Who Ate All The Bratwurst

One to Watch: Ricardo La Volpe, Mexico coach

He was the reserve goalkeeper in Argentina's 1978 World Cup-winning squad. He smokes more tabs than 20 Marlboro Men combined. His dress sense is straight out of the 1980s. He has a terrific Magnum PI moustache. He slags off the press regularly, accusing them off knowing nothing about football. He is Ricardo la Volpe, Mexico's national coach and Who Ate All the Bratwurst's new cult hero.

One to watch: Sulley Muntari, Ghana

Michael Essien is Ghana's only famous footballer, at least to English observers. But his midfield team-mate Sulley Muntari, who plays his club football for Udinese in Italy, is arguably just as good as Chelsea's Ghanaian star. Muntari is just 21 years old and a graduate of the Ghana team that finished as runners-up in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. He's a tenacious tackler but also very assured on the ball. He reminds me a little of a young Edgar Davids. Along with Essien and Stephen Appiah, Muntari is one-third of a terrific Ghanaian midfield. Can't wait to watch him in action later today against Italy…

One To Watch: Carlos Tenorio, Ecuador

Ecuador will quietly fancy their chances of causing an upset against Poland in Gelsenkirchen tomorrow. Carlos Tenorio, a 27-year-old striker, will be key to their chances. He scored only once in qualifying but definitely has the potential to do well in Germany. Carlos (not to be comfused with team-mate Edwin Tenorio) is very fast, powerful and good in the air. He picked up a calf strain in Ecuador's recent friendly defeat to Macedonia, but he's since recovered and should play a part against Poland. Watch him unsettle the Polish defence.

The Americans who could be playing for your team next season

Slowly but surely, Americans are infiltrating the Premiership (or Prem-ear-ship as they would have it). The likes of Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra and approximately 1,000 goalkeepers have played without disgracing themselves in the top flight. Reading's Marcus Hanhnemann and Bobby Convey and Watford's Jay DeMerit will swell the ranks next year, as will defender Cory Gibbs (pictured) if and when his Charlton work permit comes through. But what about the players you've never heard of? Here's a quick print out and keep (or not) guide to the Americans who could be playing for your team next season:

Oguchi Onyewu - The 24 year old 6'4" defender is tailor made for Premiership football. He's monstrously big, fast and strong, but more than decent with the ball at his feet (definitely more Rio Ferdinand than Tony Adams in this respect) and his positioning and concentration are sound (definitely more Tony Adams than Rio Ferdinand in this respect). Onyewu already plays in Europe with Standard de Liege but a move to the Prem has long been suggested. Most recently, Middlesbrough were rumoured to be negotiating with the big man.

Eddie Johnson - After a ridiculous start to his international career, in which he couldn't stop scoring, Eddie Johnson got injured. On his return from a long lay off the scoring touch deserted him, but he's been slowly coming back into form over the last few games, capped by an impressive (though non scoring) performance in the US's final warm up game against Latvia. Blessed with all the physical weapons needed for the Premiership, the 22 year old known as GAM (Grown Ass Man) has height, strength, aerial ability, as well as the speed and skills to run at defenders. The downside is that he sometimes looks unmotivated. Not lazy like Mark Viduke, but mild mannered in an Emile Heskey kind of way. If Johnson does play in England, someone at The Times is in for a shock.

Landon Donovan -  The poster boy for American soccer struggled to adapt to life in Germany, and failed to settle in two stints at Bayer Leverkusen. The language barrier was a big problem, but obviously wouldn't be in England (until, inevitably, he gets pants and trouse rs confused). The playmaker is only slight but is great on the ball, making aggressive runs, clever passes and possessing a decent shot. Claims to be happy in MLS but a 24 year old with this much talent shouldn't be wasting his time with things like play-offs, and if a Premiership team don't fancy him then Donovan would absolutely dominate the Championship.

