Dark horses, unexpected gems and unbelievable storylines. Every World Cup has them – every four years, a little known player takes their chance and strives for greatness – Diego Forlan was flying for Uruguay in 2010, James Rodriguez fired Colombia to the latter stages in 2014, Kieran Trippier was detrimental for England in Russia too.

As Qatar 2022 beckons, the question remains, who will be this winters surprise stand out? Here’s 5 players that could emerge from the shadows and play a pivotal part in their sides success.

Edson Alvarez (Mexico, Holding Midfielder)

A staple of Erik Ten Hag’s exciting Ajax side, Mexico’s 24 year old midfield enforcer Edson Alvarez has only excelled in the Eredivisie since his previous managers departure.

In a Mexico team famed for it’s fighting spirit, Alvarez’s qualities as a combative defensive midfielder can help his side withstand pressure. As a holding midfielder for Ajax, Alvarez is a phenomenal reader of the game – and positions himself well defensively to intercept a pass or clear up trouble before his team mates see it coming. When the Mexican takes control of the ball, his adept vision allows him to push his team forward by finding a forward runner with ease.

In the oppositions half, Alvarez abandons his positional approach by causing chaos and aggressively pressing against the counter attack to steal back the ball and sustain another attack for his team. It’s a genuine surprise Ten Hag didn’t try and persuade his former player to come over to Manchester with him, or that Chelsea didn’t follow through on their approach – opting to sign Switzerland’s Denis Zakaria instead.

Alvarez embodies the fighting spirit of Mexican athletes, for his side to do well this winter in a group featuring Argentina and Poland – they must be aggressive – in Alvarez, they have the perfect midfielder for it.

Dusan Vlahovic (Serbia, Striker)

Vlahovic may already be a household name in European football, given his status as Juventus star striker – yet Qatar 2022 remains the 22 year old Serbian’s first international tournament. After a tricky start to the season delayed by injury, despite being the spearhead of an inutile Juventus side, Vlahovic has 6 goals and 1 assist in 10 Serie A appearances this season – fine form indeed.

Vlahovic performs for his country too, after forming a partnership up top with Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, he’s notched 5 goals in his last 7 games for Serbia – and 4 in World Cup qualification games certainly helped his country reach this winters tournament. With a strong side behind him, Serbia look a dangerous team for anyone and should give tournament favourites Brazil a run for their money on Matchday 1 – if Vlahovic is fit, his pace and precision in behind could be crucial.

Milinkovic Savic, Dusan Tadic and his Old Lady team mate Filip Kostic will look to feed the 22 year old as he bursts in behind with frightening pace. Yet, much like his strike partner Mitrovic – he offers an aerial threat too. At 6ft 3, both strong and quick with intelligent runs, explosive finishing and dynamic build up play – Vlahovic is certainly showing signs of evolving into the perfect number nine. It’s safe to say Qatar 2022 could be his coming out party.

Kieffar Moore (Wales, Striker)

Gareth Bale has long been the poster boy of Welsh football, rightly so too. The winger was the driving force in dragging his international teammates forward to the Euro’s in 2016, and played a monumental part in their historic qualification run for this winter’s World Cup – but his powers are fading, and for Wales to make it out of Group B the squad needs more than Bale as their focal point.

In comes Kieffar Moore, Bournemouth’s tall, direct and criminally under rated centre forward. At 6ft 5, Moore’s powerful frame gives him the ability to bully defenders in the air, he doesn’t just use it to get on the end of a cross too – Moore is effective as a target man, where he can outmuscle defenders, bring the ball down and find his team mates out wide before bursting into the box for a return pass too.

7 goals in 17 games for the Cherries since his arrival in January is a respectable return, a broken foot hasn’t helped him settle yet he still managed to score the goal that clinched promotion – and finally found his feet in the Premier League with a brace against Spurs and a goal against Everton recently. The forward man seems to have struck a good partnership with Harry Wilson too, who should feature in Rob Page’s side. With Dan James, Bale and Ramsey the providers, Moore could be the man to down USA and Iran to fire Wales into the knockout stages.

Ibrahim Konate (France, Central Defender)

Ibrahim Konate’s brilliant record since joining Liverpool has resulted in the centre backs inclusion at international level. Liverpool have only lost twice in 33 games with him in the starting eleven, an outrageous stat supported by Konate’s outstanding performances paired with Virgil Van Dijk at the back.

The Frenchman’s form was a massive reason Liverpool were able to fight for all four trophies last season, and he’s since become a regular for the reigning champions, as they look to make history and retain their title.

Konaté excels as a central defender in either a back three or a back four. At 6ft 4, his height enables him to tower above challengers both in his own and the opposition penalty area. Despite his frame, the Frenchman has pace, allowing him to be aggressive when stepping out to press – it’s rare an opponent will manage to secure the ball when he presses them given how strong he is too.

Injuries to Ngolo Kante, Paul Pogba and more suggest midfield frailty for France. It’s glaringly obvious Didier Deschamps may have to rely on the solidity of his defensive unit and, of course, the wide array of world class forwards at his disposal to fire France into the latter stages of the tournament. Deschamps is known for his defensive approach though, so a fully fit Konate and co could form the rock solid back line needed to achieve success in major international tournaments.

Cody Gakpo (Netherlands, Left Winger)

Flying high on the radar of Europe’s elite clubs, PSV’s explosive forward Cody Gakpo is set for big things not just this winter, but in the coming years too. With 9 goals and 12 assists in 14 Eredivisie matches so far this season, and some stunning Europa League displays under his belt too, Gakpo heads into this tournament in fine form – meaning the Dutch may have a secret weapon up their sleeve.

Blessed with the rare combination of raw speed and power, Gakpo is most effective as a left winger, and can punish teams when given the freedom to come inside onto his favoured right foot and skip past defenders for fun before finding a finish or his team mates with a cut back or cross – either way, the end result is usually a goal.

Louis Van Gaal is well practiced in international football – and he’ll know how to get the best out of his squad. With Gakpo surely set to start alongside Memphis Depay, and two target men in Luuk De Jong and Wout Weghorst to aim for, the 23 year olds goal involvement numbers should reflect his talent as one of the most sought after creative forwards in Europe.