THE 2022 World Cup is almost upon us and the usual suspects are preparing to take centre stage.

Can Messi or Ronaldo claim what is likely their last World Cup? Will club-mates Neymar or Mbappe lead their respective nations furthest? Can Harry Kane fire England to glory after last year’s Euro heartbreak?

But aside from football’s superstar names, there are several exciting players poised to light up the World Cup this winter. Here are five to keep an eye on.

Cody Gakpo – Netherlands

Linked with moves to Manchester United and Leeds, it was something of a surprise when the summer transfer window closed and Cody Gakpo remained a PSV player.

But the two Uniteds’ loss has been PSV’s gain this season. The 23-year-old winger has been in sensational form, racking up 13 goals and 17 assists across 24 all-competitions appearances for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side.

The dynamic, skilful and versatile forward – although the right-footer prefers to play on the left and cut inside on to his stronger foot, Gakpo can also play on the right flank or centrally as a striker – now has the opportunity to become one of the breakout stars on the world stage as he will surely feature prominently for Louis van Gaal’s Oranje.

Yunus Musah – USA

United States midfielder Yunus Musa will turn 20 years old in Qatar and he is already midway through his third full season in Valencia’s first team.

The driving force at the heart of Los Che’s middle third has accumulated 19 senior caps for Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT, and the World Cup group stage will bring him face to face with a familiar friend-turned foe: England.

Musah was born in New York, but he was raised in Italy until the age of nine, when his Ghanain-native parents moved to London. There, he shone as a highly rated prospect within Arsenal’s academy between the ages of nine and 16. That’s when he decided to fast-track his first-team ambitions with a move to La Liga.

And when it came time to settle on his future at international level, the youngster had four options: Ghana, Italy, England – whom he’d represented more than 30 times at various youth levels – or his birthplace.

He opted for the USA. He will take on his former nation during the tournament’s opening week and Gareth Southgate will have to plan to combat Musah’s tenacious ball recovery, percussive passing and driving threat.

Jamal Musiala – Germany

Another former England youth standout who will be starring for a different nation in Qatar is Bayern Munich youngster Jamal Musiala.

The German-born attacking midfielder became one of the most promising young players in England during an eight-year spell with Chelsea and he even represented the Three Lions as high as the under-21 level.

But Musiala, like Musah, elected to turn out for his birth nation at senior international level following a 2019 switch to Bayern.

The exciting, highly skilled and clinical attacker has, aged just 19, already established himself as an indispensable asset for the Bundesliga champions and one of the most gifted young players in Europe.

He has only struck once thus far in 17 caps for Germany, but he carries to Qatar an exceptional run of early season form that has seen him score nine league goals in 14 games. He will surely add to his tally at the World Cup, cementing him as the heir to the likes of 2014 world champions Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze.

Jonathan David – Canada

A reported January transfer target for big-spending Newcastle, Canada striker Jonathan David is poised to be one of the breakout young stars of the 2022 World Cup.

In their first World Cup since 1986, Canada face a tough group that will pit them against perennial contenders Belgium and 2018 finalists Croatia. But John Herdman’s talented young side have the potential to spring an upset or two, powered by their headline duo of Bayern left-back Alphonso Davies and Lille’s David.

And David will be familiar to the Belgians, having started his professional career with Genk, where he scored 30 goals in 60 appearances as a teenager. The striker was then snapped up by Lille, and his scoring has not slowed in France, where he has notched 41 times in two and a half seasons.

With his combination of searing pace, astute link play and clinical finishing – plus an exceptional international scoring record of 22 goals from 34 caps – 22-year-old David promises to be one of the most exciting prospects at this winter’s World Cup.

Mohammed Kudus – Ghana

There was a mass exodus at the Johan Cruijff ArenA this summer. Around £200 million’s worth of outgoings were headlined by the departures of Lisandro Martinez and Antony to Manchester United, former West Ham striker Sebastien Haller to Borussia Dortmund and 20-year-old midfield prodigy Ryan Gravenberch to Bayern.

But few clubs do scouting and development as well as the Dutch champions. And Ajax’s latest unearthed gem is poised to shine at the World Cup if his Eredivisie form this season is any indicator.

A product of Ghana’s Right To Dream academy, Ajax signed Mohammed Kudus Nordsjaelland, RTD’s Norwegian sister club, in 2020. And, after two years of steady acclimatisation, the explosive attacking midfielder has filled the void left by Antony and Haller’s departures, providing dynamism, creativity and no shortage of goals, with 10 already from just 15 games.

Kudus’ sheer speed, skill and directness makes the 22-year-old one to watch in Qatar.

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