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Who is England’s key man for the World Cup?
Here we look at some of the players who could turn out to be England’s key man at the upcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Sometimes, the World Cup makes a star out of an individual player when the pre-tournament focus was on one or more of their team-mates. In 2006 for example, with a galaxy of exciting players in the England squad, the performances of defensive midfielder Owen Hargreaves stood out more than most of them. And while they may not be picked out as the key man in initial World Cup betting, these players can trigger a career change that takes their path from steady to stratospheric.
Cloudbet markets on the top English stars
If you head to Cloudbet to look at the likely English winners of the Golden Ball – that is, the award for the tournament’s best player as opposed to the Golden Boot for top scorer – then you’ll see names like Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling among the main contenders. But if you want to make the most of Cloudbet’s high bet limits – including the best limits on parlays – then it might be an idea to look at other players. Ones who haven’t already had such a huge impact in a World Cup, like Kane and Sterling have in 2018.
As well as backing England at a very forgiving 8.51 to win the whole tournament, bettors might want to look at the rest of the squad, once Gareth Southgate has named it, and pick out some of the less ready-made stars. Some of the less established names – at least, from a Premier League point of view – might be worth considering as potential Golden Ball winners. After all, Luka Modric, who is 70.3 with Cloudbet right now, was a distant contender last time. So it is worth tracking some of the players below when considering a crypto bet.
Phil Foden
It seems odd to talk about Foden as a player who is “bubbling under” when he’s been superb all season for the Premier League champions. But the attention does tend to go to players who have established a reputation at international level or who have commanded huge transfer fees. Foden is in neither of those camps right now, but if England are to win the World Cup – and this is probably their best chance since 1966 – then his surprising maturity and ability to make and score goals could well be pivotal.
Jude Bellingham
If Bellingham was playing for Manchester City, he’d be on every billboard in England. If he was playing for Nottingham Forest, he’d still be getting more attention than he does now as a midfield playmaker for Borussia Dortmund. He’ll probably move to a higher-profile club, maybe one in England, after the tournament, and whichever team it is, he’ll instantly be a difference-maker. He’s got everything: technique, pace, vision. If England are to win the World Cup, he’ll be a major reason why.
The Arsenal wide man stood out on occasion in last year’s Euros, but he’s added to his game since then and – much to his displeasure – has become one of the Premier League’s most-fouled players. Why? Because he’s so effective on the ball and so hard to get off it. In international football, where possession and free-kicks in advanced positions are even more crucial than usual, Saka could be pivotal to any English success.
