World Cup 2014: 8 Players Who Can Win It For Their Country

3. Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)

Current Odds: 6/1

Joachim Low has found himself playing the role of the 'nearly man' for quite some time now. Having taken over the German national side from Jurgen Klinsmann following World Cup 2006, Low has seen his progression of majors result in: a runner's up medal, a 3rd-place finish and a semi-final exit, this super-talented squad of players suffering the most of any from Spain's dominance of the international football world.

With tiki-taka looking to be on a firm decline and Bayern Munich's re-establishment as a powerhouse in European football, many see Germany as the realistic choice of spoilers to the South American party. In many ways, Germany's team resembles Spain's in terms of quality and technical prowess but with more options.

Many believe Bayern under Heynckes got the balance right, with Scweinsteiger proving to be a pivotal part of that top-class team, as he looks poised to be again this summer. Whilst Germany, alike England, look poised to suffer from the climate somewhat, their style of play will look to reflect that of what has made Bayern and Dortmund a success across Europe and Scweinsteiger's position as the conduit within that team; pulling the strings of a diverse attack and pressuring defence, is going to be critical to potential failure or success.

One shouldn't forget Germany's record at World Cups of past. It's ridiculous: 3 victories, 5 runners up medals and 4 Third-place finishes. 12 prominent finishes out of 19 past tournaments.