The 2014 World Cup kicks off on June 12 when the host Brazil takes on Croatia.
There's
just one week until the opening whistle, and if you haven't been paying
attention it's time to get up to speed on all the big names you'll be
hearing about over the next month.
There are 736 players headed to Brazil. Here are the six best.
1. Lionel Messi
Team: Argentina
Why
he's so good: His feet are lightning quick and he slips around
defenders more seamlessly than anyone in the world. Add supreme vision
and an even better nose for goal and you start to get a sense of all
Messi's capable of. He's also the only player ever to win the FIFA
Ballon d'Or — the award for world player of the year — four times.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Team: Portugal
Why
he's so good: Nobody explodes down the wing on a counter-attack quite
like Ronaldo, and his dribbling ability isn't half bad, either. And then
there's his knuckleballing free kick, which is, in a word, nasty.
3. Luis Suarez
Team: Uruguay
Why
he's so good: He's one of the world's most polarizing players (with a
penchant for biting his opponents), but there's no denying he's a world
class striker and lethal finisher from anywhere on the field. He scored
31 goals in 38 matches for Liverpool this season, tying the English
Premier League record.
4. Yaya Toure
Team: Ivory Coast
Why
he's so good: He's the best holding midfielder in the world, meaning he
distributes the ball all over the pitch as well as anyone and does the
dirty work defensively, too. He's known for the occasional bombing run
forward, and he's deadly from long-range, helping Manchester City
capture its second Premier League title in three years in 2013-14.5.
Andres Iniesta
5. Andres Iniesta
Team: Spain
Why
He's So Good: Iniesta, nicknamed The Illusionist, may very well be the
best passer in the world, threading the ball through the smallest of
openings for some dazzling assists. He also scored the game-winning
goal in the 2010 World Cup Final, which Spain won 1-0 over the
Netherlands in South Africa.
6. Franck Ribery
Team: France
Why
he's so good: Ribery's a true winger, beating defenders one-on-one down
the line and usually playing on the left side so he can cut inside and
onto his left foot for a shot on goal. He finished third in Ballon d'Or
voting last season (behind Ronaldo and Messi), helping Bayern Munich win
five trophies.
/Yahoo/