In two weeks' time, a total of 736 men will have the honour of representing their country at the planet's biggest sporting event, the World Cup.
Each of those men has a full-time job with a domestic club, but which of these clubs boasts the highest proportion of World Cup stars? Bleacher Report will reveal which club is best represented in Brazil.
Some notes before we begin: At the time of writing, more than half of the 32 competing nations have not declared their final 23-man squads, so these rankings will actually change when the final deadline is reached next Monday.
Also, a player who has spent the full 2013-14 season on loan will be counted for the side he has played for, rather than his parent club.
Finally, this power ranking features every team with six or more players going to Brazil.
Let's begin...
34. Emelec
Number of players at World Cup: six
Jorge Guagua
Gabriel Achilier
Oscar Bagui
John Narvarez
Pedro Quinonez
Angel Mena
Number of domestic players at World Cup: six
Fourteen of Reinaldo Rueda's 30-man Ecuador squad ply their trade in the domestic league, with six of those players coming from 2013 champions and 2014 league leaders Emelec.
The most experienced of that crop is journeyman centre-back Jorge Guagua, who has 57 caps for his national team.
33. Basel
Number of players at World Cup: six
Serey Die
Yann Sommer
Valentin Stocker
Fabian Schar
Marcelo Diaz
Giovanni Sio
Number of domestic players at World Cup: three
Ottmar Hitzfeld's final 23-man Switzerland squad includes three of the players who helped Basel retain their fifth consecutive Super League title this season. Die and Sio, meanwhile, have both earned call-ups to the provisional Ivory Coast squad.
32. Olympiakos
Number of players at World Cup: six
Gaetan Bong
Giannis Maniatis
Jose Holebas
Kostas Manolas
Andreas Samaris
Joel Campbell
Number of domestic players at World Cup: four
Greece's squad is traditionally dominated by players based in the Greek Superleague, but just nine of Fernando Santos' final selections are domestic players this time. Four of those represent the resilient side that troubled Manchester United in the Champions League this season, Olympiakos.
Joel Campbell, the winger on loan from Arsenal who famously scored against David Moyes' side, has also been recalled to the Costa Rica provisional squad.
31. PSV Eindhoven
Number of players at World Cup: six
Jeroen Zoet
Karim Rekik
Memphis Depay
Georginio Wijnaldum
Santiago Arias
Bryan Ruiz
Number of domestic players at World Cup: four
Traditional Dutch powerhouse PSV could only manage a fourth-place finish in the Eredivisie this season, but they are sending twice as many players as champions Ajax to the World Cup.
All four of Louis van Gaal's domestic picks from Eindhoven are under 23, with much attention being paid to precocious talents such as left winger Memphis Depay.
30. Parma
Number of players at World Cup: six
Gabriel Paletta
Marco Parolo
Antonio Cassano
Walter Gargano
Joel Obi
Afriyie Acquah
Number of domestic players at World Cup: three
Antonio Cassano may not be at his vivacious best these days, but the striker scored 12 goals and bagged six assists with Parma this season to earn a spot in Cesare Prandelli's 30-man squad. Also joining him are midfielder Marco Parolo and defender Gabriel Paletta, who have three caps between them.
29. Southampton
Number of players at World Cup: six
Dejan Lovren
Maya Yoshida
Adam Lallana
Luke Shaw
Gaston Ramirez
Number of domestic players at World Cup: three
Southampton's players may not be sure as to who the manager will be next season, but six of them have something bigger to deal with in the coming weeks.
The Saints were delighted to have a trio of talent called up to Roy Hodgson's squad, including youth prospects Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw, and veteran hitman Rickie Lambert.
28. Newcastle
Number of players at World Cup: six
Tim Krul
Cheick Tiote
Mathieu Debuchy
Moussa Sissoko
Loic Remy
Shola Ameobi
Number of domestic players at World Cup: zero
France will be hoping to avoid the kind of implosion that blighted their campaigns in 2010 and 2002, and they will do so with the help of three Newcastle stars who couldn't help the Magpies avoid an end-of-season implosion: Mathieu Debuchy, Loic Remy and Moussa Sissoko.
27. Monaco
Number of players at World Cup: six
Danijel Subasic
James Rodriguez
Radamel Falcao
Sergio Romero
Elderson
Joao Moutinho
Number of domestic players at World Cup: zero
Colombia coach Jose Pekerman has vowed to wait until the very last moment to reveal his 23-man squad, in order to make a call on star striker Radamel Falcao.
