The 2022 FIFA World Cup starts in 45 days and all the best players are looking forward to representing their countries in Qatar.
Manchester United and Liverpool will be well represented at the global showpiece, with most of their players all sure to get call ups for their various national teams. There may be some surprises, however, as seen with Trent Alexander-Arnold in the latest England outing.
As part of our 2022 World Cup prediction and tips, we are bringing you a list of some of the best players from Manchester United and Liverpool who will be at the tournament.
Bruno Fernandes: Manchester United and Portugal
The story of Manchester United and Bruno Fernandes has been one of love since the Portugal international signed for them in 2020. After coming in during the half season and finishing as their best player, he has gone on to assume a leadership role and has been, more often than not, their best player, week in, week out.
Signing for Manchester United solidified his place in the Portugal national team setup as well. He is now one of Fernando Santos’ most trusted players, always occupying the space directly behind the strikers. Bruno Fernandes is a player who wears his heart on his sleeve and along with a certain number 7, is expected to help Portugal to World Cup glory.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United and Portugal
That number 7 we speak of is none other than Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro, the man with the most goals on the international stage. After a triumphant return to Manchester United in 2021, he has struggled to play on the level he did while in Spain and Italy. Regardless, he remains the captain and the ace of the Portugal national team.
Ronaldo has struggled in the ongoing season but it does no harm to his chances of playing in what will be a record-equaling fifth FIFA World Cup in Qatar. It will be insane to keep the man who has scored the most international goals at home in tournaments like this, after all.
Qatar and FIFA will be counting on his participation as he is a major protagonist of the sport. And for the punters, he is an avenue to make extra money because it is hard to bet against Ronaldo not finding the back of the net despite his poor start to the season.
Virgil Van Dijk: Liverpool and The Netherlands
The towering defender, who is sometimes described as the most handsome man in football, has become the most talked about defender since his record-breaking £75 million move to Liverpool from Southampton in 2018.
He has also stoked the conversations with amazing performances, which have won him a number of accolades including Premier League player of the season and UEFA Men’s player of the year. And for his country, The Netherlands, he has risen to the role of vice-captain on the back of those solid performances.
This means that he is a shoo-in for the team that will be travelling to Qatar in November. We hope to see some goals from the man too, as his aerial threat from set pieces is among the most dangerous in the modern game.
Alisson Becker: Liverpool and Brazil
Alisson Ramses Becker represents Liverpool’s best chance of having a World Cup winner in their squad. The 30-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper is so good that he’s keeping another brilliant goalkeeper, Ederson, out of the Brazil starting XI.
The former AS Roma goalkeeper is the man in between the sticks for the odds-on favourite to win this year’s edition of the global showpiece. Brazil will go to Qatar ranked as the world’s best team and Alisson will be their last line of defence.
Raphael Varane: Manchester United and France
Raphael Varane joined Manchester United in a sensational move from Real Madrid in 2021. His arrival at Old Trafford was met with lots of positive sentiments because of the defensive problems that had plagued the Premier League giants.
The Frenchman, who has grown from being one of the world’s best young defenders into a veteran at the age of 29, is already a World Cup winner. He, alongside Lecce defender Samuel Umtiti, on loan from Barcelona, kept watch for France as they powered their way to a second ever world title in 2018.
Didier Deschamps will be counting on him to help defend their title come November. However, following the stuttering form of Manchester United and the excellent talent in defence that France possesses, his starting place in the squad is not assured.
Darwin Nuñez: Liverpool and Uruguay
Liverpool’s new boy Darwin Nuñez is yet to hit the ground running in English football after his mega money move to Anfield from Benfica. However, he looks to have the trust of the coaches who are trying to help his adaptation to the English game to get him firing on all cylinders.
Luckily for his country, Uruguay, he has not struggled at all since moving up to the senior team from the U-21 team. He has been able to make 13 appearances for the team, most of which have been in 2022 due to the fact that Uruguay’s main gunmen Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are aging.
He is expected to play a role in the World Cup for the South Americans in what will be his first tournament for La Celeste.
