Images of the top 10 players to look out for from Group G’s Germany, Portugal, Ghana and USA.
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Mesut Ozil, midfielder (Arsenal); Age 25; 53 caps. His creation skills and knack for the occasional goal made him the target of Arsene Wenger’s record £42.5 million (Dh261.5m) transfer from Real Madrid. Showed scintillating form upon arrival in London, but finished the season with up-and-down form for the Premier League club. Like Schweinsteiger, was a Golden Ball nominee in 2010 after he scored one goal and assisted on three others. Has the skill and pace to be a game-changer for the Germans. Robert Michael / AFP -
Kwadwo Asamoah, winger (Juventus); Age 25; 59 caps. The pacey wing-back has enjoyed a consistent career in Serie A, earning a place in the sarting XI first at Udinese and then securing his role with Italian champions Juventus upon arrival in 2012. Has been well-worked in 2013/2014 – in addition to his 32 Serie A matches, where he scored twice and assisted on three more goals, he’s played in 21 other matches with Juve and Ghana, giving him 53 appearances across all competitions this year. Olivier Morin / AFP -
Michael Bradley, midfielder (Toronto FC); Age 26; 84 caps. Former US coach Bob Bradley’s son has come into his own as perhaps the most complete player in the American side in recent years. After a sometimes uneven spell at Borussia Monchengladbach from 2008-211 and an aborted three-match spell with Aston Villa in 2011, established himself nicely in Serie A during runs with Chievo Verona and AS Roma. Returned to North America on a $10 million (Dh 36.7m) transfer in January. Playmaking will largely determine how successful American attack can be against tough opponents. Josh Edelson / AFP -
Thomas Muller, midfielder (Bayern Munich); Age 24; 47 caps. Made the final Germany squad in 2010 when he was only 20 and offers Low one of the most diverse skill-sets in the German squad at his disposal. He can play up front as a forward or attack from midfield, where he has scored 16 times for Germany internationally and registered 13 Bundesliga goals for a successive season at Bayern this year. As technically sound and gifted a passer as anyone in the German squad and could be a future captain. Patrik Stollarz / AFP -
Fabio Coentrao, left back (Real Madrid); Age 26; 44 caps. Was set to leave Real Madrid in January, ended up a starter in the Champions League final. His form with Benfica and Portugal earned him €30m transfer to Real in 2011. Has enough pace and skill to move up on the wing or shift into a defensive midfielder role if need be. Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images -
Asamoah Gyan, striker (Al Ain, UAE); Age 28; 77 caps. Prolific scorer who netted the extra-time winner in the last 16 against the United States in 2010 and has 39 goals to his credit internationally for the Black Stars. Joined Arabian Gulf League’s Al Ain in 2011 after stints in Serie A with Udinese, Ligue 1 with Rennes and the Premier League with Sunderland. Scored 29 times for club in the AGL this season for his third successive Golden Boot award in the UAE. Christopher Pike / The National -
Clint Dempsey, forward (Seattle Sounders); Age 31; 103 caps. Shine has worn off a bit since a spell at Fulham that saw him become a club legend, appearing in 184 Premier League matches and scoring 50 times, which ended in 2012. Was less impressive with Tottenham Hotspur in 2012/13 before making his return to the States to play with MLS’ Sounders. Will have far and away the most international goals (36) of any American in Brazil, and his gutty style and touch for goal will still be counted on by Klinsmann, who has made him the US captain. Josh Edelson / AFP -
Mario Gotze, attacking midfielder (Bayern Munich); Age 21; 27 caps. Another of Germany’s already-experienced young talents, having played his first senior match in 2010 and earning time at Euro 2012 despite being just a teenager. Most likely player to get shifted into forward should Low eschew Klose or Volland as a true striker. Scored his first international goal against 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil. Alexander Hassenstein / Bongarts / Getty Images -
William Carvalho, defensive midfielder (Sporting Lisbon); Age 22; 2 caps. Considered one of the best young prospects in global football, the Angolan-born Carvalho wll be asked to anchor the Portuguese defence in the middle much as he did for Sporting this season. Despite his primarily defensive role, scored four times for Lisbon in 29 Portuguese Primeira Liga matches. Made his international debut for manager Bento in the second leg of the 2014 World Cup qualifying play-off against Sweden. Francisco Leong / AFP
In pictures: World Cup 2014 – 10 to watch in Group G
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