Players to Watch at the 2014 World Cup

by Stephen Barston

The 2014 World Cup is a great chance for many individuals who may not be as enthusiastic about soccer as they would like to be to finally immerse themselves in what is referred to in numerous cultures as "The Beautiful Game". Below, I have listed a player from each of the 32 teams headed to Brazil in June to watch, primarily due to their technical ability or overall international reputation, as well as their position and club team.

Group A:
Brazil- Neymar (Winger, FC Barcelona)
Croatia- Luka Modric (Midfielder, Real Madrid)
Mexico- Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez (Striker, Manchester United)
Cameroon- Samuel Eto'o (Striker, Chelsea)

Group B:
Spain- Diego Costa (Striker, Atlético Madrid)
Netherlands- Memphis Depay (Winger, PSV Eindhoven)
Chile- Arturo Vidal (Midfielder, Juventus)
Australia- Matthew Ryan (Goalkeeper, Club Brugge)

Group C:
Colombia- James Rodriguez (Attacking Midfielder/Winger, AS Monaco)
Greece- Sokratis (Centerback, Borussia Dortmund)
Ivory Coast- Yaya Toure (Midfielder, Manchester City)
Japan- Keisuke Honda (Attacking Midfielder, AC Milan)

Group D:
Uruguay- Luis Suárez (Striker, Liverpool)
Costa Rica- Keylor Navas (Goalkeeper, Levante UD)
England- Daniel Sturridge (Striker, Liverpool)
Italy- Mario Balotelli (Striker, AC Milan)

Group E:
Switzerland- Josip Drmic (Striker, 1. FC Nuernberg)
Ecuador- Antonio Valencia (Winger, Manchester United)
France- Paul Pogba (Midfielder, Juventus)
Honduras- Andy Najar (Right Back, Anderlecht)

Group F:
Argentina- Lionel Messi (Striker, FC Barcelona)
Bosnia and Herzegovina- Edin Dzeko (Striker, Manchester City)
Iran- Ashkan Dejagah (Winger, Fulham)
Nigeria- Vincent Enyeama (Goalkeeper, LOSC Lille)

Group G:
Germany- Marco Reus (Winger, Borussia Dortmund)
Portugal- Cristiano Ronaldo (Winger/Striker, Real Madrid)
Ghana- Kevin-Prince Boateng (Midfielder, FC Schalke)
USA- Matt Besler (Centerback, Sporting Kansas City)

Group H: 
Belgium- Eden Hazard (Winger, Chelsea)
Algeria- Nabil Bentaleb (Midfielder, Tottenham)
Russia- Alan Dzagoev (Winger, CSKA Moscow)
South Korea- Heung-Min Son (Winger/Striker, Bayer Leverkusen)