Pioneer Sports kicks off its FIFA World Cup 2018 coverage with a spotlight on stars at play in the Russian edition. A quick profile of the usual and the not so usual players who will make or mar the fortunes of their respective teams

Portuguese Pillar

Cristiano Ronaldo (PORTUGAL)

AGE: 33 years; CLUB: Real Madrid (Spanish Primera Division)

CLUB STATS FOR THE 2017-18 SEASON

GOALS: 43

ASSISTS: 8

APPEARANCES: 42

INTERNATIONAL — UEFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

GOALS: 15 (RANKED 2ND TOPSCORER)

ASSISTS: 3

APPEARANCES: 9

WORLD CUP 2014 —

1 GOAL IN 3 GAMES

Portuguese; 33 year-old; scores goals at will with a flair for the dramatic — Cristiano Ronaldo is what sheer grit would look like if that virtue were to be personified. Ronaldo has a Midas' touch when it comes to scoring goals and his intriguing power seems to have gotten stronger each time pundits have pronounced the word finished in the nature of a verdict on his form. Having suggested that the Champions League be named the CR7 Champions League after his unparalleled exploits in that competition, the Portuguese leader has yet to lay an audacious claim to his name at the World Cup. And as the Portuguese side enters the competition with heads held high after conquering Europe in 2016, Ronaldo will just be beginning to crouch for the kill.

Lion-el all

Lionel Messi (ARGENTINA):

AGE: 30 years; Club: Barcelona (Spanish Primera Division)

CLUB STATS FOR THE SEASON 2017-18

GOALS: 44

ASSISTS: 18

APPEARANCES: 52

INTERNATIONAL — CONMEBOL WORLD

CUP QUALIFIERS

GOALS: 7 (JOINT 2ND RANKED TOP SCORER)

ASSISTS: 2

APPEARANCES: 10

WORLD CUP 2014

4 GOALS IN 7 GAMES (RUNNER UP WITH ARGENTINA; GOLDEN BALL WINNER)

Blank eyes suppressing a tumultuous downpour and stealing glimpses of a glittering golden head that would pass on to German hands without a touch from the world's best footballer — such is the picture that sums up Lionel Messi's heroic odyssey at the previous World Cup which ended on a painful note. Two disheartening losses in two successive international finals followed, and in a moment of utter devastation the maestro decided to part with the Albiceleste, only to return and 'two-footedly' salvage a nation just when it was staring at the prospect of missing the World Cup. After another year where his slaloms in a blue-and-red shirt have prompted the world to ask, "Is he human?" — Lionel Messi once again stands at the threshold of glory.

Yellow Tiger

Neymar (BRAZIL):

AGE: 26 years; CLUB: Paris Saint-Germain (France, Ligue 1)

CLUB STATS FOR THE 2017-18 SEASON

GOALS: 25

ASSISTS: 16

APPEARANCES: 27

INTERNATIONAL — CONMEBOL WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

GOALS: 6 (JOINT 5TH RANKED TOPSCORER)

ASSISTS: 8

APPEARANCES: 14

WORLD CUP 2014

4 GOALS IN 5 GAMES

"An inch to the right, and I would have ended up in a wheelchair," a tearful 22-year-old Brazilian claimed after being operated for an injury that sank his World Cup sojourn in his own motherland back in 2014. Neymar is 26 now and since the injury, has captained Brazil to their first Olympic Gold in 2016, won a continental treble and a domestic double with Barcelona, finished third among Ballon d'or contenders on two occasions and become the world's most expensive player with a 222 million-euro transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. This time there has been another injury, but the Brazilian has blown a giant a raspberry on the face of the hitch with an unspoken promise of leading the Canarinha to what can be their sixth World Cup title.

Master passer

James Rodriguez (COLOMBIA)

AGE: 26 years; CLUB: Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga)

CLUB STATS FOR THE 2017-18 SEASON

GOALS: 8

ASSISTS: 14

APPEARANCES: 39

INTERNATIONAL —CONMEBOL WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

GOALS: 6

ASSISTS: 4

APPEARANCES: 13

FIFA WORLD CUP 2014

6 GOALS IN 5 GAMES (REACHED QUARTERFINALS WITH COLOMBIA; GOLDEN BOOT WINNER)

In 2014, James Rodriguez returned from his World Cup campaign with honour and a golden boot for consolation as a considerate David Luiz drew the attention of the Castelao home crowd towards the tearful 24-year old after Brazil broke Colombian hearts with a 2-1 quarterfinal win over their northwestern neighbours. Four years hence, the premises that have come to describe James fall somewhere along the lines of versatility and technical craftsmanship on the pitch, virtues that have distinguished heroes at the World Cup. The Colombian’s eye for goal from his favourite position behind a striker might do just enough to surprise the meanest defences in play at Russia.

Hour of the striker

Edinson Cavani (URUGUAY):

Age: 31 years; CLUB: Paris Saint-Germain (French Ligue 1)

CLUB STATS FOR THE 2017-18 SEASON

GOALS: 38

ASSISTS: 9

APPEARANCES: 45

INTERNATIONAL —CONMEBOL WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

GOALS: 10 (TOPSCORER)

ASSISTS: 1

APPEARANCES: 15

WORLD CUP 2014

1 GOAL IN 4 GAMES

With compatriot Luis Suarez manning the dark side of La Garra Charrua — the grit of the Charrua people which the Uruguayans ride on — Edinson Cavani has willingly shared the responsibility of leading the Celeste to glory with a display of sheer tenacity during the team's World Cup Qualifying campaign and emerging as the top scorer in the South American fray. Uruguay — who had to suffice with an unbecoming round of 16 finish at the 2014 World Cup — have a prolific scorer in Cavani, who will be combining with a ruthless Luis Suarez — a man seeking salvation from the disgrace his ‘grit’ brought upon him four years ago in Brazil. Clinical at his best, Cavani will be carrying his enviable club form to Russia and with the unfailing support from his comrades on the pitch, he will always remain a harbinger of terror amongst the defensive ranks of Uruguay’s opponents.

Pole Apart

Robert Lewandowski (POLAND)

AGE: 29 years; CLUB: Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga)

CLUB STATS FOR THE 2017-18 SEASON

GOALS: 40

ASSISTS: 4

APPEARANCES: 47

INTERNATIONAL — UEFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

GOALS: 16 (TOP GOALSCORER)

ASSISTS: 1

APPEARANCES: 10

WORLD CUP 2014 - DID NOT QUALIFY

In Europe's World Cup qualifying fray, Poland's Robert Lewandowski rose higher than most to procure a ticket to Russia for the Bialo-czerwoni who had been sitting out of the tournament for two consecutive years. The Bundesliga player — who has performed similar goalscoring heroics at the club level for Bayern Munich — became the qualifying rounds' topscorer despite the presence of one Cristiano Ronaldo who had been leading a Euro Cup winning Portuguese side to its own qualification berth. The 29-year old Pole, built in accordance with how one generally perceives a lethal goalscoring machine, might indeed turn out to be a spectacle to marvel at in Russia. Many have already let him slide in among their list of the best strikers in football and a flattering finish at the World Cup will earmark this summer for Lewandowski’s footballing prowess.

Big Star Twinkle