Clint Dempsey - Maybe not a complete enough player to shine in the Premiership just yet, but 23 year old Dempsey has an amazing unpredictability about him. From a central or wide midfield position (will probably play right mid at the World Cup) Dempsey is always more likely to take on his man than make the easy pass. Also has that quality that Paul Scholes used to have, making well-timed late runs into the box to get goals, though his imaginative celebrations are a lot more exciting than Scholes' efforts. Definitely aggressive, maybe a litte too much. He was suspended by his club New England Revolution in March (and brifely excluded from the national team) for fighting with his team captain Joey Franchino. To be fair to Dempsey he didn't mess about, giving the older man such a beating he spent the next few nights in hospital. Imagine what he'd do to Lee Bowyer?

Daryl Grove

One to Watch: Franck Ribery, France

Franck Ribery is the man with the dubious honour of following in the footsteps of Zinedine Zidane. That feat sounds impossible enough without Zizou still playing in the same national side as you. Expect Ribery to step up to the challenge in Germany though.

Don't be fooled by the fact that he looks about 45 and distincly like a Bond villain, Ribery is in fact only 23 years old. He had followed a traditional career path of gradually moving up the divisions in France before being loaned out to Galatasaray last year from FC Metz. On his return he secured his big move to Marseille.

One to Watch: Franck Ribery, France continued

An even bigger move could now be on the cards, with both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur tracking Ribery. He caught the eye in Marseille's Uefa Cup clash with Bolton Wanderers with his electric pace, great ball-control and precision passing.

Ribery is rumoured to have secured his place in France's starting line-up for the World Cup. With Zidane past his best, it could be Ribery's chance to shine. Expect him to give Togolese defenders plenty to worry about.

Here he is in action:

Rob Parker

One to Watch: Luca Toni, Italy

Luca Toni banged in 31 goals in Serie A last season, the highest number in the Italian top-flight since 1957. It's a remarkable tally, partly because Serie A is so defensive, but also because Toni did it for Fiorentina, the Italian equivalent of a mid-table Premiership team – Aston Villa, say.

One to Watch: Luca Toni, Italy cont…

Toni is 29 years old now, so he's something of a late developer. In that respect, many experts are tipping him to be 2006's Toto Schillaci. Toni is very tall (6ft5in), very strong on the ball and, as you might expect from his goalscoring record, knows how to hit the target. Toni is now around 16-1 to win the World Cup's golden boot - if you got him when he was 40-1, a few months ago, well done. Here's a clip of him embarrassing the hell out of Dutch defender Ron Vlaar…

One to Watch: Bobby Convey, USA

Reading's Convey, still only 22 years old (he'll be 23 this Sunday), will be a Premiership player next season and no-one can say the talented left-winger doesn't deserve his chance to play in the top flight. He looked sharp when he came on as a sub for the States against Morocco last night and may muscle his way into Bruce Arena's first XI when the World Cup starts for real. Convey's strengths? His workrate always impresses, he's fast and he knows how to pass & cross the ball. Playing in England has obviously turned him into a very solid footballer.

One to Watch: Dirk Kuyt, Holland

The 25-year-old Feyenoord striker has recently been courting a 'dream move' to Newcastle United. Kuyt is no Alan Shearer but he does have what it takes to be a big success in the Premiership: impressive physical strength, a foot like a traction engine and, above all, a positive attitude that would endear him to any team's fans. I think he'd make an ideal Shearer replacement – Toon Army soldiers, do you agree?

One to watch: Oswaldo Sanchez

Oswaldo Sanchez is the best goalkeeper in the world that you have never heard of. OK, you might know who he is, but Oswaldo is relatively unknown considering how good he is. He has never played for a club outside of Mexico, which explains his apparent anonymity.

Oswaldo has had to grind out his 63 international caps and this will be his first World Cup as first-choice keeper despite it being his third finals. It was in last year's Confederations Cup that he cemented his place as Mexico's number one as he put in some outstanding performances and picked up two man of the match awards

One to watch: Oswaldo Sanchez

He eventually forced his way out of the day-glo shadow of Jorge Campos during qualification for the 2002 World Cup. Despite being first-choice throughout qualifying he was then replaced by the in-form Oscar Perez for the tournament itself.