The talismanic forward has been sidelined since January with a knee injury, but he has been training with the Colombian squad, including Monaco teammate James Rodriguez.
Interestingly, the nouveau riche principality are not sending a single Frenchman to the tournament.
26. Tottenham
Number of players at World Cup: six
Paulinho
Hugo Lloris
Nabil Bentaleb
Mousa Dembele
Nacer Chadli
Number of domestic players at World Cup: zero
With Kyle Walker and Andros Townsend missing out through injury, this will be the first World Cup since 1954 that Tottenham have not sent at least one Englishman to the World Cup. By contrast, they sent five players in 2010.
Yet Spurs are the single biggest supplier of players to the purported dark horses of the tournament, Belgium. Vertonghen, Dembele and Chadli should all play a role in Marc Wilmots' squad.
25. Roma
Number of players at World Cup: six
Maicon
Gervinho
Vasilis Torosidis
Daniel De Rossi
Mattia Destro
Miralem Pjanic
Number of domestic players at World Cup: two
The second of six Serie A teams to make this list, the Giallorossi boast homegrown talent, including Daniele De Rossi (pictured with the unselected Dani Osvaldo) and 23-year-old striker Mattia Destro.
Cesare Prandelli, however, has yet to give any indication as to when he'll trim his 30-man provisional squad down.
24. Feyenoord
Number of players at World Cup: seven
Bruno Martins Indi
Daryl Janmaat
Stefan de Vrij
Terence Kongolo
Jordy Clasie
Jean-Paul Boetius
Tonny Vilhena
Number of domestic players at World Cup: seven
Much is said about the comparative weakness of the Eredivise to other major European leagues, but 2013-14 runners-up Feyenoord are providing seven of Van Gaal's 30-man squad.
Like PSV's offering, Feyenoord's Dutch stars all have youth on their side; combined, the seven players have 39 less caps than Rafael van der Vaart, who was ruled out of action on Wednesday, per The Guardian.
23. VfL Wolfsburg
Number of players at World Cup: seven
Luis Gustavo
Ivan Perisic
Ivica Olic
Diego Benaglio
Ricardo Rodriguez
Vieirinha
Kevin De Bruyne
Number of domestic players at World Cup: zero
Wolfsburg boast two Swiss, two Croatian, a Belgian, a Brazilian and a Portuguese, but no German national team players.
Perisic and Olic were Die Wolfe's two top scorers 2013-14 with a combined 24 league goals, and they shall be looking to have a similarly prolific time in Group A against Mexico, Cameroon and Brazil.
22. CSKA Moscow
Number of players at World Cup: seven
Seydou Doumbia
Ahmed Musa
Igor Akinfeev
Sergei Ignashevich
Vasili Berezutski
Georgi Shchennikov
Alan Dzagoev
Number of domestic players at World Cup: five
Fabio Capello's Russian national team is composed entirely of players based in the Russian Premier League, five of whom play for 2013-14 champions CSKA Moscow.
CSKA's two non-Russian representatives in Brazil will be Musa of Nigeria and Doumbia of the Ivory Coast.
21. Schalke
Number of players at World Cup: seven
Joel Matip
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Atsuto Uchida
Sead Kolasinac
Benedikt Howedes
Julian Draxler
Kevin Prince-Boateng
Number of domestic players at World Cup: two
After a poor run at Euro 2012, Schalke's 2013-14 top scorer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will be hoping the Netherlands can show the kind of form they displayed at the 2010 World Cup.
Die Knappen's player to watch at the tournament, however, might be 20-year-old youth product Julian Draxler, who may reignite transfer interest from clubs such as Arsenal if he is given playing time with Germany.
20. Lazio
Number of players at World Cup: seven
Antonio Candreva
Alvaro Gonzalez
Lucas Biglia
Senad Lulic
Ogenyi Onazi
Miroslav Klose
Helder Postiga
Number of domestic players at World Cup: one
Lazio's top scorer Antonio Candreva is their only player to be called to duty by the Azzurri, but all eyes will surely be on veteran striker Miroslav Klose.
The German is battling to reach full fitness, so that he may add to his tally of 14 World Cup goals from three tournaments. With one more, Klose will overtake Gerd Mueller to become Die Mannschaft's all-time top scorer and will equal the all-time World Cup goal record held by Mueller and (Brazilian) Ronaldo.
