From Spanish wonderkid to Norwegian goal machine: The next generation of World Cup stars - BERITAJA

Vini Jr. started his profession pinch the Brazilian nine Flamengo and showed truthful overmuch committedness that erstwhile he was conscionable 16, Real Madrid reportedly paid about $50 cardinal to unafraid his authorities erstwhile he turned 18. Sky Sports reported that it was the second-largest signing from Brazil successful history. The largest? Neymar’s.

Vini Jr. has been worthy the money, though, and past some. He has developed into an electrical near winger pinch the speed, athleticism and dribbling expertise to lick immoderate defense.

He has helped Real triumph La Liga and Champions League titles successful the aforesaid year, doubly — successful 2022 and again successful 2024. In the 2022 Champions League final, he scored the only extremity successful a 1-0 triumph complete Liverpool. Then, successful 2024, he scored again arsenic Real hit Borussia Dortmund 2-0. That year, he besides vanished 2nd to Rodri for the Ballon d’Or award.

Not only is Vini Jr. 1 of the champion players successful the world, but he has besides spoken retired against racism successful shot and done charitable activity successful his autochthonal Brazil. He’d beryllium hailed arsenic a leader moreover much if he were to present the country’s first World Cup triumph since 2002.

Jamal Musiala, Germany

Jamal Musiala spent overmuch of his puerility successful England, processing his crippled successful Chelsea’s younker academy, playing for England’s younker teams pinch his adjacent friend Jude Bellingham.

But successful the summertime of 2019, about the clip of Brexit, the 16-year-old Musiala near to subordinate Bayern Munich successful Germany. He was calved there, to a German mother and a British Nigerian father, earlier he moved to England arsenic a young boy.

When Musiala arrived astatine Bayern, his caller teammate Leroy Sané gave him a nickname — Bambi, presumably for his tall, slender build. He was conscionable 17 erstwhile he made his debut for Bayern and became the youngest subordinate successful squad history to that constituent to play successful the Bundesliga.

In the end, Musiala decided to correspond Germany connected the world stage. Not England.

“I’ve thought about this mobility a lot,” Musiala told The Athletic. “‘What is champion for my future?’ ‘Where do I person much chances to play?’ In the end, I conscionable listened to the emotion that complete a agelong play of clip kept telling maine that it was the correct determination to play for Germany, the onshore I was calved in.”

Now, Musiala is 23 and 1 of the champion young players successful the world, an attacking midfielder who’s a magician pinch the shot astatine his feet, who besides has a knack for uncovering the backmost of the net. From 2022 done 2025, he scored 34 goals successful 82 Bundesliga matches for Bayern.

On the German nationalist team, he’s joined by 2 Bayern teammates — correct backmost Joshua Kimmich and halfway backmost Jonathan Tah. Combined pinch Florian Wirtz, the point-guard-esque midfielder who plays for Liverpool, they are Germany’s talented core.

Last summer, Musiala sustained a awesome wounded during the Club World Cup, a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle, and he seems to still beryllium moving his measurement backmost into form. If he’s healthy, expect him to beryllium astatine the halfway of the action for Germany.

For England, he will ever beryllium the 1 who sewage away.

Alphonso Davies, Canada

Canada is much known for lucky than soccer, but don’t get it twisted — this is simply a morganatic World Cup squad that could astonishment this summer. Davies, 25, 1 of the champion protect players successful the world, is simply a awesome reason. He began his profession pinch MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps, for whom he was the first subordinate calved successful the 2000s to play successful a game.

In 2019 he made the move to Bayern Munich for a then-record MLS transportation interest and helped present a Champions League title conscionable 1 twelvemonth later. He has been a prima for the perennial European powers ever since.

Davies will beryllium integral astatine near backmost for Canada ... if he could get connected the field. A hamstring wounded he sustained against Paris Saint-Germain successful a Champions League semifinal limb connected May 6 will support him retired for “several weeks,” according to the team. The setback is connected apical of an ACL tear he sustained past twelvemonth that forced him to miss about of this past season. Will that deficiency of caller crippled acquisition plague him successful the World Cup?

Canada needs Davies to beryllium physically fresh to person a chance to beforehand heavy successful the tournament. If he misses immoderate time, it will move to guardant Jonathan David and midfielder Ismaël Koné to measurement up and lead it connected the world stage.