KYRIAKOS PAPADOPOULOS
Greece coach Fernando Santos has frequently gambled on young players, but most have failed to live up to their promise in the national team. The big exception is Kyriakos Papadopoulos, the defender who was a standout for Greek team at Euro 2012.
The 22-year-old Schalke player attracted Liverpool's attention before a knee injury kept him on the sidelines for 13 months. Still a fitness worry, his partnership with dependable center back Sokratis Papastathopoulos would be a major relief for Greece as they take on faster World Cup opponents in Japan, Colombia and Ivory Coast.
"I'm not the kind of person who gives up easily," Papadopoulos said. "I have to work hard to get back, and that's what I'm doing."
