The Breakout Stars of World Cup Brazil 2014
Casually mention these dudes from your sofa to sound knowledgeable and cultured.
So you know your Riberys from your Ronaldos, your Robbens from your Rooneys. That’s good! But not good enough. This is the World Cup we’re talking about — a spectator spectacle unlike anything in human history — and you’re expected to grace your fellow sofa- or bar-mates with crack commentary. It doesn’t do you any good to mutter, “Oh, Griezmann, he’s a top young talent” after he just bagged a brace; you have to preordain these achievements to approach Tommy Smyth-levels of punditry.
Over half of these teams have no hope of hoisting the trophy at the end, but there’s dozens of players from ill-fancied nations looking to parlay a strong summer into a big contract at a top European club. For footballing scouts, the World Cup is like 64 NFL Combines all piled on top of eachother. So who should you focus your attention on in each match? Özil, Vidal, and Van Persie? Those guys are has-beens. Let’s unearth the names everyone will be breathlessly exalting one month from now. Follow this handy guide of one (or two) players per squad for expert-level prognostication.
GROUP A
Bernard (#20), Brazil — Tiny 21-year-old dribbler who will likely come off the bench when Brazil needs to score a late goal. Don’t be surprised when he starts a match or two where he’ll be lined up against smaller center-midfield markers.
Maxim Choupo-Moting (#13), Cameroon — German-born and trained, scored a nice goal against Germany in a tune-up match.
Mateo Kovacic (#20), Croatia — Up-and-coming box-to-box midfielder with tons of skill — soon to be an important player for both club (Inter Milan) and country. Playing alongside playmaker Luka Modric, the two will drive the dark-horse Croatians. He was also born in 1994, which is, you know, shocking.
Nobody, Mexico — Mexico is muy malo and has no talented players.
GROUP B
Mathew Ryan (#1), Australia — Judging by the Socceroos’ competition in Group B, Ryan should get plenty of action as the starting keeper, if a fellow lad doesn’t get the nod — Borussia Dortmund’s Mitchell Langerak. Young and talented and could move to a bigger European club soon.
Eduardo Vargas (#11), Chile — Likely will come off the bench, but don’t be surprised if he makes a name for himself with a great late move when Chile need a goal. Will be hard to get in the team with Alexis Sanchez and Mauricio Isla in front of him.
Daryl Janmaat (#7), Netherlands — The Dutch will rely upon old-timers Sneijder, Van Persie, and Robben for the goals, but the youth behind them will need to grow up quickly for the Oranje to repeat as finalists. Janmaat has a great shot to play the whole tournament from a fullback position, and will have to be technically strong in possession to keep up the traditional Dutch style of play. A good tournament could see him sold to Napoli or Tottenham. You’ll want to take advantage of his very, very, very Dutch name by making up different pronunciations each time you mention his “strong defending.” See how long it takes your sofa-mates to catch on.
Koke (#17), Spain — A revelation at Champions League runners-up and La Liga champions Atletico Madrid this season, Koke is a harbinger of a second ‘Golden Generation’ of Spaniards. Which, you know, isn’t even fair. You’re supposed to only get one golden generation per century. If Spain keep having ‘Golden Generations’, the rest of the world is well and duly…well, you know. Problem is, he has to get in the team to show his ability. Manager Vicente del Bosque has big decisions with respect to youth vs. old guard, yet my suspicion is that we’ll see more of the direct-minded Koke than many predict.
GROUP C
James Rodriguez (#10), Colombia — One of the world’s best young talents playing in (relative) obscurity at Monaco, all of the weight of expectation will be on the winger now that Falcao is officially off the plane to Brazil. Could increase his value by tens of millions with a strong showing against the lowly competition of Group C. For snobbery points, you can zero in on the fact Rodriguez didn’t jump to the England, Italy, Germany, or Spain when he had the chance, because there’s nothing cooler than an armchair football critic with a beer-gut criticizing a 21-year-old with more talent in his toenail than his the critic’s entire body for the player’s choice of occupational location.
