Every World Cup has its stars. Here is my pick of the players to watch during this year’s World Cup:

Kylian Mbappe (19)

The French wonderkid moved from Monaco to PSG last season on a loan deal, which should turn permanent for next year. He scored 13 goals for PSG last season, and France will be hoping their hot prospect will help fire them to World Cup glory. He’ll be wearing the number 10, so no pressure!

Gabriel Jesus (20)

Jesus arrived at Manchester City last season, and he took the league by storm, scoring 13 goals. When Aguero got injured, fans were worried where their goals would come from, but the young Brazilian showed his class by scoring some important goals that helped them towards their title win. Brazil will be hoping his goals can help boost their profile following a disappointing World Cup 4 years ago.

Timo Werner (21)

Germany has the second youngest squad to qualify for the World Cup. Werner will be challenging for the Golden Boot having scored 21 goals for his club, RB Leipzig, last season. Germany will no doubt be strong contenders to win the competition, after their dominance in world football over the last few years, and they’ll be looking at Werner to help their cause this year too.

Marcus Rashford (20)

England seem to always gamble on a youngster before a major tournament but this year, with a squad featuring plenty of youth, no one looks out of place. Even 19-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion is well-deserved after a fearless season with Liverpool. Rashford, however, has a had an underwhelming season with Man Utd and will be looking to show everyone why he’s regarded as one of the best youngsters around at the moment.

Ousmane Dembele (19)

He’s one of the world’s most expensive young players around right now, having joined Barcelona last season for a reported €105m from Dortmund. He’ll be part of a hugely talented French squad alongside Mbappe. He’ll be keen to show the world why Barcelona paid the huge price tag for him.

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