A World Cup is a tournament which can make stars out of ordinary players. It is a place where destinies are written, and boys grow up to become men. Over the past tournaments, we have seen some young guns excel at the centre stage and have gone on to become national icons. While these stories are always inspiring, the emergence of youth players gives some respite to big guns too who often have to carry their team on their shoulders. Who could forget a young Cristiano Ronaldo powering a Portugal side to the semis of the 2006 World Cup in Germany when all one could think of was how Louis Figo would turn up. Let us look at some of these young guns from Giovani Lo Celso of Argentina to Hirving Lozano of Mexico. 2018 FIFA World Cup Star Players: From Lionel Messi to David De Gea, Top Footballers to Watch Out for in FIFA WC 2018 Russia.

Giovani Lo Celso (Argentina): Jorge Sampaoli’s trust in this PSG youngster is sky high, and you would not blame the Argentinian coach because of the technical skills Giovani Lo Celso possess. The PSG midfielder who was snapped up from Rosario has left his initial struggles way behind and now fits in effortlessly alongside star names like Neymar, Marco Verrati and Kylian Mbappe. He was on target in the French Cup final and has this ability to drive from the midfield area scoring important goals.

Hirving Lozano (Mexico): Rarely a 22-year-old is instrumental in helping his club secure a league title, but then Hirving Lozano of Mexico is not an ordinary young player. ‘Chucky’ as he is fondly called as has seven goals in 25 appearances for Mexico. A lot of top English Clubs are interested in his services, and his transfer fee has gone up by the ounces. His main task though will now be to help his nation perform well in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Ludwig Augustinsson (Sweden): His transformation from the under 21 side to the senior team has been effortless just like his move to Germany with Werder Bremen after multiple trophies in Demark. A very versatile fullback who is highly rated by his coaches, Augustinsson’s known to whip those pinpoint crosses but hold fort too in case the going gets tough.

Sardar Azmoun (Iran): The Iranian Messi is one of Iran’s most promising young players and already has goals against Bayern Munich and Athletico Madrid in European games in his short footballing career. Playing in his first World Cup, Azmoun has all the potential to become one of the great names in Iranian football. Sardar Azmoun could well emerge as the break out stories of the World Cup, and that will enable him to sign for a big club which will be tremendous for him at this stage of his career.

Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco): One of the key men for Morocco, this powerful box to box midfielder will play an important role for his team at the World Cup. Having represented the Netherlands at youth level, he chose made the switch to his country of origin and has time and again stated about the immense passion he has for Morocco. Amrabat can also be deployed as a holding midfielder if the team needs more assurance at the back and it is this versatility that will come in handy for him. 2018 FIFA World Cup Schedule in IST for PDF Download: Fixtures, Groups, Time Table with Matches in Indian Time & Venue Details of Football WC in Russia.

It will be interesting to note what future lies in front of these young players, but for their fans, a strong World Cup from them could mean the path to national glory and who does not dream to be a national icon.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 13, 2018 12:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).