One of the great pleasures of a World Cup year is the anticipation that builds up around the next crop of young stars to grace the world stage.

These players usually fall into two categories. The first is those who have already began to make their mark in one of the big leagues in Europe, like the Premier League, La Liga or Serie A, but have yet to have a chance to make an impact in international football. A World Cup represents a chance for these players to change their status in the world game.

The second category of young player tends to be those who have risen through the ranks in their national side, but have perhaps been plying their trade in lesser-known leagues. For these players, major tournaments give these youngsters the chance to make themselves known to a far wider audience and, ideally, to then get a move to a big European club once the World Cup is over.

The 2018 World Cup gives players in both of these categories a chance to shine; however, here are some young players to watch out for who have already made a name for themselves in club football and now have the chance to become truly international stars.

Timo Werner (Germany)

If the odds offered by the bookies anything to go by, Timo Werner is undoubtedly a player for whom this World Cup represents the chance to make himself a household name around the world. Most of the main betting sites, such as featured here, have the RB Leipzig forward at odds of around 12-1 to win the Golden Boot as the tournament’s leading goalscorer, behind only Neymar, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann. The 22-year-old has scored 21 goals in each of his two seasons in Leipzig after a move from VfB Stuttgart, and has already scored 8 times in only 14 appearances for the national team. Werner is currently rumoured to be a target for Bayern Munich over the summer, as a replacement for Robert Lewandowski.

Kylian Mbappé (France)

It’s hardly a secret that Paris St Germain winger Kylian Mbappé is one of the most exciting talents in football today, and so this World Cup is perfectly timed for him to let the whole world see what followers of European football have known for the last 18 months. At 19 years old, Mbappé is one of the youngest players to be representing his country in Russia, and after scoring 21 times in 44 appearances for PSG in the last campaign, he is expected to start for France in their first match against Australia. As proof that many expect Mbappé to impact on the tournament in a major way, you can currently get odds of 20-1 on his winning the Golden Boot — astonishing given the fact that he is in a French side also featuring Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud up top.

Jordan Pickford (England)

It’s relatively rare that goalkeepers figure amongst the most exciting names to watch out for amongst youngsters at a World Cup, but Everton’s Jordan Pickford may prove to be the exception. The leading candidate to be the no. 1 among the trio of relatively young keepers that Gareth Southgate has taken to Russia, Pickford has represented his country at every level from under-16 upwards, and to date has three senior caps to his credit. Everton had a fairly mediocre 2017/18 Premier League campaign under Sam Allardyce (who has since been sacked), but the 24-year-old former Sunderland man was the one bright spot in the season, playing in every game. However, it was likely the stunning clean sheet that Pickford kept against Germany at Wembley in November 2017 that has seen him become Southgate’s probable first choice keeper.

Marco Asensio (Spain)

Rumoured to be about to move to Chelsea after winning his second Champions’ League with Real Madrid, Marco Asensio now looks set to burst onto the international stage in the same way as he has at the Bernabeu over the last two years. Asensio has made 12 appearances for Spain after making his international debut in 2016 and looks set to have earned a starting place in Russia at the expense of household names like Juan Mata and Cesc Fabregas — although the shock sacking of manager Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the tournament may mean a change of tactics and approach from the 2010 Champions. An attacking midfielder with a fierce left-footed shot, Asensio scored 11 times for Real Madrid in 2017-18 in 53 games, although he is yet to find the net in a Spain shirt. However, it is hard to imagine him going goalless in Russia, as he has the guile to unlock much better defenses than those of the likes of Morocco and Iran, who Spain face in Group B.

Gabriel Jesus (Brazil)

Playing for Brazil and Manchester City hardly classifies a player as being an unknown, but for Gabriel Jesus this World Cup marks an opportunity to become one of the game’s truly elite players. At only 21 years of age, Jesus scored 24 goals for City in 53 appearances as they romped to the Premier League title, but he is also highly valued by Pep Guardiola as a playmaker for his skills on the ball and ability to create chances for teammates. Jesus’ rise to the top has been as rapid as it has been remarkable, and he will deservedly wear the revered and much coveted no. 9 shirt for Brazil in its opening match against Switzerland. His form for his country has been as impressive as that for his club, and he has already scored 10 times for Brazil in his 17 matches to date, and his odds of 12-1 on being the World Cup’s top goalscorer reflect the esteem in which he is already held — it only looks set to increase in Russia.