The Real Champs
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Real Madrid players to feature in the 2018 World Cup

By Aakanksha Sharma

MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 02: Spain's midfielder Isco (C) celebrates with Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio after scoring the his second goal during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier between Spain and Italy at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 2, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 02: Spain's midfielder Isco (C) celebrates with Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio after scoring the his second goal during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier between Spain and Italy at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 2, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) /
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Those who have a good shot

(Photo by Bruno Barros / DPI / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruno Barros / DPI / NurPhoto via Getty Images) /

Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

One thing is certain, Portugal will still be in the running after October 10th irrespective of what happens in their last two qualifiers. If they end up winning against Andorra and Switzerland, they will automatically qualify as group winners.

If they don’t get all 6 points, and Switzerland wins their penultimate tie, Portugal will still qualify for the playoffs as the second team in their group.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been on fire for Portugal in the qualifiers, having scored 14 of their 28 goals so far. The Seleccao will be hoping for their talisman to lead them to the World Cup like he did against Sweden in the last campaign. In all probability, this will be Ronaldo’s last World Cup and he will be extra motivated to make it count.

Former Madrid players, Pepe and Coentrao, are also a part of the Portuguese squad.

Keylor Navas – Costa Rica

Costa Rica is 2nd in the CONCACAF group table, with a match in hand over the other 3 teams in top 4. Given that 3 teams from this group will book a direct slot and the fourth team will get to a playoff, it’s more or less certain that Costa Rica will confirm their participation for Russia.

Keylor Navas is their first-choice keeper. He tends to reserve his best performances for the national team and has bailed them out of tight positions multiple times. Assuming Navas still remains with Real Madrid after this season, he will be another Blancos player in the World Cup.

Raphael Varane, Karim Benzema – France

France is currently on top of Group A, with two matches to go against Bulgaria and Belarus. Sweden is just a point behind and with a superior goal difference. So, a top spot is not assured but they are likely to be in the running even after the qualifiers are over.

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Raphael Varane is a regular starter for France. Karim Benzema is currently in exile but Deschamps hasn’t shut the door on him yet. Theo Hernandez and Luca Zidane are also French and may have an outside shot of being called up for national duty in case of injuries.

Achraf Hakimi – Morocco

Morocco sits 2nd in their group, with a match in hand and superior goal difference over 1st placed Ivory Coast. Only the top team will qualify from this group. Morocco plays Gabon tonight and can top their group with a win, with the last round to be played in November.

Achraf Hakimi is the 1st Moroccan to have ever played for Real Madrid. The 18-year-old has played for the Moroccan U-17 and U-20 teams before and has already scored for the national team in this qualifying campaign.

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