With the World Cup underway, and the first really big clash between Spain and Portugal taking place this evening, I thought I’d run a player ranking over all International friendlies leading up to the World Cup. Which players and teams do we expect to light up Russia?

The answer, it seems is Belgium and Spain. With the notable exception of Lionel Messi (of course) most of the highest per minute point players come from these two nations. Lukaku tops the chart due to his goal-scoring spree in the run up to the tournament.





He is accompanied by De Bruyne and Hazard, both scoring highly for attack.

Ahead of this evening’s match against Portugal, Spain can claim four players in the top ten: Isco, David Silva, Sergio Ramos and Jordi Alba. With Andre Iniesta coming in 11th place overall. Isco’s contributions come from his dribbles down the left and the goals he has scored.

David Silva’s strength comes from pinging the ball in to the box.

And Sergio Ramos, has the third best defensive record of all players in addition to making strong attacking contributions on the left.

This is a Spanish side to be reckoned with on all parts of the pitch. They will be a tough challenge for Portugal this evening.