The FIFA World Cup 2018 begins in 7 days time in Russia when the hosts take on Saudi Arabia. And one of the players who is sure to bag most of the limelight during the tournament is Argentina’s, Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi along with Cristiano Ronaldo are two players who will undoubtedly be the headline grabbers during the tournament.
But the Barcelona man has revealed the names of the players who he thinks will light up the World Cup.
During an interview with El Mundo Deportivo, Messi was asked about his favourite players in the upcoming tournament, to which he said:
“Brazil have Ney and Philippe [Coutinho]. Spain have Andres Iniesta and Silva. Germany don’t have any one star but they are very solid,
“Belgium have [Eden] Hazard and [Kevin] De Bruyne. France have [Antoine] Griezmann and [Kylian] Mbappe. The tournament is full of very good players.”
Out of the eight players that Messi has named three of them have played alongside him at Barcelona.
But the surprising bit in Messi’s list is that it does not feature the name of Egypt’s Mo Salah and more importantly Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Salah is currently undergoing rehab for a shoulder injury which he sustained during the Champions League final against Real Madrid. The forward who at first was not expected to feature in the World Cup has now claimed he will make himself fit in time.
Messi has somehow forgotten to mention Ronaldo’s name on his list while some may argue that the Argentine did conclude with the line, “The tournament is full of very good players.”
But clearly, if Lionel Messi can mention the names of David Silva and Griezmann then he shouldn’t be forgetting his biggest rival.
