The Cage 2.0: the new The Onetouchables

In the first edition Patrick Vieira, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Paul Scholes presented themselves as the possible outsider: the English midfielder and the Dutch striker had just met at Manchester United, while Vieira was part of the Arsenal antagonists. The lack of cohesion and the meeting characteristics of the two midfielders evidently influenced the final result, given that The Onetouchables came out in the first round. Without infamy and without praise, surely the team that has had the least impact of the whole tournament.

The 3 new representatives do not have very different technical characteristics, with the young Norwegian Haaland who can play the part of an inexperienced Van Nisterlooy and the experts Luiz and Modric to replace the tenacity and tough face of the two ''old'' midfielders. The hope is that they can pass at least the first round.

THE ONETOUCHABLES 2.0

Luka Modric

The only one to have won a Ballon d'Or - who is not called Lionel or Cristiano - since 2008. Nicknamed the Croatian Johan Crujiff, he confirms himself as a very high level player at the time of Tottenham, with whom he reaches a historic quarter-final in 2011 , then eliminated from Real Madrid. It was Florentino Perez who purchased it the following year, making Luka the pivot of the new Madrid midfield. Since then it has been an escalation of performances, victories and personal awards, with the climax reached in 2018 with the victory of the Champions League, the final of the World Cup lost against France (but the title of best player of the competition) and title of Golden Ball.

Herling Haaland

He is the youngest player in the whole tournament, with his 20 years to go. Together with Sancho they form the baby-attack of Borussia Dortmund which will be lacking in experience but not in terms of unpredictability and goals. Right now he is one of the most sought after players by the big names in Europe and, given the reaction of the Parisians after the ''recent'' victory in the Champions League - mocking the Norwegian ''zen'' exultation - you understand how much he is already a destabilizing factor. Son of art, despite playing a small number of games he has an average of one goal per game in the last season and a half, and he has all the qualities to become ''the next big thing'' of world football.

David Luiz

Complete central defender who stands out for his personality, spirit of sacrifice and physical skills, which combined with his flexibility, have made him one of the most promising prospects in his role. We speak in the past because on the threshold of 33 years Luiz is already in the waning phase of his career. His top player career started early, when at 23 he was already one of the best defenders in the world. Chelsea, PSG, and then London, first Blues side and then Gunners side. Lately fluctuating performances and the demonstration of no longer being the wall of a few years ago, but his thick hair will never detach him from the ideal we have of him.