Erling Haland
Selection: Norway
Position: Forward
Club: Manchester United
Haaland has shown himself to be an outstanding striker during his first season with Manchester City, scoring 17 goals in his first 11 Premier League games. Norway was left without its place in the World Cup, the Vikings fell by the wayside against the Netherlands in the qualifiers. Haaland was responsible for the equalizer when they met in the Norwegian capital, although the star was left out of the decisive match due to injury. The Dutch advanced as first with a 2-0 victory and Norway was in third place. Haaland has a record of 21 goals in 23 games with his country’s squad, however, he will have to wait for the 2026 North American World Cup for his nation to return to the world tournament since 1998.
Mohammed Salah
Selection: Egypt
Position: Forward
Club: Liverpool F.C.
The Egyptian is a Premier League Golden Boot winner alongside Son Heung-min last season, a penalty error against Senegal during shoot-out cost Egypt a place in the decider of the African qualifiers. Salah shot over the crossbar and Sadio Mané, his former Liverpool teammate, converted the decisive shot to seal a 3-1 victory for his team. Senegal repeated the victory on penalties in the African Cup that had been played a month earlier. During this season, Salah has scored four goals in his first 12 games for a Liverpool that fails to consolidate.
N’golo Kante
Selection: France
Position: Center
Club: Chelsea
Kante has been left off the pitch with his club and heand blue Since August. For their part, Chelsea confirmed in October that the holding midfielder will miss the tournament after undergoing surgery for a hamstring injury. The player is listed as one of the best in the world playing in this position. Kanté is considered one of the key elements of the French team when they took the trophy at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Paul Pogba
Selection: France
Position: Center
Club: Juventus F.C.
France is at risk of failing to defend the cup in Pogba’s absence. The “Juve” player is facing an injury that will leave him out of the final list of the French. Pogba has also not played for a long time due to muscle problems, presenting a relapse in these weeks prior to the World Cup.
Javier Hernandez
Selection: Mexico
Position: Forward
Club: Los Angeles Galaxy
The Technical Director of the Mexican National Team, Gerardo Martino, decided to remove his historic scorer from his lists for a disciplinary issue. Javier “Chicharito” Hernández does not appear on the preliminary squad list with what would have added his fourth World Cup in his career. The reason for leaving “Chicharito” was a getaway in New York during an international date in September 2019. The injuries presented by important Mexican attackers such as Raúl Jiménez and Rogelio Funes Mori were not a factor for “Tata” to summon Hernández, to his credit he has 18 goals with the Los Angeles Galaxy this season in MLS.