9 undiscovered Qatar World Cup talents

Garang Kuol – Australia

Garang Kuol.

Getty/Hannah Peters

Age: 18

Club: Central Coast Mariners

Position: Forward

Newcastle United has already pre-purchased Garang Kuol from the Central Coast Mariners in September, meaning he does not need to perform well in Qatar to secure a contract with a major club. In January, he will join the English Premier League team.

Nick Montgomery, manager of the Mariners, has high hopes for Kuol’s future since he is a quick, powerful, and self-assured attacker who enjoys racing at defenders.

Montgomery stated last month, “I believe Garang could be on par with anyone in the world.”

Joško Gvardiol – Croatia

In the summer, Gvardiol was a target for Chelsea FC.

Getty/Nico Paetzel

Age: 20

Club: RB Leipzig

Position: Defender

Gvardiol possesses all the necessary physical attributes for a central defender: speed, strength, and exceptional aerial ability.

However, he is also adept with the ball at his feet, which made him a top target for Chelsea, who reportedly paid $88 million for him in the summer but were unsuccessful.

If he does well in Qatar, Gvardiol’s already exorbitant price tag will inevitably increase.

Zeno Debast – Belgium

Zeno Debast has previously been compared to the legendary Vincent Kompany of Belgium.

Getty/Joris Verwijst

Age: 19

Club: Anderlecht

Position: Defender

Zeno Debast made quite an impression on Belgium manager Roberto Martinez during his Red Devils debut against Wales.

According to 90min, Martinez stated of the Anderlecht youth, “This was one of the most impressive debuts for the Red Devils in recent years.” I have never witnessed such a young player make such a successful debut.

The Belgian press has also dubbed Debast “the next Vincent Kompany,” which he considers a “honor.”

Piero Hincapié – Ecuador

Piero Hincapie.

Getty/Joris Verwijst

Age: 20

Club: Bayer Leverkusen

Position: Defender

Piero Hincapié, a versatile defender who can play as a left-back or center defender, was a frequent starter for third-place Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga last season.

According to Fichajes, he was so successful in his rookie season in Germany that LaLiga and European champion Real Madrid are already interested in signing him.

The Netherlands’ Xavi Simons

PSV’s Xavi Simons in action.

Getty/Soccrates Photographs

Age: 19

Club: PSV Eindhoven

Position: Midfielder

Simons was nominated to the Netherlands’ preliminary World Cup team of 39 players, but as he has never played for his country, it is uncertain whether he will make the final cut.

Former Netherlands star Jan Boskamp believes it would be a no-brainer for Louis van Gaal to send him to Qatar.

Boskamp told Veronica Offside of Simons, “He thinks more faster than other players, which is quite unusual.”

Simons, who has scored eight goals for PSV this season, will undoubtedly attract attention if he leaves.

Takefusa Kubo – Japan

Takefusa Kubo has played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid previously.

Getty/Masashi Hara

Age: 21

Club: Real Sociedad

Position: Forward

Takefusa Kubo, a former FC Barcelona youth player, joined Real Madrid in 2019.

He spent the next three years on loan at various Spanish clubs, where he occasionally displayed flashes of his skill, but never played for the squad.

Having left Madrid permanently to join Real Sociedad this summer, he is presently enjoying the finest form of his career and is playing consistently.

Kubo has been dubbed the “Japanese Messi” for his blistering speed and exceptional dribbling ability.

Canada is Jonathan David’s country

The author is Jonathan David.

Getty Images/Matthew Ashton; Getty Images/Matthew Ashton

Age: 22

Club: LOSC Lille

Position: Forward

Jonathan David, the most well-known of the lesser-known players on this list, has already established himself as one of the elite strikers in European soccer.

In his first season at LOSC Lille in 2020/21, he scored 13 goals to assist the team win its fourth Ligue 1 championship, while he scored 19 goals in all competitions the previous year.

This season, David has upped his game, scoring nine goals in 13 Ligue 1 matches, second only to the Paris Saint-Germain pair of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

Mohammed Kudus – Ghana

That Ghana uniform, however.

Getty/ANP

Age: 22

Club: Ajax

Position: Forward

For years, Ghana supporters have counted on André and Jordan Ayew to score goals for their country.

However, Black Stars fans now have a new goal-scoring hero to admire in Mohammed Kudus.

The attacker has scored five goals in 18 matches for Ghana since making his debut in 2019, while he has also scored 10 goals for Ajax this season – a form he and Ghana fans will be hoping he can maintain in Qatar.

Jesús Ferreira – USA

Jesus Ferreira.

Getty/Omar Vega

Age: 21

Club: FC Dallas

Position: Forward

Jess Ferreira, the 2022 Major League Soccer Young Player of the Year, scored 18 goals and dished out six assists to aid FC Dallas reach its best Western Conference finish in six years.

Ferreira also had an amazing record for the U.S. national team, scoring seven goals in 15 games.