Johannesburg - The Fifa World Cup is not only a platform where footballers can make their nations proud but also one where they can showcase their talents to high-profile clubs around the world. In every World Cup, new and exciting breakout stars emerge.
Today we look at four of those rising stars.
Yassine Bounou (Morocco)
The 31-year-old was key to his nation’s run to the World Cup semi-finals. At 31-years old, the Canadian born Moroccan has plenty of experience under his belt and also helped Sevilla win the Europa League in 2020.
Bounou will not come cheap but he could be a reliable stopper between the sticks for a club playing in the Champions League. He has been tipped for a potential move to Bayern Munich. The German giants need a keeper to fill the void created by a freak injury to Manuel Neuer. The veteran keeper Neuer is set to be out of action for the next several months as a result of the knock that he picked up while skiing.
Josko Gvardiol (Croatia)
Bar his horror-show against Argentina in the semi-finals, Gvardiol was exceptional and one of the standout defenders of the tournament otherwise. RB Leipzig have a history of churning out quality young talents and the 20-year-old Zagreb born Gvardiol is the latest one.
Leipzig will surely receive a lot of interest for the youngster and will be able to demand a hefty sum of money given his age and potential. Gvardiol is definitely one to watch out for in the future. He is left-footed, fast, tall, great on the ball and in the air as well as an adept dribbler.
Dominik Livakovic (Croatia)
Croatia once again overcame and rose above their technical limitations to reach the last four of the World Cup. A key part of that was because of Livakovic who helped them secure penalty-shootout wins against Japan and Brazil even though they did not dominate both games.
Croatia would have likely lost both games had it not been for the presence of their goalkeeper who should be a contender for goalkeeper of the tournament.
Livakovic did have a poor game against Argentina, conceding a penalty but he can be forgiven for that as his entire side was outclassed by the brilliance of Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez on the day.
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Ritsu Doan (Japan)
Japan exceeded expectations in this World Cup and proved that they are a fast rising force in World football. The Samurai Blue are capable of giving any nation a run for their money and could have easily reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup, only to be overcome by Livakovic’s heroics in their last 16 game against Croatia, a match which they dominated.
One of the stars from Japan’s campaign in Qatar which included memorable wins over Germany and Spain was Doan. He scored in both of the victories against the former World Champions and made instant impacts on his sides attack after coming off the bench.
The 24-year-old plays his football for German second-tier side SC Freiburg and should certainly be playing at a higher level.