19. Dynamo Moscow
Number of players at World Cup: eight
Luke Wilkshire
Christian Noboa
Aleksei Kozlov
Vladmir Granat
Igor Denisov
Aleksei Ionov
Yuri Zhirkov
Aleksandr Kokorin
Number of domestic players at World Cup: six
Dynamo Moscow may have finished three places below champions and city neighbours CSKA this season, but they are providing more players for the World Cup and are the biggest single contributor to Capello's Russia squad.
It's no shock that Dynamo top scorer Aleksandr Kokorin made the grade, while Chelsea flop Yuri Zhirkov has also earned his place.
The Belo-golubye's two non-Russian representatives will be Australian defender Luke Wilkshire and Ecuadorian midfielder Christian Noboa.
18. Zenit Saint Petersburg
Number of players at World Cup: eight
Hulk
Luis Neto
Nicolas Lombaerts
Axel Witsel
Yuri Lodygin
Viktor Fazyzulin
Oleg Shatov
Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Number of domestic players at World Cup: four
Portuguese midfielder Danny was Zenit's top scorer in 2013-14, but he has curiously fallen out of favour with Paulo Bento.
His defensive colleague Luis Neto, however, has made the Portugal team, while the Russian Premier League champions will see four of their stars in Capello's squad this summer.
17. Everton
Number of players at World Cup: eight
Lacina Traore
Phil Jagielka
Ross Barkley
Tim Howard
Kevin Mirallas
Gerard Deulofeu
Number of domestic players at World Cup: three
Ross Barkley has had something of an annus mirabilis with Everton this season, and he will hope to be rewarded with some playing time under an England manager who has seemed quite keen to blood the youngsters (although his squad number suggests he might be lower down the pecking order).
Earlier this week, Barcelona loan star Gerard Deulofeu was added to Spain's preliminary squad in place of Thiago Alcantara.
16. Borussia Dortmund
Number of players at World Cup: eight
Mitchell Langerak
Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Roman Weidenfeller
Mats Hummels
Marcel Schmelzer
Kevin Grosskreutz
Erik Durm
Marco Reus
Number of domestic players at World Cup: six
The German national team has been criticised for not having too many out-and-out strike options in this tournament, but Joachim Loew will be hoping Reus will continue with the incredible goalscoring form he showed for BvB at the end of the 2013-14 Bundesliga season.
Outside of the Nationalmannschaft, reserve keeper Mitchell Langerak has made the Australia provisional squad and Sokratis Papastathopoulos is in the Greece setup.
15. Porto
Number of players at World Cup: nine
Diego Reyes
Hector Herrera
Juan Fernando Quintero
Jackson Martinez
Jorge Fucile
Eliaquim Mangala
Silvestre Varela
Nabil Ghilas
Stevan Defour
Number of domestic players at World Cup: one
Porto finished third in the Portuguese Liga in 2013-14, thanks to the continued efforts of Jackson Martinez, who scored 20 times—15 goals more than anyone else on the side.
If Radamel Falcao struggles for full fitness, Jackson will need to step up his efforts for Jose Pekerman's Colombia side.
14. Internazionale
Number of players at World Cup: nine
Hernanes
Mateo Kovacic
Fredy Guarin
Yuto Nagatomo
Andrea Ranocchia
Hugo Campagnaro
Ricardo Alvarez
Rodrigo Palacio
Saphir Taider
Number of domestic players at World Cup: one
Internazionale earned their name for their propensity to rely on foreign talent, which is evident this summer with just Andrea Ranocchia filling out Prandelli's provisional squad.
The Nerazzurri boast three players in Argentina's squad in Palacio, Campagnaro and Alvarez. Their chances of boasting another World Cup winner next season are also increased by winter signing Hernanes, who has made Big Phil's cut.
13. Milan
Number of players at World Cup: nine
Nigel De Jong
Cristian Zapata
Keisuke Honda
Ignazio Abate
Mattia De Sciglio
Riccardo Montolivo
Mario Balotelli
Sulley Muntari
Michael Essien
Number of domestic players at World Cup: four
Milan are providing four players for the Azzurri, including the man who flits between game-changing skill and abject anonymity: Mario Balotelli. Elsewhere, the Rossoneri will lend Essien and Muntari to Ghana's attempts to escape the "Group of Death," while Honda represents one of Japan's brightest hopes of exiting Group C.
