Five will make you get down now

Listed here are the five players in no particular order who I predict will make the biggest impact on the World Cup this Summer. Agree/Disagree? Let me know!

#5: Aaron Walcott

A deliberate typo to indicate the fact that Lennon and Walcott are likely to share the responsibility of burning down England's right flank. Much criticism is aimed at Walcott in terms of his final ball - often seemingly a result of poor decision making; whilst Lennon has missed a significant part of the season and has looked tentative in his first few matches back.

Despite this, not one defender will relish the prospect of facing either of these two. Sheer, blistering and unstoppable pace is the key feature of this pair - and happily is pretty much the most difficult thing to defend against. The likelihood of Capello using one of these as a starter with the other as an impact replacement gives England an undeniable threat and their performances on that right wing will be critical to the progress of the Three Lions.

As previously blogged, if Walcott receives the confidence boost of an early goal or strong performance against the USA, he is more than capable of taking the tournament by storm. Lennon likewise will be hoping he gets the nod and England will hope he can go on to terrorise left backs right into the latter stages.

#4 Diego Milito

Argentina's attacking riches are almost embarrassing. A quick look through the excellent and in-no-way only for kids Panini sticker album (see blog below) lists Higuain, Tevez, Milito, Aguero and then some bloke called Messi.

Doubtless, the focus for opposition managers will be how to stop Leo Messi. Despite playing at times like he is from another planet, he is only human and can be subdued by doubling or even tripling up on him. This does however result in more space being available for those who know how to exploit it, and Milito has shown throughout this season that he is the man to do that. His team-mates are likely to fashion numerous chances and he has to be viewed as a strong candidate for the Golden Boot.

Milito has scored the winning goals for Inter in the Serie A finale; the Coppa Italia; and the Champions League final. Manu Petit could tell you that sometimes, some years, your numbers just keep coming up. Could there be one more highlight for Diego to round off 2010?

#3 Kaka

12 months ago, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite was viewed as one of the greatest talents on the planet. Fast-forward, and a disappointing season for Real Madrid - interrupted by injury but marked by underachievement - has taken a great deal of the spotlight away from this Brazilian playmaker.

The old adage applies here: 'form is temporary, class is permanent'. Kaka has not become useless overnight and, in the absence of Adriano, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo et al he will now be the lynchpin of the Selecao. Robinho's Santos siesta has worked wonders for his form, but Kaka can be the man to carry Brazil all the way.

A difficult group including a climactic face-off against fellow Galactico Cristiano Ronaldo will give Kaka the perfect chance to remind the world of his exceptional ability.

#2 Robin Van Persie

Wayne Rooney remarked recently that in fact his enforced absence during the latter stages of the season may well be a positive; identifying the fact that a rest is crucial in order to go into a World Cup without the jading effects of a long and bruising season.

Van Persie's injury lay-off was fatal to Arsenal's chances of glory this season, but it could prove ideal for the Oranje at this tournament. His scoring record is incredible given the disruption he has suffered through an appalling injury record over the years, and two expertly taken goals in a friendly win over Mexico this week showed he is back from his break sharp and dangerous as ever.

The Netherlands have a strong chance of making a real impact at this tournament - a flawless coast through qualifying and a number of players playing to their creative peak at present (Sneijder is unfortunate to miss out on this top 5) point towards the chance for van Persie to dominate this summer.

#1 Lionel Messi.

Can he do it?

This season has seen football by Messi that is at times simply untouchable.

Peerless in the modern game (Ronaldo has hit incredible peaks but is just not at this level) he has scored every type of goal, not to mention the amount of chances he creates for his team-mates. During the group stages it is frightening to think of the damage he could inflict on the weaker defences of Greece, Nigeria and South Korea - but it is in the later stages of this tournament where Messi can cement his status as an all-time legend.

It is widely regarded that Diego Maradona won the 1986 World Cup for Argentina single handedly (pun intended, little cheat) and whilst Messi has a strong attacking line-up to support him, he is undoubtedly the focus of this team.

The balance, strength, trickery, pace and composure are impossible to defend against when it all falls into place. Clearly, if they have half a brain, teams are going to give special attention to taking Messi out of the equation - but this is where legends are made and icons created.

If he can perform to his peak, and his team-mates can provide the same level of support that Barca can (albeit without the exceptional Xavi/Iniesta combo), and Maradona does not screw it up with bizarre selections and tactics, 2010 could be his tournament.