Stefanos Kapino (#13), Greece — A massive 20-year-old goalkeeper who will likely be picked up by a major European side soon. May not start for the Greeks, but most of the country believe he’ll soon captain the side for 15+ years. If he doesn’t play, look for Kostas Manolas at center-back. Key factor: Whenever watching Greek sides, you always want to study the more pronounceable player names. As good as Schalke centerback Kyriakos Papadopoulos is, you’ll want to steer clear of any trip mines when trying to sound authoritative about the team. “Kapino” is perfect. Easy to talk about, young, talented, no one has ever heard of him — ideal for our purposes.
Cheick Tiote (#9), Ivory Coast — Not an unknown, but still ridiculously guilty-pleasure-enjoyable to watch for Newcastle in the Premier League. The combative midfielder is a strong candidate for both most yellow cards in the tournament and most jaw-dropping tackles.
Yoichiro Kakitani (#13), Japan — Everyone knows the talents of Honda and Kagawa — the attacking midfield ninjas — but Kakitani will be the next to leave the J-League and do Japan proud abroad. Could come off the bench and score important goals for the Super Blues. He also dyes his hair orange-blonde, which is soooooo Japan.
GROUP D
Joel Campbell (#9), Costa Rica — Could be a hidden gem for Los Ticos (plays at Olympiakos in Greece), but a tough group may make the squad look like the worst in Brazil. Fleet-of-foot with a good shot on him.
Ross Barkley (#21), England — Trusting in youth like few English managers have before, Roy Hodgson believes the 20-year-old Barkley could pull up trees in Brazil with fellow youngsters Luke Shaw, Danny Welbeck, and Raheem Sterling. I do, too. He deserves to partner Jack Wilshere in the middle, then we can all cherish his signature swashbuckling runs into his opponents’ third of the field. He also plays more like he actually cares than the average Englishman of late, which is both unexpected and pleasant.
Mattia De Sciglio (pronounced “Duh Sheel-e-oh”), (#2), Italy — Looks a likely starter and one of the world’s top up-and-coming side backs. He and Ignazio Abate will bring width and speed to Italy’s traditional counterattacking style, both looking to cross into Mario Balotelli. Also look for the energetic Marco Verratti in the midfield, if selected.
Diego Forlan (#10), Uruguay — Because Diego Forlan does not age and is always breaking out of expectations.
GROUP D
Enner Valencia (#13), Ecuador — Not to be confused with his famous Manchester United teammate, Antonio, Enner is more of forward who plays for Liga MX side Pachuca. Since joining Los Tuzos, Valencia has banged in the goals — 18 in just 22 matches. Due to Christian Benitez’s unfortunate passing, Valencia could sneakily bag two or three goals this tournament.
Antoine Griezmann (#11), France — It’s tough to pick any homme jeune over Paul Pogba and Raphaël Varane, but Real Sociedad’s ultra-talented goalscoring winger is definitely worthy of expectation. He bagged 20 goals in 49 appearances for Sociedad in 2013-14, and did so from a wide midfield berth. Despite just three international caps to his name, there’s a chance he’ll outshine everyone else on this list and move to a major club this year. It only helps that Franck Ribery has been ruled out, but Les Bleus should take heart that Griezmann can do things like this:
Andy Najar (#21), Honduras — The name should be familiar to MLS viewers, as this is the same diminutive Andy Najar who debuted for D.C. United at the age of 17. Now 21, he has an outside shot at playing a role for the Hondurans despite an up-and-down first season at Belgian club Anderlecht. For an Oompa Loompa, he’s pretty good at football.
Ricardo Rodriguez (#13), Switzerland — An absolute beast of a left-back who was even receiving Bundesliga Player of the Season (!!!!!) attention for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga this past campaign. He also looks like a pirate. If the Swiss need goals late in a match, don’t be surprised if the barnstorming Rodriguez just ends up playing left forward. He’s definitely a “known commodity” at this point in soccer circles, so don’t be surprised if your knowledge of his prowess gets you few points with the more pretentious footy snobs. In that case, whip out this line: “Everyone knows about Xherdan Shakiri, the Bayern wide player, but the next Swiss name will be Granit Xhaka…he’ll be a big player in the next few years.” Your friends will gasp at your awareness of the young Monchengladbach player’s immense promise in the middle of midfield. Then, you can even liken him to Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger by calling him “Young Schweini.” Don’t be surprised if they promptly hand you an unrequested Stella Artois or Heineken.
