It’s credit to the strength and depth of talent that is in Manchester City’s squad that they could almost field a full starting line up of internationals who have been called up for their respective countries for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
A trio have been included in the Argentina squad: defender Pablo Zabaleta, defender Martin Demichelis and striker Sergio Aguero.
A duo for England: goalkeeper Joe Hart and midfielder (not defender) James Milner. Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko and midfielder David Silva for Spain both also get the nod.
Defender Vincent Kompany, Ivorian Coast powerhouse Yaya Toure and Brazilian Fernandinho also feature in their respective international squads.
It’s a commendable mass of talent who will all be competing in the World Cup off the back of a double trophy-winning season, but there are notable omissions.
Samir Nasri’s absence for France caused uproar, particularly after the impressive season the midfielder has had. Instead he’s enjoying a summer in Los Angeles with his girlfriend (he doesn’t look too upset!) Both Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo were named in the preliminary squad for Spain, but failed to make it onto the plane.
But out of the ten Citizens heading to South America, who are the top five to look out for during the tournament?
With the bar set so high, it was difficult to narrow it down to just five, but these are the players I think will have the biggest say for their countries on the biggest stage of them all.
I originally included England goalkeeper Joe Hart, but opted to go for players who’d feature for countries we’d most likely see progress the furthest in the competition. Ouch…
Click on Sergio Aguero to unveil the countdown.
City fans. Who do you think will shine this summer? Let us know your thoughts below or tweet us @LaFootyettes.