Now aged 32, Oswaldo - or 'the Human Bird' as he is nicknamed - is at his goalkeeping prime and it shows. He conceded just three goals during World Cup qualification. He currently plays for Chivas in Mexico, but a move to permanent move to Europe could be on the cards if he impresses during his summer holidays. Here he is in action:

Rob Parker

One to watch: David Odonkor

David Odonkor is the Theo Walcott of the Germany squad. He had not been mentioned as a candidate for the World Cup and his inclusion was every bit as unexpected as Walcott's.

The buzz words coming from a lot of managers in the lead up to the World Cup seem to be 'surprise' and 'pace'. Odonkor fulfils both criteria because, as well as being relatively unknown outside Germany, he can run 100 metres in 10.9 seconds - even faster than Walcott.

Odonkor, aged 22, has benefited from Sebastian Deisler's injury as the German squad was short of players capable of carrying the ball at pace. Expect to see Jurgen Klinsmann unleash his secret weapon in the final third of games against tiring defences.

Klinsmann told the BBC: "He's a great talent and brings something we urgently need - speed, the unexpected and someone who can sprint to the goal line and give us a cross from deep in the corner. We believe that he can help us with his cheekiness, something we're missing."

Odonkor, who looks a bit like the love-child of Adriano and Kieron Dyer, could have qualified to play for Ghana through his father. He has been representing Germany from youth level though, and was expecting to compete with the Under-21 side over the summer.

He has been on Borussia Dortmund's books since he was 14 and broke into their first team in 2002. He played 33 of Dortmund's 34 league games this season.

Click here for photos from Odonkor's website of him and the rest of the German squad training barefoot in Sardinia.

Rob Parker

One to Watch: Nikola Zigic, Serbia & Montenegro

Don't be fooled by the 'Ooh matron!' photo. The 25-year-old Red Star Belgrade striker is taller than Peter Crouch (Zigic is 6ft8in) and built like something made out of brick – a shithouse, say. He's been linked with moves to Arsenal and West Ham, but his club's president has said 'no deal' until after the World Cup…

One to Watch: Nikola Zigic, Serbia & Montenegro cont…

Just as no Premiership defender ever wants to come up against Big Duncan Ferguson, no defender will be keen to mark 'Big Zig' (is that his nickname? It should be) in any of Serbia's Group C matches. He's great in the air (obviously) and has a foot like a very big traction engine. He's not pretty, but he's very effective – Zig has already been voted S&M's player of the year twice. Watch him destroy AS Roma in this season's Uefa Cup…

Germany think Zidane could be one to watch

He may a little past his scintillating best of a couple of years ago, but Germany are still so wary of the threat Zinedine Zidane poses that they have got official World Cup mascot Goleo VI (he gets about, doesn't he?) man-marking him already. I can't imagine Zidane stealing in for any headed goals in the World Cup final with big Goleo watching him.

Rob Parker

One to watch: Lukas Podolski, Germany

If you check out bookies' odds for the Golden Boot, you'll see that Lukas Podolski (that's his action figure, by the way) is 28-1. Pretty short odds for a player most England fans will know very little about, if they've heard of him at all…

Lukas Podolski, Germany

Podolski is big news in Germany, though. When videogame giants EA Sport announced its cover stars for FIFA 06, they introduced Wayne Rooney… Ronaldinho… and Podolski. Esteemed company for such a little-known player, but then marketeers and fans alike have lauded Pod as German football's next big thing. So what has he done to deserve the tag?

Pod is 20 years old, Polish-born and still plays his club football for FC Köln, the club he joined at 10 years of age. He played for Germany at Euro 2004 (as a substitute) and then caught the eye when he scored three goals at last year's Confederations Cup. German coach Jurgen Klinsmann rates him very highly and it's easy to see why: Pod is fast, physically strong and nerveless in front of goal. He scored seven goals in his first 13 international appearances, proving beyond any doubt that he has what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

If Podolski plays well and scores against Costa Rica in the tournament's opening match, a star will be born and Germany may start dreaming of a fourth World Cup title. And as I mentioned, at 28-1 he's a tempting each-way flutter for the Golden Boot.