GROUP E
Marcos Rojo (#16), Argentina — Leo Messi and La Albiceleste had better be serious about winning this World Cup on South American soil, because the well of young talent has apparently run dry. The youngest player — at 24 — is Rojo, a slight fullback likely to get lost sprinting too deep into the opposition half. I’ve never seen him play, but I know that (a) Every British club of note is desperately chasing his signature (which brings up an additional point: why are fullbacks seemingly the transfer targets du jour this offseason?) and (b) Players from Sporting Lisbon, his club, are always quality. Always. It’s something in that Portuguese water.
Miralem Pjanić (#8), Bosnia and Herzegovina — Another “tweener” who has probably already “arrived” — He was a big ingredient for Roma’s incredible form this past campaign in Serie A. If you want to really impress, give him a nickname like “The Brain,” “Einstein,” or “The Thinker,” or something more creative. Fluent in six languages and taking university courses while playing top-flight football, Pjanić is apparently one of the smarter footballers on the planet. He’ll be crucial to feeding Edin Džeko the necessary balls into the box for the big target man to do his thing.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh (#9), Iran — Besides sporting a name that required three checks for me to spell correctly, the “Flying Persian” is a bonafide, Triple-A-certified, under-the-radar gem in hiding at this year’s World Cup. At 20 years old, he’s one of the youngest performers on stage, and he’ll likely show some growing pains adjusting to his European-trained opposition. Don’t be surprised if the winger pulls of at least one piece of magic — he’s destined to be Iran’s best ever player and is one of the few who plays in Europe, for the Eredivisie’s NEC.
Ahmed Musa (#7), Nigeria — Manager Stephen Keshi’s Super Eagles are all but self-imploding at this point after match-fixing scandals embarrassed the nation, but they do benefit from playing in a mediocre group. You should remember Musa’s name; against the weak Argentine, Iranian, and Bosnian defenses, the 21-year-old’s pace and skill may provide big dividends.
GROUP F
Mario Götze (#19), Germany — Choosing a “breakout” young German is nigh-impossible; virtually all the youngsters already have brands and groupies and sponsorship deals and mega contracts. These wunderkinds — Götze, Schürrle, Özil, Müller, Draxler, Kroos, and Reus — not only feature an impressive number of umlauts, but are all under the age of 26. This was a tricky selection because Götze doesn’t exactly qualify, but young defenders Matthias Ginter and Erik Durm and the aforementioned winger Julian Draxler are all unlikely to see much playing time. If he was given the opportunity, a good bettor would hedge on Draxler lighting the world aflame in a similar way Özil did in South Africa 2010. That being said, Götze hits the sweetspot of being just 22 years of age and entering his first major tournament yet also being especially likely to destroy his opponents. He will relish linking up again with former club teammate Marco Reus, the two of whom have been declared two of the “greatest talents Germany has ever produced” by Der Kaiser, Franz Beckenbauer. He hasn’t stopped the praise since, claiming, “He has the same understanding and technique, and he’s a footballer who acts purely on his instincts — just like Messi. It’s impossible to stop [him]. You just cannot play any better than him. He just strolls through as if there are no opponents.” If manager Jogi Löw deploys Götze as the false nine center-forward, get ready for a possession attack that would make even the Spanish blush. The question is whether both he and Özil can play together, though retired former captain Michael Ballack says you “have to play both.” Quick, exceptionally skilled with the ball, and an incredible dribbler at speed, Götze could definitely make his way into the FIFA All-Tournament Team when the dust settles.
However, I’d like to reiterate: If we’re really talking “unsung” heroes, understand that Mario Götze has been sung — more sung than an episode of American Idol or Glee or High School Musical. DO NOT ATTEMPT to coyly suggest this is some unknown quantity. You’ll be quickly banished to the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the rest of the tournament with all of the bored, stay-at-home, NFL fan dads.
