10 Players to Watch in World Football This Weekend of October 9-14
Welcome to our extended weekend watch of the football world, as we delve into international week head-first to bring you all the key players to look out for over the coming days.
Prestigious international friendlies, Africa Cup of Nations 2015 qualifiers and Euro 2016 qualifiers are all on the agenda for national team bosses between Thursday night and Tuesday of next week, hence our elongated inclusion of fixtures throughout those dates.
We'll start off with a returning star and go on from there: It's our 10 players to watch in world football this weekend. We usually take in any level of player with a bit of story or background to them ahead of the weekend games; this time we'll go straight to the top though, with some of the world's best players and the reason to watch them over the next few days.
Kaka, Brazil
1 of 10
Brazil play two friendlies this week, against Argentina and Japan, with Dunga naming more new faces to his most recent squad.
The biggest-name player to earn a recall is Kaka, with the 32-year-old back in the frame after impressing with Sao Paulo in his home country. Kaka has close to 90 caps to his name so far and will be looking to show Dunga he still merits a spot in the squad going forward despite his now-veteran status.
Wayne Rooney, England
2 of 10
England face two straightforward fixtures in their European Championships 2016 qualifiers, against San Marino and Estonia.
New captain Wayne Rooney will be the man expected to lead the attack with aplomb and quality, as England seek to rack up a big scoreline in the first match and keep their 100 percent record going overall. Rooney is looking to get closer to becoming England's all-time record goalscorer, needing to reach the 50 mark to do so, and should be capable of adding at least a couple of goals, if not more, to his current total of 41.
Diego Costa, Spain
3 of 10
Spain's Euro 2016 qualification phase continues with games against Slovakia and Luxembourg, games which they will be expected to dominate and win with relative ease.
The question of their starting central striker is still to be completely answered, though Diego Costa's excellent domestic form this term should ensure he starts once more as the No. 9. He is still looking for his first goals at international level and will be determined to set that record straight over the coming week.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
4 of 10
Portugal play one friendly, against France, and one competitive match, a Euro 2016 qualifier against Denmark. In their squad they are lucky to count the most in-form marksman in all of Europe: Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Real Madrid forward has already scored 13 times in La Liga this season and recently reached 50 for his nation; such incredible form in front of goal naturally marks him out as the one to watch in two high-profile fixtures. Keep him quiet and you can go some way toward stopping this below-par Portugal side—but stopping him is something few are managing at this moment in time.
Toni Kroos, Germany
5 of 10
Another Real Madrid man now as we look at World Cup winners Germany, who face Poland and Republic of Ireland in their two matches in qualifying.
With plenty of squad changes from the 23 who went to Brazil, due to retirements and injury, the midfield in particular is looking rather different to usual, so Toni Kroos should be the main man in the centre who Germany's play is dictated by. Having started the season in good form he's got a great chance here to establish himself as one of the leaders in this new-look Germany team, controlling the middle of the park and feeding those in more advanced roles.
Luis Suarez, Uruguay
6 of 10
Uruguay don't have any competitive matches this week, so two friendlies is an opportunity for Luis Suarez to be involved once more as he remains suspended from meaningful football duty for club and country.
The Barcelona man has not played for Uruguay since the World Cup but is in the squad for games against Oman and Saudi Arabia. Fitness and sharpness will be his dual aims for the week, with minutes on the pitch a big bonus for him at present. His 41 goals for Uruguay make him the all-time top scorer for his nation.
Landon Donovan, USA
7 of 10
United States face Ecuador and Honduras in two friendly games this week, with the former of those being a particularly poignant occasion for one of their most-capped players ever.
Landon Donovan will bid farewell to the international stage with a half-hour appearance for USA, marking his 157th and final game for his nation. Donovan is also the USA's highest-ever goalscorer, with 57 strikes to his name, and fans will doubtless be wishing for him to sign off with one more against Ecuador.
Jeremy Mathieu, France
8 of 10
France are the hosts of Euro 2016 and as such play no competitive games for now, but face two friendlies against Portugal and Armenia.
One of the few changes in their squad since the World Cup sees new Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu included, having impressed immensely since switching the Mestalla for the Camp Nou this summer. With no Mamadou Sakho in the squad, Mathieu has the chance to show he can bring his aggression and experience from club level to the international stage; the 30-year-old has just three caps to his name to date.
Arjen Robben, Netherlands
9 of 10
Netherlands are in qualifying action against Kazakhstan and Iceland in Group A and, after losing their opening match to Czech Republic, are in no position for further slip-ups.
Arjen Robben is fit and firing and has looked in exceptional form for Bayern Munich of late, and these are two opponents he could really run riot against. His pace, dribbling and willingness to get shots away have always been part of his game, but the end product he delivers is greatly improved as he ages. Don't be surprised to see him add considerably to his goal tally for Netherlands over this week.
Edin Dzeko, Bosnia-Herzegovina
10 of 10
Bosnia-Herzegovina went to their first major tournament at the World Cup in summer, but they made a losing start to Euro 2016 qualifying against Cyprus.
With Wales and Belgium to face this week, they cannot afford another loss at this point, especially against the former. Captain and leading striker Edin Dzeko needs to hit top form quickly to help his side past the Welsh, who will feature Gareth Bale of Real Madrid as their own in-form talisman. Whoever comes out on top between these two in the shooting stakes could dictate where the points head.
