Sergio Ramos

Centre-back, 32, Real Madrid

World Cup winner Ramos (above, left) has had an illustrious club and international career. The tenacious central defender has led both Real Madrid and Spain to multiple trophies with fine individual defensive performances.

After emerging through the academy at hometown club Sevilla, Ramos was bought by Madrid after only one season of first-team football. Since his move in 2005, he has established himself as one of the world’s great defenders and the heartbeat of the team.

With Real, the 32-year-old has won four La Liga titles and as many UEFA Champions Leagues – the most recent of which came with a victory against Liverpool, in which he played a central part, in this season’s final. With Spain, he won back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012, either side of his country’s maiden World Cup victory at South Africa 2010.

Breaking through as an attacking right-back, Ramos has developed into an imposing and explosive central defender who leads from the back with passion and desire. A longstanding master of the dark arts of the game, he is also a fine passer of the ball who helps both club and country with a clean build from the goalkeeper.

The Real captain is also a solid asset at defensive set-pieces and a constant threat at the other end. His career is littered with a string of important headed goals – he has scored in six major finals for Madrid, four of them headers.

Isco

Attacking midfielder, 26, Real Madrid

Diminutive midfielder Isco is just one fine example of a midfield overflowing with talent. A proactive dribbler, he is a superb attacking asset for both Real Madrid and Spain.

Isco’s successful spell at Malaga, after a move from the Valencia youth system, laid the foundations for his subsequent rise. He was an integral part of the team that reached the 2012/13 Champions League quarter finals under Manuel Pellegrini before joining Carlo Ancelotti at Real. The midfielder initially struggled to fit into Madrid’s 4-3-3 system, however, and couldn’t cement a regular starting place despite a consistent combined record of both goals and assists.

In the seasons since, and particularly under Zinedine Zidane, Isco has found himself a regular starter for club – and, now, for country. Often starting as a wide midfielder, he likes to drift inside, often moving into different spaces each time he receives the ball. Rarely motionless, his fluidity often creates spaces for his teammates to exploit. He also possesses a wonderful final ball, capable of unlocking the most stubborn of defences within the final third. He is without question a potential star of Russia 2018.