One or two to watch: Milan vs Barca

The Champions League semi-final tonight between AC Milan and Barcelona provides a real World Cup scouting treat. An array of players heading to Germany will be on display including a bevy of Brazilians. The Samba contingent could include Ronaldinho, Kaka (pictured), Serginho, Thiago Motta, Cafu, Amoroso, Silvinho, Edmilson, Amoroso, Dida and Belletti. Sadly for the neutral, Barcelona's Argentine prodigy Leo Messi is out with a thigh strain. ITV1, from 7.30pm

Rob Parker

One to watch: Yaya Toure, Ivory Coast

A stream of strong, aggressive midfielders perfectly suited to the Premiership seem to be coming from Africa at the moment. Yaya Toure is tipped to be next off the production line. Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are among the clubs reported to be interested, which suggests there might be something to get excited about. A solid World Cup could add a few more million to his asking price.

Yaya, who turns 23 next month, is the younger brother of Arsenal's Kolo Toure. It seems he might outgrow current club Olympiakos this summer and make a move to the Premiership.

Already lumbered with the tag 'next Patrick Vieira', Toure may have to avoid Arsenal to make a name for himself especially with big brother already at the club. Indeed, Toure has recently said that if he does to move with England it is unlikely to be with Arsenal.

It is easy to see where the Vieira comparisons have come from.  His awkward, lanky appearance on the pitch is just as deceptive as the former Arsenal skipper's. Toure too is happy to put his foot in and has been known to accumulate the odd booking.

He began his career at Beveren in Belgium and spent two seasons there before joining Ukraine's Metalurg Donetsk for a further two seasons.  He was signed by Olympiakos coach Trond Sollied, who had been impressed by Toure while coaching in Belgium, for around £825,000. The Greek side are likely to get a very good return on their money if Toure fulfils his potential on the biggest stage this summer.

Rob Parker

One to watch: Carlos Tevez, Argentina

Carlos Alberto Tevez is a little monster, and arguably the best player to play his club football outside of Europe. The 22-year-old Argentine currently plays in Brazil, for Corinthians, which explains why you may not have heard much about him. After this World Cup, that will all change.

In his brief career Tevez has already been linked with lucrative moves to Bayern Munich, Man Utd, Chelsea and Inter Milan, but so far he has stayed put. If he has a good World Cup, though, Tevez will surely find it impossible to resist a big-money offer to Spain, Italy or England.

He was once hailed, inevitably, as the new Maradona, but Tevez is a different animal. Whilst they share a lack of inches (Tevez is 5ft 7in to Maradona's 5ft 6in), Tevez is faster and physically stronger than Maradona, and more of a predatory goalscorer: Tevez was top scorer at the 2004 Athens Olympics, when Argentina won football's gold medal. He doesn't have Maradona's skill (who does?) but he still has enough tricks to unsettle most defenders. Here's a YouTube compilation of Tevez in action, so you can judge for yourself.

I can't wait to see Tevez and Lionel Messi play together - with two of the best young players in the world in attack, Argentina stands a great chance of winning in Germany. They are my second favourites for the title, after Brazil.

One to watch: Fernando Torres, Spain

Torres is just 22 years old, but he has captained Atletico Madrid for more than three seasons and is one of the most accomplished strikers in Spain's Primera Liga…

If Spain is to shake off its 'perennial underachievers' label, Fernando 'El Nino' Torres will have to win the tournament's Golden Boot, or at least go very close. This is possible because Spain have an easy group (it faces Tunisia, Ukraine and Saudi Arabia in Group H). After that, who knows?

Several Premiership clubs have reportedly made approaches to Atletico about signing Torres (including Chelsea and Spurs) but he has so far stayed loyal to his Spanish club. I'm amazed more Premiership clubs haven't made a bigger effort to lure the young Spaniard - he's young, quick, fearless and scores lots of goals. Every time I've seen him in action on Sky Sports, he's looked sharp, though he seems to reserve his best performances for games against arch rivals Real Madrid.

