MADRID, 19 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The World Cup in Qatar starts this Sunday, November 20, the first to be held in winter, also as the last great opportunity for players who will be in the tournament, although their performance in their respective clubs is not the best at the moment, as it is the case of Real Madrid midfielder Eden Hazard, Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo or Los Angeles FC winger Gareth Bale, among others.
1. Eden Hazard. The situation of the Belgian is the most complex. Hazard is playing it in Qatar, which will be one of his last bullets to show that he wants to recover his high level and enjoy more opportunities in the white team. It will be his third World Cup, which he arrives in one of his worst moments in physical shape and plunged into constant disappointment.
He arrived four seasons ago as a great star called to lead a new generation without Cristiano Ronaldo in the Merengue boat and after the white club could not sign him in the summer of 2018, just after a World Cup in Russia where he shone with his own light.
However, his performance has led him to ostracism at Real Madrid, with very insignificant performances and always weighed down by injuries. In this course he has only put on the shirt six times, to play a total of 229 minutes, score a goal and give one assist.
Some devastating numbers that could make you think that he does not deserve to be in Qatar, but the coach of the Belgian team, Roberto Martínez, is determined to get the most out of Hazard. With Belgium, the former Chelsea player is the captain and leader, he has stripes and has earned the respect of his coach. For this reason, he arrives at the World Cup to get even and prove Carlo Ancelotti right, who still does not have the playmaker.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo. Different is the situation for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese is involved in a new controversy after his harsh statements against Manchester United and his coach, Erik ten Hag, which have hurt the club a lot, generating a kind of schism in the squad.
The Portuguese arrives in Qatar with more problems than arguments in favor to lift the only trophy that is missing in his showcase. In addition, he has only scored three goals in this first third of the season, marked by his constant substitutions and clashes with his coach. For all this, the Portuguese ‘crack’ wants the World Cup to be the antidote to his current uncertain situation, to confirm that he continues to be a decisive player.
3. Gareth Bale. The Welshman never managed to dazzle a Real Madrid fans who always demanded more, especially after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. His goals at decisive moments give him the status of a white legend, although his cold and distant attitude does not seem to make the fans fall in love. Now, in Qatar, he will be able to retaliate and lead Wales to their first World Cup since 1958.
His move to Los Angeles FC generated a lot of excitement in MLS, but he didn’t improve the numbers at Real Madrid either. He has played 12 games in the United States, with two goals, but only touches 350 minutes on the field. Furthermore, since the end of September he has barely played half an hour with his new club.
4. Joao Felix. Despite being one of the great bets of Atlético de Madrid, the Portuguese continues untapped in what is already his fourth season as a rojiblanco. He started as a starter for Simeone, but his influence has been fading, with only two starts in the last ten games with Atlético, who signed him for more than one hundred million euros.
With the Portugal team, where he does not have a guaranteed place in the eleven either, he will seek to redeem himself and convince ‘Cholo’ based on goals and decisive performances to recover the status lost in recent months.
5. Jordi Alba. With ‘overbooking’ in his position at Barça, the Spanish full-back does not enjoy Xavi Hernández’s maximum confidence, something that has influenced his playing minutes. The alternation between ownership and substitution has been the general trend at this start of the course, playing 828 minutes and questioned despite the weight and hierarchy in his club. Some gallons that it seems that he will maintain with Luis Enrique, more after the physical problems of José Luis Gayà.
6. Raphael Varane. With a month remaining before the start of the World Cup, the French central defender left in tears due to an injury that kept him from the tournament. However, already recovered he is in the call for Deschamps, who does seem to trust the French defender. However, this Varane does not look like the one he saw in Madrid, accompanying Sergio Ramos in the center of the rear. More questioned than in other editions and physically fair, the defender relies on having a good World Cup to face the rest of the season with more confidence.
7.Harry Maguire. Despite not counting for much for Ten Hag at United, where he started as a starter and now makes intermittent appearances, for England manager Gareth Southgate he is one of the important pieces of him. “He is one of our best centre-backs”, he came to say in the weeks prior to the start of the World Cup. Thus, he will be able to vindicate himself in Qatar against the harsh criticism received, and turn around a more than complicated situation for one of the most expensive defenders in the history of the Premier.
8. Luis Suarez. The former forward of FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid returned to Uruguay, with Nacional, to continue his professional career, although without much success. The Uruguayan has played 16 matches in competitions in his country, scoring eight goals, but now away from European football, he wants to recover his status and use the World Cup as a showcase for his last great work with his team.
9. Memphis Depay. His last game with Barça was on September 17. Since then, he has been out for 12 games due to injury, but Van Gaal reserved a place for him on his list, so it seems that he will occupy a privileged place. He will go from Barca oblivion to the leadership of the ‘Oranje’, in search of a performance that he never gave in the Catalan team -3 games, 1 goal and 131 minutes is his balance with FC Barcelona this season-.
10. Ansu Fati. Since November 7, 2020, when he tore the medial meniscus in his left knee, he has not been the same. Ownership and prominence with count drops for a striker with an enviable goal-scoring nose. Even so, and despite the “doubts” recognized by Luis Enrique himself, the coach has decided to bet on him in the Spanish attack, where he can act as a boost in a date that he arrives with three goals in 14 games.