Opinion

Coaches, friends and team-mates reveal how the "unreal talent" lived up to early hype, using her injury turmoil to fuel her record-breaking goals

Jonathan dos Santos had to pull out of November's El Tri matches against Panama and Bermuda but there was a ready-made replacement for the midfielder

The attacker is regarded as one of the continent's brightest young talents and has already made his first-team debut for the Ligue 1 side

The Camp Nou idol made his international debut as an unknown in complete obscurity and that 'outsider' tag has proven impossible to shake

The Portuguese has had another fine year on the field, finishing fourth in the Goal 50, but his impact off it has arguably been even more impressive

In an exclusive interview, the Goal 50 2019 runner-up discussed her favourite matches of a remarkable year that was lit up by a dramatic World Cup run

The Brazilian attacker starred in his homeland as a teenager, but is currently club-less at the age of just 31

This year's No.1 will be revealed on Tuesday, November 12, but who came out on top in the 11 previous editions?

The 19-year-old defender looks a better bet than either Ashley Young or Luke Shaw at full-back but his development is being carefully managed

The English champions looked to be cruising to victory over Atalanta but the loss of their No.1 to an injury sparked a crazy second half at San Siro

The 18-year-old Brazilian, who netted three goals against Galatasaray, has been compared to his compatriot but he is already making a name for himself

The Gunners edged closer to qualifying for the knockout stage of the Europa League with a 1-1 draw at Vitoria but the performance was again dire

The Bosnian was linked with a move away from Turin during the summer but has become Maurizio Sarri's 'new Jorginho', thus making him indispensable

The Argentine was forced out of San Siro but has already netted seven goals in just eight outings in Paris to take Edinson Cavani's starting spot

The veteran striker has been doing a fine job carrying the Blancos attack but he desperately needs at least one of his team-mates to lighten his load

The Hungarian has struck up a superb partnership with the Norwegian forward, with some clubs now keen to sign the teenage duo as a pair

The Croatian midfielder underwhelmed during his first season in the Premier League but now feels at home at Stamford Bridge

Any momentum the Red Devils boss thought he had went out the window as an old protege came back to haunt him on Saturday

The striker produced a stunning, 30-yard effort to send Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals at Stamford Bridge

Arsenal lost on penalties after a crazy 5-5 draw with Liverpool in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup but their German playmaker made an impressive return

The remarkably resilient Reds came from behind three times to draw 5-5 with Arsenal before progressing to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on penalties

The Guinean has failed to live up to the hype since arriving at Anfield but he is now flying in training and starting to impress on the pitch

The winger has struggled since arriving at Stamford Bridge during the summer but he kickstarted his Blues career with a fine hat-trick at Burnley

The champions closed the gap to league leaders Liverpool with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa but they again needed their England winger to get them going

Demonstrations initially provoked by Santiago Metro fare hikes have become an outlet for frustrations over low wages and high inequality

The former Italy international made headlines by implementing a novel system with PSG's Under-19s last season - but will he dare use it in Serie A?

The Colombian striker was once one of the game's most feared attackers but his career was derailed by a sudden loss of confidence at Atletico Madrid

The former midfielder has had to deal with the loss of Eden Hazard and a transfer ban but his Blues are in the midst of a six-game winning streak

A host of talented youngsters will be on show in Brazil over the next month as the tournament gets under way on Saturday