Opinion

The Manchester United striker underlined his importance to his nation's World Cup cause with a double in Monday's 3-0 victory over a spirited Panama

The Tottenham midfielder is no longer a guaranteed starter for his country and heads into the World Cup with something of a point to prove

The Eagles of Carthage are back on the world stage after an absence of 12 years and will be hoping to get inspiration from World Cups past

The world champions have some tough work ahead of them following this unexpected defeat by El Tri, which laid bare frailties in Joachim Low's side

It will be a huge tournament for the Bundesliga's brightest young talent as clubs as big as Bayern Munich reportedly consider a bid for his services

Serbia sacked their coach in order to ensure their star midfielder's participation in this summer's World Cup – now the pressure is on to deliver

Luka Modric scored as the Eastern Europeans took all three points to top Group D after one game, but their next opponents have little to worry about

Much will be made of the Barcelona man's inability to convert from 12 yards but Argentina should not need a penalty to beat Iceland

Lionel Messi leads the cast again as Argentina attempt to go one further than their runners-up slot four years ago but they are beset by problems

The Real Madrid superstar completed an historic hat-trick with a fantastic late free-kick as Portugal claimed a 3-3 draw with Spain in Sochi

The coach is famous for his unorthodox tactics and training methods but those in charge at Elland Road aren't far behind when it comes to bizarre acts

The Portugal superstar looks perfectly poised to take advantage of the chaos caused by Julen Lopetegui's dismissal on the eve of the World Cup

It was said Russia would struggle to make an impact at their own World Cup but thanks in part to the CSKA midfielder, the hosts are off to a flyer

The Spaniard is as clever as they come but the use of technology should cast an even more unfavourable light on a true master of the game's dark arts

The Basque coach was removed on Wednesday against the players' wishes and leaves La Roja in turmoil ahead of their opener against Portugal on Friday

The Wigan captain helped his team earn promotion to the Championship this year and his remarkable journey now takes in a World Cup with Egypt

The Portuguese was confirmed as a United player on Wednesday, and he has the potential to be one of the next generation's great full-backs

After six-straight round of 16 exits, who is on the El Tri squad looking to change the recent history?

The 2014 winners are looking to defend their title in Russia and Joachim Low had many tough decisions to make as he chose his final panel

The Boys in Green were victorious in Dublin after a scrappy game, but their American visitors gained valuable experience on the long road to Qatar

More than three years after having a relatively young team thrashed in Dublin, the U.S. national team is back in Ireland with an even younger team

Tetchy, sneaky and not afraid to employ football's dark arts, Ramos is an easy man to loathe - but any fan would all love to see him on their team

It has been a season of progress at Anfield but they need more if they are to become a winning team, as Saturday's loss to Real Madrid underlined

The Reds kept their deal for the Monaco midfielder quiet, as they have become wary of top clubs taking advantage of their excellent scouting

The Portuguese club is embroiled in turmoil, with players threatening to quit and calls for their notorious president Bruno de Carvalho to resign

After his mistakes in the 3-1 loss to Madrid, the German's psychological condition is the primary concern but he should no longer be the Reds' No.1

Fulham and Aston Villa go head to head in football's most lucrative game on Saturday but the EFL in general is in the midst of a revolution

Liverpool are aiming to be European champions for a sixth time, but how does their current team compare to their last winners?

Zinedine Zidane's side are on the verge of a European treble and despite some good fortune along the way, their success is not a chance occurrence