2026 World Cup | Which Paraguay players could pose a threat to France?

2026 World Cup | Which Paraguay players could pose a threat to France? Star player Julio Enciso. One of the greatest players produced by Paraguayan football in the last 20 years. La Joya (The Jewel) amazed with his talent in Libertad – who gave jobs to both his mother, a house cleaner, and his father, a street vendor, to convince them to move to Asuncion when their son was just 12 – and debuted for the national team at 17 before making the bold leap to the Premier League. He had some good moments in Brighton, scoring a Puskás Award-worthy screamer against Man City, however injuries and managerial changes gradually eroded his impact.  Enciso got married and found a new beginning in Strasbourg, where he currently plays. Fast and direct, a difference-maker, a game-changer in the final third, Enciso is a special talent. In honour of his grandfather, he fulfilled his dream of playing in a World Cup. “I dedicate this to him. He’s surely watching me from heaven,” he said. One to watch Damián Bobadilla. Unlike his father, the former goalkeeper Aldo Bobadilla, Damián Bobadilla never put on the gloves. And it’s a good thing he didn’t – he has become an excellent midfielder. But his father remains his great hero. “My dad didn’t have a cape, but he flew from post to post,” he once said affectionately. Bobadilla burst onto the scene at his boyhood club Cerro Porteño in 2021, showing all the strengths of a high-quality box-to-box midfielder: physicality, calmness, and clever decision-making. Since 2024 he has been playing for São Paulo in Brazil’s top division, where he has already established himself as one of the team’s key players. Now 24, if he continues performing at this level he looks ready for the next big step in his career. Unsung hero The entire team structure relies on Andrés Cubas . He provides balance, wins duels and fights for every ball as if it were the last challenge he will ever have to make. Although he is primarily a defensive midfielder, Cubas is also capable of initiating quick transitions into attack after regaining possession. Born in Argentina, and a former Argentina international at Under-20 level, Cubas promised his mother – who was born in Paraguay – that he would represent her country if he was given the chance. And he was. At 1.65m he is not physically imposing, but his intelligence, positioning and tenacity more than make up for it. This is a piece from Christian Perez and Óscar Gómez for VS Sports as part of the Guardian Sports Network GFFN  | Luke Entwistle