More than 5 billion people are expected to tune in this November from around the world to witness the first ever winter World Cup, the 2nd ever Asian World Cup, and the first to ever take place in the Middle-East. This will very likely be the final major tournament for the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and will represent a changing of the guard at the top level of the game. Extraordinary rising talent from the leading squads across La Liga, Serie A and the EPL will get a chance to play for their national sides and make a name for themselves among the greats. Here we’re going to take a look at some key players from the Premier League to watch out for come this November.
An Unprecedented Event
No matter what way you try to measure it, the 2022 World Cup looks set to be the biggest ever. Qatar has pulled out all the stops for this tournament, and has overseen a gargantuan infrastructure project that has witnessed the small Gulf nation build 7 new stadia, a new metro system and an all new airport in order to make itself ready for the biggest event in global football, all to a cost of some £179 billion.
For context, that’s £170 billion more than Russia spent. Another major sector preparing to break all previous records is the global sports betting industry, which reported £369 billion in sports bets placed during the 2018 tournament, with each individual game totaling £1.76 billion staked by bookmakers. With greater access to sports betting platforms across more countries and territories this time round, it’s reasonable to assume that Qatar will comfortably surpass these totals by the end of the competition.
While there are no figures to draw on to predict how much this activity will contribute to Qatar’s own economy, the fact that there are a wide range of sports betting sites in Qatar working with established regional comparison platforms means that fans from around the globe expected to travel to the desert nation will be able place wagers on the group stages, and back any of the EPL stars we’re looking at below with minimal friction. One prominent example of these services is Arabianbetting.com which is committed to delivering a competitive directory of promotional offers and welcome bonuses for some of the world’s biggest bookmakers available in the country for international fans and locals alike to peruse. As such, this comparison platform is likely to become one of the major vectors through which committed fans will be able to immerse themselves in the action come November.
Harry Kane
The wonder-boy Kane, captain of the England squad and, for Tottenham Hotspur the second most successful striker in the EPL behind only Ronaldo. All eyes will be on the Londoner come November with Kane currently pipped as the bookies favourite to become highest goalscorer of the tournament.
Kevin De Bruyne
The so-called “complete footballer”, De Bruyne is one of the rising stars of global football thanks to his well-rounded skill set and ability to deliver performance when and where it’s needed, both in his duties as midfielder for Manchester City, and for his national squad of Belgium.
Christian Pulisic
Chelsea player Pulisic is arguably the best American footballer in the world today, and is on track to assist a resurgent Team USA in building on their recent run of international form in November.
Virgil van Dijk
Without a doubt one of the best defenders in the world, van Dijk will be shoring up the Netherlands centre-back in Qatar in much the same way we’ve seen him perform magic for Liverpool.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Having been at the top-flight of the game for over 20 years, everyone knows Ronaldo’s days of major international competitions are numbered. As such you can rest assured that the Man-U forward will be pulling out all the stops in Qatar to guide Portugal to glory.
Son Heung-min
Captain of the South Korean national team, Son Heung-min cut his teeth in the Bundesliga before a move from Bayer Leverkusen to Tottenham for £22 million made him the most expensive Asian player in history. Generally considered to be the most skilled player of the most successful AFC team, we can expect some noteworthy performances from him this winter.
