Although the English Premier League season is finished, it doesn’t mean all of West Ham United’s players are on holiday.
Three West Ham stars will appear at the World Cup 2018. West Ham supporters will have a chance to cheer on their hammers in Russia; and they may get a glimpse of what is to come next season in the Premier League.
Over the years, West Ham have had numerous members represent the famed club at the World Cup. Bobby Moore, Trevor Brooking, Trevor Sinclair and Shaka Hislop are just four of the names to wear both a West Ham shirt and appear at a FIFA World Cup.
This year, three of them will compete in Russia.
Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez
Chicharito is arguably Mexico’s best player heading into this summer’s World Cup. The West Ham striker has scored 49 career international goals in 101 matches. At times, Chicharito has seemed incredibly undervalued as a player. He shows up, scores goals and does his job in a professional manner with no fuss.
The centre-forward arrived at West Ham from Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2017. In 25 Premier League matches with the Hammers, Chicharito scored eight goals. The Mexican international averaged one goal every 193 minutes during the season. There is no doubt some offers provided by the bookmakers will boost Chicharito’s goals during Mexico’s matches.
If Mexico are to get through Group F – the Group of Death – the team will need Chicharito in top form.
In Germany, Chicharito is well known and feared. Mexico’s first game of the World Cup will be against Joachim Löw’s squad, an awesome opportunity for him to show how talented he is.
Cheikhou Kouyate
Cheikhou Kouyate will always be remembered for scoring West Ham’s first goal at the Olympic Stadium. The midfielder has been a constant in West Ham’s squad since joining the club from Anderlecht in 2014. Kouyate has appeared in more than 140 matches in all competitions for the Hammers.
Kouyate will represent Senegal this summer at the World Cup. The Senegalese have an opportunity to get through Group H and into the knockout round. Kouyate’s leadership and tough tackling will be key against the likes of Colombia, Japan and Poland in the group stage. If the team gets through, the West Ham man could face off with England in the quarterfinals.
Manuel Lanzini
Manuel Lanzini may have the best opportunity of any West Ham player to win the World Cup this summer. The Argentine playmaker will join the likes of Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero in an impressive squad at this summer’s event.
Since Lanzini joined West Ham in 2015 on loan, his reputation as a top-level footballer has continued to grow. Lanzini’s dynamic play influenced the Hammers to sign the Argentine outright following his loan spell.
The playmaker has now enjoyed three successful years at West Ham. Last term, Lanzini scored five goals and registered seven assists in 27 Premier League matches. It was another excellent return from Lanzini, and this summer, he could etch his name into history as one of the few non-British West Ham stars to win a World Cup trophy.
