The World Cup is getting interesting.
The report indicates that the tournament is now well into the knockout stages, the path to the final is known, and the excitement is building over which two countries will compete for the biggest prize in world football at the New York New Jersey Stadium on 19 July.
It further notes that but for a small group of players, there is an additional incentive to do well.
As of 2 July, 14 of the players still active at the World Cup are technically unemployed. Once the tournament is over, they don’t have a club to go to.
There are some quite famous names among them, although it is unlikely Casemiro, James Rodriguez and Mo Salah are going to be too concerned about how they will cope financially.
But they do still have a chance to impress potential suitors – and clearly, there is a possibility they might get injured.
BBC Sport assesses the short-term futures of some of the most notable out-of-contract players still dreaming of World Cup glory.
John Stones, 32, England (Last club: Manchester City)
Has now left City after a decade at the club in which he won 15 major trophies. Picked for England by Thomas Tuchel despite recent injury issues, Stones has most recently been linked with former club Everton and Italian giants AC Milan.
Casemiro, 34, Brazil (Last club: Manchester United)
Released by United due to his huge wages despite an outstanding final campaign at Old Trafford. Casemiro’s form during the World Cup has been patchy but he did score a priceless equaliser in Brazil’s last-32 comeback win against Japan. Casemiro is expected to join Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami when the World Cup is over.
David Alaba, 33, Austria (Last club: Real Madrid)
Left Real Madrid this summer after five years at the club. The former Bayern Munich star has had a storied club career that has yielded 12 league titles and four Champions Leagues. He has also been named Austrian footballer of the year on 10 occasions. Despite speculation about interest from a number of clubs as his Real contract came to an end, Alaba has not signed for anyone so far.
The former Liverpool midfielder has come to the end of his stint in the Saudi Pro League. Speaking to Marca in January, Fabinho stated he was not in a hurry to sort out his future and would like to return to Europe at some stage. At the World Cup, he has been used largely off the bench by Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti and is clearly an important part of his squad.
Mohamed Salah, 33, Egypt (Last club: Liverpool)
