It's these stars who are being relied upon to bring their A-games to the biggest stage of all if their group favoured teams are to triumph in the World Cup. And when the fans buy their World Cup tickets, these are the players they will expect to shine.
Group A - Franck Ribery and Thierry Henry, France
Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Ribery is, at 27, in the prime of his career. Already with 45 caps and seven international goals, he's now in his fourth year as a member of the French national team and a key player in France's pursuit of a second World title.
Henry, now 32, is already a World Cup winner as part of the French team that beat Brazil in the final in 1998. Known as the unofficial King of France, Henry is his country's all-time leading goal scorer and remains an influential figure for the top-ranked team in group A.
Group B - Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez, Argentina
Messi is unquestionably the world's number soccer star and, although still just 22, he'll be appearing in his second World Cup finals tournament. In the 2006 World Cup Germany, he made three appearances, but two as a substitute and he remained on the bench during the quarter-final exit against the host nation. He won't be spending much time on the bench in South Africa.
Manchester City gun Carlos Tevez is the other key man for the group B favourites. He, too, is a young veteran appearing in his second World Cup finals and, having already achieved so much in a short career, suggests he may retire should Argentina win the title. Retirement is hard to imagine - winning the World Cup is not so fanciful.
Group C - Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, England
The precocious talent of Wayne Rooney has matured into a world-class football star. Having made his international debut as a 17-year-old, Rooney (24) arrives in South Africa as the pivotal player for England, after scoring nine goals in the qualifying matches.
Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard is another at the top of his game after 10 years with the national team. He scored in two group matches in Germany four years ago and he remains a prolific scorer.
Group D - Miroslav Klose and Philipp Lamn, Germany
In the absence of their injured captain Michael Ballack, Miroslav Klose and Philipp Lamn assume more importance for Germany in group D. Klose has scored 10 goals in the past two World Cup finals tournaments, while Lamn has been a mainstay of the tight German defensive unit since 2004.
Group E - Wesley Sneijder and Robin Van Persie, The Netherlands
Sneijder, the Dutch midfielder who plies his trade with Inter Milan in Italy, is renowned as one of the most proficient ball-passers in the world - with either feet. And he poses a danger to any side with his unpredictable and successful long-range shots on goal.
Van Persie has been compared by his Arsenal club manager Arsene Wenger to the world Player of the Year Lionel Messi. That says it all.
Group F - Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo, Italy
Buffon has been capped 101 times, and the four times world goalkeeper of the year has the responsibility not of scoring winners for Italy, but saving shots at the opposite end.
At the 2006 World Cup, Pirlo was in outstanding form in Italy's triumphant campaign, winning man of the match awards in the games against Ghana, Germany and France and also winning the Bronze Ball behind Zinedine Zidane and Fabio Cannavaro.
Group G - Kaka and Luis Fabiano, Brazil
For the tournament favourites, Kaka stands tall in a team of champions. The Real Madrid midfielder was the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2007 and was one of the stars of the 2006 World Cup.
Fabiano is a late bloomer, waiting until the age of 26 in 2007 to cement his place in the national team. In World Cup qualifying matches, he finished second to Chile’s Humberto Suazo on the top-scorer’s table with nine goals.
Group H - Xavi and Fernando Torres, Spain
Xavi Hernandez has made his name as an outstanding midfielder for Barcelona for the past decade, during which time he's also played 86 internationals for Spain. He is the glue of the midfield, adept at defending, holding and defending with flair.
Fernando Torres has always been considered a freakish 'boy wonder'. As a youngster, he scored three goals in four games in the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany and, now with Liverpool, wrote himself into folklore by scoring the Reds' 1000th Premier League goal.
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
Although there are dozens of other players with claims from other teams, it's these players from the eight group favourites who will carry the pressures of success.
The odds are that one of them will end up winning the Golden Ball for the South African World Cup.
Mike McCann - Mike McCann is lucky to be able to combine his three loves - travel, sport and his home city of Sydney. He is an international sports ...
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