The month-long football carnival, the 2018 FIFA World Cup begins in Russia on the 14th of June, and the event as is customary brings with itself some of the game’s biggest talent. It is these players who are capable of deciding, which way the balance would tilt in the event of a close contest. The fans and media alike often have their eyes set on this bunch of stars and the pressure on them to perform certainly increase with each passing day in the cup. Let us have a quick look on who makes it our list of players to watch out for in Russia 2018. FIFA World Cup 2018 Countdown, 2 Days to Go: A Glimpse at the Best Players of All the 32 Teams Participating at Russia WC.

Lionel Messi (Argentina): The Barcelona man is Argentina’s saviour, the man who lifts the morale of the side and gets them ticking. He often has in the past separated the Argentinian team from being bang average to one that is favourites for the cup. A losing finalist in the last World Cup and twice runner-up at the Copa America, Messi has seen quite a few heartbreaks. His decision to come out of retirement and force Argentina out of a ditch in the World Cup qualifiers was inspiring, and now Lionel Messi is all set to power his nations charge in Russia.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): The Portuguese ace saw his lifelong dream of winning a trophy with his home nation get fulfilled when his side won the 2016 European Championship, but with ten players of that successful campaign missing in this World Cup, Ronaldo, as he has done on numerous occasion, will have to step it up on the attacking front once again. Age may not be in his side these days, but the quality of this amazing athlete propels him to do well on the big stage. A record fifth European Cup medal in the season gone by saw Ronaldo score frequently in the second half of the season which is bad news for opponents.

David De Gea (Spain): Manchester United player of the year last season and arguably the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment, David De Gea can have a massive say in Spain’s journey in the 2018 World Cup. He is perfect for an ageing Spanish defense which can be, and the Manchester United’s shot-stopper will be very handy. His save against Liverpool and Manchester City were simply , and this superstar is known for his love for acrobatics. While it is not often a goalkeeper is pinned up as one of the players to watch out for, but then David De Gea is no ordinary man.

Thomas Muller (Germany): The German star is one of the three players to have scored five goals each in their first two World Cup and needs seven to go past Miroslav Klose who has the most goals with sixteen. He is an important cog in the German wheel, and while the Germans play with machine-like precision in such tournaments, it is players like Muller who are at the forefront of all the assault. On his day, Muller can take down the most prolific of defenses and the Bayern Munich ace will also have the added impetus of captaining his side with Manuel Neuer certain to miss out with an injury.

Samuel Umtiti (France): The rock in the French defense, the Barcelona centre-back has quite a few admirers in Europe for his no-nonsense approach to defending. He is blessed with sharp positional sense and is good on the ball as well as air. A very good package due to his ball playing abilities, his partnership with Raphael Varane will determine how far France goes in the tournament. With a quite a few clubs after his signature, Umtiti will have added incentive to perform. 2018 FIFA World Cup Schedule in IST for PDF Download: Fixtures, Groups, Time Table with Matches in Indian Time & Venue Details of Football WC in Russia.

These were our pick for the players to watch out for and our team will keep track on how they perform in Russia. Expect fireworks from them when they take the field for their respective team in the FIFA World Cup 2018.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 13, 2018 12:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).