12. Paris Saint-Germain
Number of players at World Cup: 10
Thiago Silva
Maxwell
Salvatore Sirigu
Thiago Motta
Marco Verratti
Edinson Cavani
Lucas Digne
Yohan Cabaye
Blaise Matuidi
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Number of domestic players at World Cup: three
Unsurprisingly, the Ligue 1 side with the highest proportion of World Cup stars is PSG. The French champions will boast three domestic stars, three Italians, two Brazilians and an Argentinean.
World Cup fans will need no reminding that a certain talismanic Swede who scored 40 goals in the last campaign will be conspicuous by his absence in Brazil.
11. Arsenal
Number of players at World Cup: 10
Jack Wilshere
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Bacary Sagna
Laurent Koscielny
Olivier Giroud
Per Mertesacker
Mesut Ozil
Lukas Podolski
Thomas Vermaelen
Number of domestic players at World Cup: two
Arsenal managed to secure two pieces of silverware this season (The FA Cup and the Fourth Place Trophy), thanks to their wealth of world-class talent.
Wilshere and the Ox, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, should feature in Hodgson's youthful teams, while Laurent Koscielny, Olivier Giroud and Bacary Sagna will attempt to steer clear of another French implosion.
10. Liverpool
Number of players at World Cup: 10
Kolo Toure
Glen Johnson
Daniel Sturridge
Jordan Henderson
Raheem Sterling
Mamadou Sakho
Victor Moses
Number of domestic players at World Cup: five
Liverpool may have squandered the chance of winning their first league title in over two decades, but they may take a quantum of solace from being England's largest single supplier of World Cup players.
Ironically, the Reds also boast the Uruguayan striker who threatens to seriously dent the Three Lions' progress at the tournament.
9. Atletico Madrid
Number of players at World Cup: 10
Juanfran
Koke
David Villa
Diego Costa
Diego Godin
Jose Maria Gimenez
Cristian Rodriguez
Jose Ernesto Sosa
Thibaut Courtois
Toby Alderweireld
Number of domestic players at World Cup: four
Atletico Madrid enjoyed incredible success in 2013-14, so it is little surprise that a squad that won La Liga and reached the Champions League Final features so highly in the World Cup power rankings.
Atleti would have featured even higher if Big Phil had selected superb centre-back Joao Miranda in his final squad, but many were surprised to see him bumped in favour of Napoli's Henrique.
The biggest question mark of these selections hangs over Costa, who will battle to get fit to represent his adopted nation of Spain. As mentioned earlier, Vicente Del Bosque is delaying his 23-man squad announcement for Costa's benefit.
8. Manchester City
Number of players at World Cup: 12
Fernandinho
David Silva
Jesus Navas
Alvaro Negredo
Yaya Toure
Joe Hart
James Milner
Martin Demichelis
Pablo Zabaleta
Sergio Aguero
Edin Dzeko
Vincent Kompany
Number of domestic players at World Cup: two
Some of the brightest prospects in Brazil lifted the Premier League trophy a few weeks ago. Hart and Milner are on England's plane; Demichelis, Zabaleta and Aguero have the potential to meet Brazil in the final for a South American showdown, and Kompany will be captaining dark horses Belgium.
Yaya Toure, meanwhile, will be extremely perturbed if he is not given some kind of cake.
7. Chelsea
Number of players at World Cup: 12
David Luiz
Ramires
Oscar
Willian
Samuel Eto'o
Cesar Azpilicueta
Gary Cahill
Jon Obi Mikel
Andre Schurrle
Number of domestic players at World Cup: two
David Luiz's days as a Chelsea player may be numbered, but the bushy-haired defender is currently one of four stars who will be representing the home nation.
The Blues are also lending Lampard and Cahill to the England setup, while Torres and Cesar "Dave" Azpilicueta should be among the defending champions.
6. Napoli
Number of players at World Cup: 13
Henrique
Pepe Reina
Raul Albiol
Juan Camilo Zuniga
Christian Maggio
Lorenzo Insigne
Gokhan Inler
Valon Behrami
Blerim Dzemaili
Federico Fernandez
Gonzalo Higuain
Faouzi Ghoulam
Dries Mertens
Number of domestic players at World Cup: two
Napoli top scorer Gonzalo Higuain and his strike partner Dries Mertens have both earned call-ups to their respective nations, yet prolific striker Jose Callejon, who scored 20 goals in 2013-14, has never been considered for Spain's senior side.
