Russia 2018: The best player on every team at the World Cup

Costa Rica: Keylor Navas

There’s very little criticism of the character of Keylor Navas. Many of his teammates speak of him with warmth and fondness. Four years ago, in Brazil, Navas announced himself as one of the best keepers in the world, as he pulled out a string of wonderful saves during his country’s run to the quarterfinals. They were eventually knocked out by the Netherlands on penalties, but Costa Rica’s fate would have been sealed much earlier if it wasn’t for the heroics of Navas..

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing since then, however. Injury and criticism (sometimes deserved, sometimes not) have dogged Navas during his time at Real. But the trophies speak for themselves, with his haul past double-digits since he arrived in the summer of 2014, including two Champions League titles and a league title.

He’s also been prominent for his country, helping them to qualify for Russia. Such an impressive record makes Costa Rica, along with Mexico, perhaps the best nation to a qualify out of CONCACAF. Navas, who won CONCACAF Player of the Year in 2017, plays a big role in that and he will no doubt have a big say in his country’s fortunes this summer.