Torres hasn't been quite as successful for his national side, but he's still young and hasn't been given a long enough run in the first XI to establish himself. Germany '06 is the perfect stage for Torres to do just that.

Your club's World Cup stars: Bolton Wanderers

The first in our series profiling your club's World Cup players looks at Bolton Wanderers' array of international talent. If you support a club and are interested in writing a few words about the players from your team who'll take part in Germany '06, get in touch here. Or if you're a Bolton fan and just want to get on with reading this post, click below…

Time was when the closest Bolton players ever got to the World Cup was with a San Miguel in hand sat in front of the TV screen. This year, however, thanks to Big Sam's cosmopolitan approach, there'll be not one, but three players appearing, two of whom could genuinely be referred to as footballing gods in their homeland. So how do these likely lads measure up?

Well, starting up front, we have the Mexican bandit himself, Jared Borgetti. Strange one this because from the moment he played for Bolton he's never looked like he could fit in with the team's pattern of play or cut it at Premiership level. Too lightweight to play the lone role and a different type of player to the 'fox in the box' needed to complement Kevin Davies, he's been constantly linked throughout the season with a move back to his homeland. Yet, when he has played, his goals-per-game ratio has been pretty good and the fact that he is Mexico's record goalscorer must mean that the lad has something. However, a season spent mostly warming the sub's bench will have done him no favours even though a relatively easy group containing Angola and Iran should see him add to his tally. Verdict: 5 out of 10

Moving back into midfield there is the footballing enigma that is Hidetoshi Nakata of Japan. Signed on a season long loan from Fiorentina, he's flattered to deceive, making cameo roles here and there but rarely threatening to make a case for a sustained run in the team. As with Borgetti, he has few of the attributes needed to survive at Premiership level. Small and lightweight, lacking in pace, he's a gamble that's failed to pay off for Big Sam. However, I tip him personally to have a good World Cup because the pace of play will suit him, as will the wide open spaces, where he'll have plenty of time on the ball to show his undoubted skills. In addition, Japan could well have found themselves in a worse group than being in with Brazil, Australia and Croatia and, with their experience of playing in the two most recent World Cups, they are my surprise tip to finish second and make it out behind Brazil. Verdict: 7 out of 10

Last, but by no means least, there's the strong man at the back, Radhi Jaidi of Tunisia. Even Bolton fans used to the merry-go-round of foreign players coming through the Reebok's revolving door raised their eyebrows when he was plucked form the obscurity of Esperance of Tunis. Nicknamed 'The Beast' he's certainly no beauty and having made a promising start has proved no more than a useful squad player. He even suffered the ignominy of being hauled off after 25 minutes at Fulham this season after being at fault for two goals in quick succession and was recently given the runaround by Mark Viduka at the Riverside which says it all. Despite his prowess at set pieces where he's scored some valuable goals, the fact he carries the turning circle and pace of an oil tanker could well leave him exposed at World Cup level, especially as he'll have the dubious pleasure of marking two of the world's best strikers, Andrei Shevchenko of Ukraine and Fernando Torres of Spain. Verdict: 4 out of 10

By Mark Swift, Bolton fan

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One to Watch: Emmanuel Eboue, Ivory Coast

In the build-up to the World Cup, Who ate all the Bratwurst? will profile some of the hottest young talents who are set to make a major impression in Germany. Where better to start, given last night's stunning performance against Juventus, than with Emmanual Eboue…

Arsenal's second-choice right-back has proved a revelation since coming in for the injured Lauren. I watched him closely in the two Champions League games against Real Madrid and he was immense, particularly for a 22 year old. He was equally good against Juventus last night. Someone must have removed most of his major organs at birth and replaced them with a freakishly large pair of lungs, because his energy levels are awesome.

In many ways Eboue is the perfect modern full-back. He's comfortable on the ball, defends well when he has to, and loves to gallop down the wing (at a sprinter's pace) and cut in on the right edge of the opponents' box. The form of Eboue and compatriot Kolo Toure (also immense against Madrid and Juve) is key to the Ivory Coast's chances of escaping the perilous Group C, which also contains Argentina, Holland and Serbia & Montenegro.