dortmund manager Edin Terzic said: “[Bellingham] is the oldest 19-year-old I have ever seen.”
When still only 17, Bellingham had the wisdom to realise that the Bundesliga was a better environment in which to develop than Manchester United, who were competing to buy the Birmingham prodigy in 2020.
Now a summer move from Germany beckons, with the Premier League’s biggest clubs looking to bring him back to England and Europe’s elite sure to try and tempt him elsewhere.
