2018 WORLD CUP - SUPERSTARS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN EACH TEAM - a podcast by noreply@blogger.com (The Hat Trick)

Messi brought Argentina to the World Cup 2014 Finals but was unable to get his first international trophy. He scored a hat-trick against Ecuador in a must-win game to push Argentina into qualifaction for Russia 2018.

Australia - Aaron Mooy

Aaron Mooy will be a big "Ones to Watch" after finishing his first Premier League season under Huddersfield, while managing to turn a few heads in the process. Mooy will be looking to improve on his 2 goals in qualifying as a deep-lying midfielder. If he puts in a strong enough performance with Australia, Aaron Mooy will also be a top candidate to help bolster bigger European Club's squad depth.

Playing as the left Center Forward for the Red Devils, Eden Hazard will be hoping to prove to everyone he is still a World-Class player. With Chelsea finishing 5th and in the Europa League, and strong performance at Russia could see clubs like Real Madrid turn their attention toward this extremely talented winger. Hazard will be looking to help improve the terrible run of Belgium from Euro 2016.

In one of the most stacked teams (on paper at least) in the tournament, Neymar Jr still stands head and shoulders taller than the rest of Brazil's squad. Having already bagged 55 goals for his country, Neymar Jr. will be looking to make this his World Cup, hopefully sparking a move away from Paris and to Real Madrid, where he can show his outstanding skills as a Left Winger. Neymar Jr is a big favorite to win Golden Boot for this tournament as well.

Colombia - James Rodriguez

This is not James Rodriguez's first World Cup. Having taken home the 2014 Golden Boot award, and a transfer to Real Madrid as a reward, James is going to want to keep his international momentum going. Playing as the center attacking midfielder for Colombia, almost every attacking move will work through him, so expect a strong performance throughout his entire campaign.

Costa Rica - Keylor Navas

Coming off of an outstanding Champions League Final performance, Costa Rican goalkeeper is in great form and will hope to keep it going through the world cup. Keylor Navas was a huge reason Costa Rica were able to advance into the Quater-Finals in Brazil 2014, and will want to help his team get as far as possible this time around as well.

Croatia - Luka Modric

Easily the best center midfielder these past two seasons, with Real Madrid teammate Toni Kroos as a close second, Luka Modric will be under a spotlight constantly as he hopes to bring this "Golden Age" in Croatian soccer to glory. Expect tons of assists and amazing passes from the extremely talented number 10.

Denmark - Christian Eriksen

Another top quality midfielder is Tottenham Hotspur player Christian Eriksen. Christian Eriksen is known for his brilliant crosses and spectacular shooting from distance. Expect nothing less than a true wonder goal from the danish star.

Egypt - Mohamed Salah

Of course the Egyptian King has to be Egypt's star man. having scored a whopping 46 goals in 56 appearances, Mohamed Salah will be hoping he can continue to carry Egypt to unthinkable heights. Salah was able to score two goals, including a penalty in extra time, to secure Egypt's place in the 2018 World Cup, the first time in 28 years.

England - Harry Kane

Being the captain and striker for England, Harry Kane will obviously be the star man. Having banged in 5 goals in 6 World Cup qualifications, Harry Kane will want to show he should be considered a World-Class striker, especially after a goalless run in Euro 2016.

France - Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe was the 2017 Golden Boy winner after a miraculous 2016-2017 season for AS Monaco. The number 10 on the France national team, Mbappe will be teaming up with Antoine Griezmann to prove he is not another one season wonder, and hopefully push the Blues to another World Cup.

Germany - Thomas Muller

Thomas Muller of FC Bayern is an outstanding central and wide player. With his club performance being overshadowed slightly by such huge names like Lewandowski, Robben, and Rodriguez, Muller hasn't been as deadly in front of net as most would like. However, his previous World Cup performances, show just how deadly and vital he is to die Mannshaft, and will play a huge role in Germany's title defense.

Iceland - Gylfi Sigurdsson

Gylfi Sigurdsson will be focal point for the Icelandic team. Although this Iceland team will be extremely defensive, the entirety of their counter attacks will be through Gylfri, who will hope to show the world just how magical he is, as seen in Euro 2016.

Iranian Striker Sardar Azmoun will definitely be the man to watch as Iran battle it out in Group B. Although they are bagged as leaving the group stage, if this 23-year old striker can find the net like he has for Iran in the past (23 goals in 31 appearances) they might have a chance to surprise the word.

Japan - Shinji Kagawa

Shinji Kagawa, attacking midifielder for Borussia Dortmund, will be the pillar of attack for Japan. With no other creative player in their squad, Kagawa will try to serve balls in to japan's strikers, hopefully racking up assists to show he deserves a starting spot in club level.

