It's the players that really set the World Cup alight, delivering moments of skill and brilliance that are talked about for decades. With this in mind, who is going to be the new Pele, Zidane or Owen? To put it another way, which players are going to be leaving our jaws on the floor in Qatar?

Robert Lewandowski – Poland

The Polish centre forward has been at the very top of the international striker tree for nearly a decade, even after moving from Borussia Dortmund to rivals Bayern Munich. Flash-forward to 2021, Lewa is still in Bavaria and is loving life. He’ll also be loving the World Cup next year in Qatar, presuming his native Poland makes it.

Lionel Messi – Argentina

It’s approaching now-or-never-time for Lionel Messi. The Argentinian superstar certainly ain’t getting any younger and – save for a second-place finish in 2014 – has never tasted World Cup glory. Yes, perhaps Messi is not quite at his peak, but he’s still one of the game’s all-time greats and should not be overlooked.

Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

If Messi 'ain’t getting any younger', then what can we say about Ronaldo? The Portuguese legend is a couple of years older than his Argentine counterpart, and it’s very likely indeed that this will be his final World Cup. Just like Messi, of course, this is one of the best players in history we are talking about, and he will want to bow out in style.

Erling Braut Haaland – Norway

From the old guard to the new. Erling Haaland plays for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, and is the son of former Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City utility player Alf Inge Haaland. While Alf was a solid player, Erling is an altogether classier proposition. He has already announced himself as one of the top-attacking players in Europe, and is key to Norway's chances.

Kylian Mbappe – France

The biggest breakthrough in Russia back in 2018, France's Kylian Mbappe was instrumental as Les Bleus lifted the World Cup for the second time in their history. Now, Mbappe is a little older, a little wiser, and arguably a little better, and he will certainly be ready for another run at the championship when the next World Cup rolls around in Qatar.

Neymar – Brazil

Neymar has had a strange run of World Cups, with a string of early exits and nasty injuries serving as blots on an otherwise impressive copybook. The megastar will be back once again in 2022, and the Brazilians are much fancied – Betway have their odds of lifting the cup for a record sixth time are 7.00.

Sadio Mané – Senegal

There's something about Sadio Mané. The Senegalese player began his career as a fairly highly-rated youngster at Metz in France before making his way to the English south coast – via a spell at Red Bull Salzburg – to become a key part of an exciting Southampton team. Seven years later Sadio is at Liverpool, and has a Champions League and a Premier League title to his name. Liverpool have stumbled a little in their first season as league champions in 30 years, but Mané is still performing exceptionally.

Jadon Sancho – England

After charging into the semi-finals in 2018 thanks to a mixture of tenacity, luck and plucky enthusiasm, England fans are now flirting with the idea of declaring a new Golden Generation – one that can achieve a bit more than the likes of Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham, and Rooney were able to. One of the exciting young prospects we can expect to see wearing the Three Lions in Qatar is Jadon Sancho, currently plying his trade with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

Mohamed Salah – Egypt

Alongside his Liverpool teammate, Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah is certainly one of the best players in Africa – if not the world. Should Egypt qualify for Qatar 2022, Salah will be looking to avenge a disappointing tournament showing last time out. Egypt's side is a strong one, and, in Salah, they have a talismanic finisher up top. If they can successfully navigate the chaos of the African qualifying system, they should be a force to be reckoned with.

Virgil van Dijk – Netherlands

To say Liverpool have missed Virgil van Dijk in the Premier League this season is an understatement. Ever since Everton keeper Jordan Pickford felled van Dijk with a wild challenge in the Merseyside Derby in October 2020, Liverpool have lost much of their shape at the back. With more than a year and a half still to go until the World Cup kicks off, van Dijk will be hoping to be back to fitness and sharpness. The Netherlands will be hoping so too, as few players are more important in their set-up than this man.

Expectation and surprise

As is always the way, some of these names will do well, some will disappoint, some may not even feature! Who do you think should be included on this difficult-to-predict list of players?