Jude Bellingham, Dani Olmo and the 5 Bundesliga players to watch in the World Cup knockout rounds

bundesliga.com shines the spotlight on who to keep an eye on in the last 16…

Jude Bellingham

Age: 19

Position: Midfielder

Club: Borussia Dortmund

Country: England

Recently named as the world's fourth-best footballer under the age of 21, this season Bellingham has played his 100th competitive match for Dortmund and even captained the club for the first time. Named Man of the Matchday after scoring twice in a 5-0 win over VfB Stuttgart, he was also nominated for Bundesliga Player of the Month in October. Hailed as "extraordinary" by Dortmund coach Edin Terzic because of his consistency at such a young age, Bellingham has started all 15 league matches this term. He has won more duels than anyone else in the Bundesliga, and has shown an admirable ability to cope with being targeted more regularly by opposing teams. With three goals and two assists in the league, two goals in the DFB Cup and four in the UEFA Champions League, it's no surprise he has become a regular for England too.

"Jude is phenomenal," declared Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate, who has realised that the only teenager and non-England-based player in his squad is the man to build the team around, starting him in all three group games against Iran, the USA and Wales. He has been everywhere across the pitch, heading in his first senior international goal against Iran, ranking third in the tournament for tackles won (seven), boasting an almost 92 per cent pass completion. "He's hugely exciting, and he's going to be an important player for England." Not to mention a versatile one...

"I feel most comfortable playing as a No.8, a box-to-box midfielder, and having a bigger impact on the opposition goal," Bellingham explained last season. "When I'm playing as a defensive midfielder I can dictate the tempo of the game, but I'm a bit far away when we're creating chances and shooting on goal. I'd rather be part of the action." He definitely will be as the Three Lions begin their knockout campaign against Senegal.

Dayot Upamecano

Age: 24

Position: Centre-back

Club: Bayern Munich

Country: France

Kylian Mbappe is undoubtedly the star of the show for world champions France, but one of the unsung heroes for Didier Deschamps's side has certainly been Upamecano. By his own admission, his first season at Bayern wasn't great. That isn't to say it was bad, but he hired a personal trainer over the summer to ensure he was in top condition for this campaign - and it's worked.

The central defender has become one of the first names on Julian Nagelsmann's teamsheet at Bayern and ranks in the division top 10 across categories such as tackles won (170, sixth), possession (1,385, second) and pass completion (92.74 per cent, fourth). He's now taken that form and confidence into the World Cup to emerge as France's first-choice centre-back.

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Again, Upamecano is in the upper echelons for pass completion (95.5 per cent, joint-fourth) - being involved in 11 passing moves that led to a shot - while he has also won five tackles, made four interceptions, 14 recoveries, no player has so far managed to dribble past him, and he just generally hasn't put a single foot wrong to allow opponents in across the wins against Australia and Denmark (he was rested for the final group fixture against Tunisia).

His performances for France will be no surprise to anyone who has watched him with RB Leipzig and Bayern in recent years, constantly maturing as a rock at the back. But now he's being viewed as one of the breakout stars of the World Cup and his status as one of football's best young central defenders confirmed. Imagine the plaudits if he shuts out ex-teammate Robert Lewandowski - having already done so twice in this season's UEFA Champions League against Barcelona - in a World Cup knockout against Poland.

Ritsu Doan

Age: 24

Position: Attacking midfielder

Club: Freiburg

Country: Japan

Once dubbed the "Japanese Messi", Doan is currently matching the great Argentine for goals in Qatar with a couple apiece - both from the bench in historic come-from-behind wins over Germany and Spain. And that's despite the fact he had scored only three times in his first 29 senior international appearances.

Mostly used in wide forward positions, Doan has been channelling his club form with the Samurai Blue. The 24-year-old has featured in all but one of Freiburg's 23 competitive fixtures this term that have seen the Black Forest club go into the winter break in second place behind Bayern - having only lost to the champions, Leipzig and Dortmund - and through to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League after an unbeaten group stage.

Japan have proven they can raise their game against the biggest teams and do so yet further with Doan on the field. He's only featured for 130 minutes and had just three attempts on goal, but he's put away two of those despite an xG of only 0.4. The forward is outshining the other seven Germany-based players in the Samurai Blue squad, plus the country's starlet Takefusa Kubo.

Dani Olmo

Age: 24

Position: Attacking midfielder

Club: RB Leipzig

Country: Spain

Olmo was just 12 years old when Spain won their first and only World Cup to date in 2010. Fast forward as many years, and the Leipzig playmaker is now treading in the same footsteps as vaunted midfield maestros Xabi Alonso, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. The Barcelona academy graduate recovered from injury just in time to prove his form and fitness ahead of the World Cup, scoring twice in the Bundesliga in November to take his count in Germany to 12 goals and 16 assists in 73 games.

Out in Qatar, he's played every single minute of the group stage as Spain progressed to set up a last-16 clash with Morocco. He got a goal and an assist in the opening win over Costa Rica, while only a superb stop from Manuel Neuer thwarted his sweet hit against Germany. Only Mbappe, Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry and Messi have had more efforts on goal, only Messi, Mbappe and Marcus Rashford more on target, while he is joint second for through balls and third for goal-creating actions.

Watch: Olmo's Bundesliga Mixtape

"Every time I play, I try to give my maximum. The coach knows me well and I always try to help when I'm on the pitch," said Olmo, who is the only Spanish player alongside goalkeeper Unai Simon and Rodri to feature for every minute so far, demonstrating the high regard in which Luis Enrique holds him - especially given the physical exertions the coach demands of his forwards.

He also reciprocated the apparent love-in with Enrique by saying that, if he were to be reincarnated, would like to come back as the Spain boss. But not before the Leipzig man is finished trying to guide his country to a second world title. A cerebral and creative attacker with a penchant for the spectacular, he's the man Spain can call upon to unlock the stingiest of defences and beating the most stubborn of goalkeepers.

Andrej Kramaric

Age: 31

Position: Striker

Club: Hoffenheim

Country: Croatia

The Hoffenheim forward may have had a quiet season by his standards at club level, with just three goals and two assists in 14 Bundesliga appearances in 2022/23 - and none since Matchday 8 - but he has been a mainstay for Croatia at Qatar 2022, starting all three group stage matches.

Watch: Kramaric's top three Bundesliga goals

Hoffenheim coach Andre Breitenreiter said that his talisman's dip in form was due to him being "worried about getting injured before the World Cup", but now that he is there he has thrown the shackles off and shown why he is his club's all-time leading scorer.

Kramaric has two goals so far, both coming in the 4-1 win over Canada, and he forms part of key Bundesliga spine running through the team alongside Josko Gvardiol and Borna Sosa. Croatia face Japan in a tricky last-16 encounter, especially given the Samurai Blue's impressive results so far, but an in-form Kramaric means the 2018 runners-up always have a chance, regardless of the opponent.

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