10 players with the most to prove

9. Christian Eriksen

If there’s one performance that sums up Christian Eriksen’s importance to Denmark, it’s the 5-1 demolition of the Republic of Ireland in the second leg of their World Cup playoff tie. Eriksen, far and away the best player on the pitch that day, scored a hat-trick to book Denmark’s ticket to Russia and put the world on notice.

The Tottenham midfielder has had another fine club season, grabbing 10 goals and 10 assists while also making his mark on the Champions League for the first time. Still only 26, he’s got plenty more to give, but this World Cup will fall closest to the prime years of his career. He’ll need to be at his best if Denmark are to escape a sneaky-tough Group D.

France are favorites to advance, but the always-gritty Australia and surprise-entry Peru should also pose tough test. Denmark, who failed to qualify for the last World Cup, don’t have a deep pool of talent. Eriksen is the player they’ll look to for inspiration. He has the talent, but there’s no higher pressure environment.

Eriksen is capable of the sort of breakout performance James Rodriguez delivered in Brazil four years ago. He seems to be happy playing for Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham, but a strong tournament will likely increase interest from the likes of Real Madrid. This is an opportunity for him to show he belongs among the games truly elite playmakers.