Mohammed Rabiu (#17), Ghana — Though the Black Stars will get pillaged by the U.S. to the tune of 8-nil, it won’t be for lack of trying. This side has World Cup performances of note behind them, specifically in South Africa 2010 when a single penalty kick kept them from becoming the first ever Africans in a semifinal match. That’s history, though, and Rabiu certainly wasn’t a part of it. The holding midfielder’s inclusion has helped calm his side down and allows the more adventurous Boateng, Ayew, and Asamoah to throttle forward. Thus, if he’s doing his job right, you won’t hear his name to often. Which…is a perfect moment to chime in with a simple, “Wow, Rabiu silently doing all the work. What a magnificent holding mid. Look at all of Ghana’s possession because of his tireless effort!” That’s worth at least 60 points on the great World Cup Hipster Credit Game of Scrabble.
William Carvalho (#6), Portugal —While all eyes are justifiably on the sumptuous skills of Ronaldo, Moutinho, Nani, and co., the trained World Cup spectator will recall that defensive frailty always sinks the Portuguese navy in the end. All flash, no substance. Carvalho may change that, as the strong holding mid may be just the balance needed. Another well-blooded Sporting Lisbon chap who, despite just three international caps, seems unjustifiably comfortable wearing the red-and-green kit.
While we’re on the subject of Portugal, don’t be the Ugly American. If you’re a strong supporter of the U.S. Men’s National Team, there’s no doubt you want to stuff Portugal 3-2 like we did in 2006, thank them for Christopher Columbus (or not), and send them back to their hemisphere. That being said, there’s no quicker way for a rookie footy fan to identify himself in public than to uncomfortably externalize a barrage of taunts, insults, and anger towards Cristiano Ronaldo. The rest of us will laugh at you. CR7 is one of the ten greatest players of all-time, dates a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model, and works harder in one day of his life than you have in your entire existence. We know you think “diving” is a cardinal sin to American sensibilities, but bear in mind that every single other player would have to go to ground liberally to earn calls when you’re as fast and skilled as the man is. Game recognizes game, and we should give credit and respect where it is due.
Now that that especially ill-conceived and tangential diatribe is over, let’s take a look at Portugal holding midfielder Raul Meireles, one of my personal favorites, doing…some…kind…of…dance? That’s right kids, you can do regular hallucinogens and still become FA Cup, Champions League, and Liga Portuguesa champions!
Aron Jóhannsson (#9), United States—By the very nature of being American (wait…is he? How can we be sure? I mean, he does look remarkably like a young Kevin Bacon. How do they find these guys? Does Jürgen have compromising photos of someone in the U.S. Department of Immigration?), our favorite Iceman allegedly from Mobile, Alabama has been saddled with expectation since his first YouTube video search. U.S. Soccer should really start trolling us by making up some 18-year-old “hotshot” in 2017, right before qualifying for Russia 2018. It wouldn’t matter if his name was “Scrotum,” someone would still show up at the next U.S. match with his name on the back of a kit. Great way to sell some gear, and some false hope.
That being said, I do not think Aron is a “false hope.” He’s technically skilled in such a similar way to so many other Scandinavian/Dutch-trained players over the years. Just take a look at this volley. Plus, he’s at least doing the one thing at club-level that his fellow forwards are not: scoring goals. His 20 goals for AZ Alkmaar last season is just one short of the combined total for Chris Wondolowski, Jozy Altidore, and Clint Dempsey combined. Something just tells me he’s going to get plenty of playing time in Brazil, even if it’s just 30 minutes at the end of matches.
Unfortunately, that substitution may signal a frightening and all-too-real fear: the U.S. will likely be down at least one goal. That’s when talk of a lack of firepower will come up. That’s when the questions descend upon Jürgen Klinsmann’s neck like a noose. If the Americans misfire, he’ll go full-German mode in the postmatch talk, shouting “WHERE ARE ZE UTTER JARMAHNS?!?!?! GO FIND PODOLSKI!!! GO FIND HIM!!! I SWEAR I SAW HIM STEP FOOT ON AN AMERICAN MILITARY BASE ONCE!!!” DaMarcus Beasley will calmly ask Jürgen (through tears in his eyes) why a fit, healthy, 32-year-old dude with 57 career international goals is doing vinyasa poses in southern California instead of casually slotting home goals in Brazil. Jürgen will unleash a feral, primal, scream and behead DaMarcus with a karate chop, blood will splatter on young Julian Green’s precocious face, it will be a mess, no one will be happy, everything will be sad.