The Partenopei's presence is most strongly felt in the Switzerland squad, where Inler, Behrami and Dzemaili will all be available to try and help Hitzfeld's side battle their way out of Group E.
5. Juventus
Number of players at World Cup: 13
Mauricio Isla
Arturo Vidal
Fernando Llorente
Gigi Buffon
Giorgio Chiellini
Andrea Barzagli
Leonardo Bonucci
Andrea Pirlo
Claudio Marchisio
Martin Caceres
Paul Pogba
Stephan Lichtsteiner
Kwadwo Asamoah
Number of domestic players at World Cup: six
Juventus are sending as many players to Brazil as their Serie A rivals Napoli, but considerably more Italians. The scudetto holders' back three of Chiellini, Bonucci and Barzagli should slot into Prandelli's back four, while the Azzurri's all-time appearance leader, Buffon, should be behind the back line.
In the middle of the park, Pirlo, the man with the greatest beard in all of football—and humanity—will direct traffic.
4. Real Madrid
Number of players at World Cup: 13
Marcelo
Luka Modric
Iker Casillas
Daniel Carvajal
Sergio Ramos
Xabi Alonso
Raphael Varane
Karim Benzema
Angel Di Maria
Sami Khedira
Pepe
Fabio Coentrao
Cristiano Ronaldo
Number of domestic players at World Cup: four
Real Madrid played 61 games in all competitions this season and capped off a mixed campaign with the much-vaunted 10th European Cup. The downside of this continental success is that their Galacticos will have little respite before heading to Brazil, so La Liga top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo may not have his full quotient of energy.
This will be particularly true when the Portuguese star and his two countrymen, Pepe and Coentrao, face the humidity of Manaus in their second game.
3. Barcelona
Number of players at World Cup: 13
Dani Alves
Neymar
Alex Song
Alexis Sanchez
Gerard Pique
Jordi Alba
Xavi
Andres Iniesta
Sergio Busquets
Pedro
Javier Mascherano
Lionel Messi
Number of domestic players at World Cup: seven
In the past few international competitions, the Spanish national team have heartily embraced Barcelona's tiki-taka philosophy and false-nine tactics, so it is little surprise that the Blaugrana are supplying seven of Del Bosque's preliminary squad.
Aside from the Spaniards, Barca also boast the two men who arguably have the biggest storylines at this tournament: Neymar and Messi. The former has the entire weight of Brazil upon his shoulders, while the latter will strive to cause an upset for their fierce South American rivals and hosts, simultaneously cementing his reputation as a legend of the game.
2. Manchester United
Number of players at World Cup: 14
Javier Hernandez
Robin van Persie
David De Gea
Shinji Kagawa
Danny Welbeck
Chris Smalling
Phil Jones
Antonio Valencia
Patrice Evra
Nani
Adnan Januzaj
Number of domestic players at World Cup: four
Manchester United endured a miserable season by their standards, and many have commented that their squad is past its prime. It may, therefore, come as a surprise to learn that the Red Devils are second in the World Cup rankings.
After declaring his allegiance to Belgium, Januzaj will be looking to make his mark on the biggest stage, while Van Persie will seek to overcome a relatively disappointing campaign by helping the Netherlands exorcise the demons of Euro 2012. His sublime goal against Ecuador recently shows he is on the right track.
Meanwhile, all eyes will also be on Wayne Rooney, who will be under immense pressure to prove to the world that he still has the fitness and ability to drive England deep into the competition. Incredibly, the 28-year-old is still seeking his first World Cup goal.
1. Bayern Munich
Number of players at World Cup: 15
Dante
Mario Mandzukic
Arjen Robben
Javi Martinez
Franck Ribery
Xherdan Shaqiri
Manuel Neuer
Philipp Lahm
Jerome Boateng
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Toni Kroos
Mario Gotze
Thomas Muller
Julian Green
Daniel van Buyten
Number of domestic players at World Cup: seven
With a squad that boasts 15 players worthy of the World Cup, it is little wonder that Bayern Munich are such a force to be reckoned with.
Die Roten will provide the backbone of Die Nationalmannschaft, with one of the world's best goalkeepers, Neuer, full-back and captain Philipp Lahm, midfield general Bastian Schweinsteiger and precocious forward Thomas Muller.
Interestingly, the eight non-German World Cup players in their ranks each represent a different nation. Robben, Ribery and Mandzukic are likely to be key players for their respective countries.
Follow me on Twitter @RyanJayBailey
Read 0 Comments
Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation