Group A of the upcoming World Cup 2022 is arguably the most diverse of the bunch as the four countries competing have come from the four corners of the world.
Hosts Qatar are eager to put on a show in front of their home fans, but they will be the huge underdogs based on the World Cup 2022 odds since they’re grouped alongside Ecuador, Senegal, and Netherlands.
Still, the matchups here are going to be interesting since there is considerable star power coming from these four nations.
So without further ado, join us today as SBOTOP lists down the top standouts to watch in Group A.
Almoez Ali, Qatar
Qatar became the first Arab state to host the World Cup and their debut appearance in the showpiece event is 12 years in the making.
Leading the way for the hosts is Almoez Ali, who has emerged as the face of Qatari football. The 26-year-old striker currently plays professionally for Al-Duhail, whom he captains.
Ali made his senior national team debut in 2016. Since then, he’s had 76 caps total and he’s their all-time leading scorer with 39 goals.
He became the first player in history to score in three tournaments and on three continents – the 2019 Copa America, 2019 Asian Cup where had a tournament-record of nine goals and won MVP, and the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup where he was awarded as the competition’s top scorer.
Almoez Ali is determined to continue to write history for his home country, and for sure he’ll have the home fans cheering for him in every World Cup match.
Enner Valencia, Ecuador
Ecuador have an exciting group of youngsters who are on the rise, but here we will feature the most prominent name on their roster.
Enner Valencia will be looking to make it count in his second World Cup appearance, and maybe this will be his last for his national team career.
The former West Ham United and Everton forward has made 70 appearances for La Tri and he’s their all-time leading scorer with 35 goals. He will be joined up front by 25-year-old Michael Estrada, who was Ecuador’s top marksman during the qualifiers with six goals.
Sadio Mane, Senegal
Senegal are one of the strongest teams in Group A, but they can only go far as Sadio Mane goes. The Bayern Munich hitman is their primary attacking threat since he’s their all-time leading scorer with 34 goals in 93 appearances made.
Mane’s speed and dribbling skills are going to be featured regularly in the World Cup 2022 highlights reel. He’ll link up with the likes of Ismaila Sarr, Boulaye Dia, and Bamba Dieng up front.
His Bayern Munich career was off to a brisk start as he scored three goals in his first three league matches, but he struggled for a bit and Die Bayern’s results in September were generally subpar by their standards.
Come October, Mane got back into the scoresheet against Bayer Leverkusen and Viktoria Plzen, and all is well again at Bavaria. If he maintains his great form, he might be one of the dark horses for the World Cup Golden Boot.
Virgil van Dijk, Netherlands
Netherlands are the favourites to come out of Group A since they had a strong qualifying campaign. Despite changing coaches from Frank de Boer to Louis van Gaal, the Oranje didn’t skip a beat at all.
They were third-place finishers in the 2014 World Cup, but they didn’t make it to Russia in 2018. Now that they’re back, they’ll aim to settle some unfinished business.
Frenkie de Jong, Donyell Malen, Cody Gakpo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Ryan Gravenberch will lead a new generation of talent for Netherlands. On the other hand, Memphis Depay, Wout Weghorst, Denzel Dumfries, and Daley Blind are some of their key veterans for us to look forward to as well.
But all eyes are going to be on skipper Virgil van Dijk, who is looking to remind everyone that he still is the best defender in the world. The towering centre-back has 49 caps and six goals on his national team resume.
To explain his overall quality, van Dijk was so good that he was second behind Lionel Messi in the Ballon d’Or race back in 2019. He is also one of the main reasons why Liverpool have won multiple trophies under Jurgen Klopp –including the 2019 Champions League and 2020 Premier League.
As long as van Dijk is healthy, Netherlands will like their chances not only in Group A, but also in the latter stages of this tournament.
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