Either that, or Aron scores two goals of divine quality, saves the U.S.’s tournament, and salvages Jürgen’s youth movement looking towards Russia four years from now. No pressure, kid.
While we’re on the topic of American soccer, I’d like to rekindle interest in Clint Dempsey’s rousing 2006 pump-up Libertarian-laced rap hit, “Don’t Tread.” The other day I played this for a group of 20 American Outlaws supporters, and none had even heard of it. 17-year-old Scott Nelson probably didn’t listen to a single other audio recording for an entire year. It’s a good thing the Outlaws are so many in number now; maybe when Deuce drops his full album in 2018 they can all bounce in unison with the rest of us.
Faouzi Ghoulam (#3), Algeria — Most that I know about Algeria was transmitted to me through The Moment (and yes, we’re talking about Landon Donovan again, somehow). While we Americans were unhinging 10 septillion collective brain cells from our skulls, many forgot to look back and notice something interesting: Algerians get tired, really easily. I mean, it’s only the 90' minute after a match in which they essentially parked the bus for 80 of those minutes. Donny, Dempsey, Jozy n’ co. go barnstorming forward and half of Algeria is still standing at midfield acting like their legs ceased operation. The only other thing I know about Algeria is that Zinedine Zidane is ethnically Algerian. If I were Algerian, I think I’d cry myself to sleep every night.
One player to improve the workrate is Ghoulam, a 23-year-old centerback with European credentials at Italian club side Napoli. Unlike Zidane, Ghoulam wanted to represent Algeria despite being similarly born in France. A strong defender with great leaping ability, look for him to surprise a few.
Kevin de Bruyne (#7), Belgium — Ooooh, how tres chic are Les Belges these days? Everyone’s favorite “dark horse” is being mentioned breathlessly in the lead-up to this World Cup by pundits and fans alike. Long gone are the days when you “couldn’t name five famous Belgians”; now they have Hazard, Lukaku, Courtois, Vermaelen, Kompany, Witsel, Vertoghen…it’s all admittedly very impressive.
However, the purpose of this article is not to help you bandwagon all the way to the nearest waffle house. It’s to help you be informed, and sound informed. Trumpeting the “underdog” Belgians no longer works…it’s like when any other über-hipster establishment jumps the shark. Stumptown? Everyone drinks Stumptown. Williamsburg? Taiwanese tourists hit up Williamsburg before Times Square these days. Vintage record players? …Wait, no, nevermind. Vintage record players are still the unassailable dominion of true hipsterism.
Nonetheless, you get what I’m saying. At what point does an underdog no longer resemble an underdog? When 90 percent of pundits are claiming they’ll go to the semifinals — that’s when. These Belgians are legitimately stacked, from goalkeeper to forward. There’s no need to discount them by saying they will “surprise.”
That brings us to Kevin de Bruyne. In much the same manner in evaluating his country, I refuse to be drawn into claiming players like Romelu Lukaku or Thibaut Courtois are “unknown.” While de Bruyne isn’t exactly Carmen San Diego, he’s certainly been in hiding the last couple of years, due to an unaffectionate relationship with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. Mourinho didn’t buy him, so he did what any self-respecting manager does upon entering a new (err, old) club: sell off the former manager’s charges and buy his own. Thus, de Bruyne is now at Wolfsburg in Germany. Despite a lack of playing time, the passing maestro should be an automatic selection for manager Marc Wilmots.
Alexsandr Kokorin(#9), Russia—At Euro 2012, teammate Alan Dzagoev took the plaudits as that tournament’s breakout star with three goals to his name. Look for Kokorin to do something similar for the Russkis this time out. It’s hard to know what to make of the Russians this time out, who haven’t been to a World Cup since Japan/South Korea 2002. Thankfully, the insufferable Andrei Arshavin didn’t make the 23-man cut.
Lee Chung-yong (#17), South Korea — The long reign of Park Ji-Sung is over, and in his small shadow, Chung-yong will have to build a new legacy. A top prospect now entering his prime at the age of 25, the Bolton Wanderer could use a big tournament to generate a wealthier contract or move abroad. Plus, his name translates directly to “Blue Dragon.” Can’t beat that.
Thanks for reading. If you want to complain or debate, let’s talk @nelsonish or on Facebook.