Mexico - Hirving "Chucky" Lozano

Lozano is a trickster from dutch club PSV, and is currently in exceptional form for both club and country. Lozano offers a creative outlet that allows Mexico's other attackers to push further up and find space, such as Carlos Vela and Chicharito.

This strong defender from Juventus will be the main talking point when watching Morocco fight to earn a spot in the Knockout stage. Benatia is a quick and smart defender that plays the ball out of the back with extreme precision.

Nigeria - John Obi Mikel

Ex-Chelsea legend, John Obi Mikel has been the perfect defensive midfielders for Nigeria, helping tie the defense with the attack, and allowing for more creation to be had up the field. Mikel will have to be at the top of his game for almost every game in order for Nigeria to succeed through into the Knockout stage.

Panama - Roman Torres

Roman Torres was the last scorer for Panama in a 2-1 victory over Costa Rica, which is why this Panama team is in their first ever World Cup. Defender for the Seattle Sounders, Torres will be a big part of this Panama team, hoping to make a mark in the World Cup.

Paolo Guerrero, who recently had his 6-month ban lifted after testing positive for cocaine consumption, is Peru's all-time leading goalscorer, and one of the only reasons this Peru side was able to qualify. Guerrero is a sleek attacker who isn't afraid to bump elbows, so watch out for some insane beast mode goals!!

Poland - Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski, FC Bayern forward is essentially a 1-man team for Poland. Although Poland has fairly strong players across the board, Lewandowski is going to quite literally be the only person scoring goals for them. He scored an insane 16 goals in the 10 qualifying matches played, which shows just how lethal he can be. He is definitely in the running for the Golden Boot award.

Portugal - Cristiano Ronaldo

Even after a disappointing injury in the Euro 2016 Finals, Ronaldo will be the main talking point for Portugal and will have millions of eyes on him, which usually fuels him to perform even better than he is expected. this will most likely be Ronaldo's last World Cup, although he has said he wants to keep playing until he is 41.

Smolov has been the leading scorer for the past 3 seasons in Russia's domestic league, proving he is a deadly attacking threat if given the service he needs. Smolov will be in a tough spot as the host country will be relying heavily on him, which might be too much pressure for the tall target-man.

Playing in the Saudi Arabian league, Al-Sahlawi can play very well and has great hold-up play. He will be playing in attack, and try to hold the ball as long as possible to tire his opponents up, while scoring some nice goals if given enough space.

Senegal - Sadio Mane

Sadio Mane finished another brilliant season for Liverpool, being apart of an attacking trio that scored 30 goals shared equally among all 3. Mane is going to be a major key for Senegal and hopefully will show the crowds in Russia why so many Liverpool fans have fallen in love with this pacey winger.

Serbia - Nemanja Matic

Nemanja Matic is coming off of a 2nd place finish with Manchester United, which many argue was only possible because of strong performances from himself and keeper David de Gea. Matic is tasked with connecting the defense of Serbia to the attack, which he has proven time and time again that he is capable of such responsibility. Hopefully, he is able to propel Serbia into the Knockout stage this time around.

South Korea - Son Heung-Min

Son Heung-Min has proven to Tottenham supporters he is not to be slept on. Son is a creative genius and offers a high work-rate for the South Korean side, and with just a little luck, could help see South Korea into the Knockout stage, which would be the first time since 2010.

Spain - Sergio Busquets

Sergio Busquets has often been awarded with being the "master" at tiki-taka soccer, which is very much so the style of soccer both Barcelona and Spain play. Busquets will have to been on his toes constantly in order to bring Spain to glory once again, which would add to the perfect sending off of Andres Iniesta, teammate of Busquets in both club and country.

Sweden - Emil Forsberg

Forsberg has the difficult task of trying to keep afloat a Swedish side, who very much beat all odds to qualify, going through a playoff match against Italy and beating them over two legs. Forsberg offers a lot of creative outlets and will probably be holding on to the ball a ton to try and waste as much time as possible.

Switzerland - Xherdan Shaqiri

Shaqiri is a Stoke city attacker, however his most impressive feat is that he used to be a starter at FC Bayern, showing to fans that he still may have those World-Class characteristics. Shaqiri will want to show the World of his magic, as he is currently in the 2nd tier of English Soccer, and he has openly said he doesn't deserve to be playing in that league.

Tunisia - Wahbi Khazri

Khazri isn't the biggest name by any means, but he offers a lot of attack to the small Tunisia side. He will have a tough ask ahead of a group stage with Belgium and England, but expect some assists from Wahbi Khazri.

Uruguay - Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez is already a house-hold name for many, whether that is because of his good acts or bad, no one is really sure. Having been seen biting 3 different players in 3 separate occasions, Suarez is hated by many, however no one can deny the insane goal scoring capabilities he has. He will have to be in A+ form if Uruguay are going to go to semi-finals like they did last World Cup.