WORLD CUP FACTS…

*Attendance

200 of the 736 players summoned to Russia have been to the FIFA World Cup before. 186 were at Brazil 2014, 61 were at South Africa 2010, 21 were at Germany 2006 and one was at Korea/Japan 2002: Rafa Marquez, who will become just the fourth man to go to five editions of the tournament after Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matthaus and Gigi Buffon.

*Leagues

100 per cent of England’s players are based in their national league. The Three Lions are followed by Russia (21/23) and Saudi Arabia (20/23). Senegal and Sweden, on the other hand, didn’t pick a single player from their domestic championship, while Belgium, Iceland, Nigeria and Switzerland selected only one apiece. Seventy-four per cent of the players at Russia 2018 are based in Europe.

*Age

19 years and five months is the comparatively old age that makes Australia winger Daniel Arzani the youngest player at Russia 2018. Femi Opabunmi (17 and two months), Theo Walcott (17 and three months), Christian Eriksen (18 years and four months) and Fabrice Olinga (18 years and one month) were the youngest players to go to the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups. The average age of the 736 players – almost 28 years old – is the oldest in the tournament’s history.

*Club Reps

16 players make Manchester City the best-represented team at Russia 2018. The English Premier League champions are followed by Real Madrid (15), Barcelona (14), Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur (12). England is the base for the most players (124), followed by Spain (81) and Germany (67).

* Germany and Spain

9 members of Germany’s Brazil 2014-conquering squad have been selected by Joachim Low this time around. Among those to miss out were Benedikt Howedes and Christoph Kramer, who started the Maracana Final, and Andre Schurrle and Mario Gotze, who combined for the only goal in it.

Vicente Del Bosque took 16 of Spain’s South Africa 2010 winners to the next World Cup.

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