Bellingham, Gakpo, Kudus, Ramos: An XI of World Cup 2022 stars set for big moves

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·16 December 2022

Bellingham, Gakpo, Kudus, Ramos: An XI of World Cup 2022 stars set for big moves

The 2022 World Cup comes to an end on Sunday, having provided a feast of footballing action for fans to enjoy over the last month.

While the ultimate goal of the tournament is to crown to best international side on the planet right now, the competition also serves as a highly effective shop window for players across the globe to further their careers at club level.

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Qatar 2022 has been no exception, with a number of individuals emerging as potential superstars off the back of their efforts for the national teams.

With that in mind, The Mirror has put together a full XI of players who have attracted plenty of admirers after showcasing their skills in the Gulf state.

The World Cup 2022 breakout stars XI

GK: Dominik Livakovic (Croatia/Dinamo Zagreb)

The 27-year-old has never played outside of his native Croatia. However, that could well change after the Dinamo Zagreb man starred for his country in shootout victories over Japan and Brazil.

Per The Mirror, the Premier League might be his next home, with both Leeds and Leicester interested in his signature.

DC: Diogo Dalot (Portugal/Manchester United)

Dalot had a solid tournament in Qatar, even managing to keep Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo out of the Portuguese side.

The 23-year-old has just six months remaining on his Old Trafford deal, although the Red Devils have the option to extend that contract by a further year.

In reality, United will be keen to tie their man up for far longer with a fresh agreement as Europe’s top sides watch his situation closely.

Croatian centre-back Gvardiol was reportedly the subject of interest from Chelsea over the summer.

Sadly for the Blues, they’ll now have plenty of competition if they want to land their man after he entered a string of commanding performances at the World Cup.

DC: Jurrien Timber(Netherlands/Ajax)

Versatile Dutch defender Timber was outstanding for his country as the Netherlands made it to the last eight of the competition.

The 21-year-old’s outstanding form saw him keep Matthijs de Ligt out of the Netherlands’ starting line-up.

His former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag is known to be a massive fan of Timber and his World Cup performances certainly justify that assessment.

A move to one of the powerhouses of European football surely isn’t far away.

One of the stars of Morocco’s history-making march to the semi-finals, Amrabat’s current club Fiorentina could be willing to let him leave in the summer if they can recoup the £17.2m they paid for him back in 2020.

CM: Enzo Fernandez(Argentina/Benfica)

While most wait to do their business until after the World Cup, Liverpool have reportedly already reached a ‘pre-agreement’ with Benfica to Argentine midfielder Fernandez.

The Portuguese club are expected to make a huge profit on a player they signed from River Plate six months ago for just £15.5m after his impressive campaign for the World Cup finalists.

CM: Jude Bellingham (England/Borussia Dortmund)

Arguably England’s best player in Qatar, 19-year-old Bellingham looks on the verge of departing Borussia Dortmund, despite having two-and-a-half years left to run on his current deal.

Liverpool are known to be interested in his services and it is believed that both the player and his family would favour a move to the Premier League club.

However, Real Madrid lead a host of European outfits that would also love to add the former Birmingham City youngster to their ranks.

AM: Mohammed Kudus(Ghana/Ajax)

The 22-year-old suffered World Cup heartache as Ghana crashed out in the group phase. He did, though, manage to grab a brace for his country in their sole victory of the tournament over South Korea.

Kudus’ pre-tournament form for Ajax was sensational as he smashed 10 goals in the first part of the Eredivisie season.

Scouts around Europe are closely monitoring the youngster’s availability as a move to a big club seems inevitable.

Scoring and providing two assists in four World Cup outings, Joao Felix had a respectable World Cup campaign with Portugal.

He has struggled to hit the heights his club Atletico Madrid expected when they paid a mammoth £113m to Benfica for him in July 2019 though.

The frontman has just 24 La Liga goals to his name for Diego Simeone’s men and his time in the Spanish capital could well come to end if Atleti receive a suitable bid for him.

LW: Cody Gakpo (Netherlands/PSV)

Gakpo enhanced his growing reputation with a fine showing in Qatar.

Racking up three goals at the tournament after being pushed forward to partner Memphis Depay up front, 23-year-old Gakpo has many admirers around Europe, including several in the Premier League.

ST: Goncalo Ramos (Portugal/Benfica)

Ramos hadn’t even played a full half of football for Portugal when he was selected to go to the World Cup.

The beneficiary of Cristiano Ronaldo’s spat with coach Fernando Santos, Ramos made the most of his opportunity when he was asked to play up front against Switzerland in the round of 16.

Grabbing the first hat-trick of the tournament, Ramos announced himself on the world stage in fine style.