The World Cup is getting interesting.
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.
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.
Fabinho, 32, Brazil (Last club: Al Ittihad)
The former Liverpool midfielder has come to the end of his stint in the Saudi Pro League. Speaking to Marca in January, Fabinho said 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)
Salah’s last few months at Anfield were not easy, as his relationship with his boss, Arne Slot, seemed to disintegrate. Both have now left Liverpool. It is widely expected Salah will move to the Saudi Pro League once the World Cup is over, but for now his focus is solely on leading Egypt in the knockout stages.
James Rodriguez, 34, Colombia (Last club: Minnesota United)
MLS side Minnesota United do have an option to extend Rodriguez’s contract by a further six months to the end of the year. It hasn’t happened yet and whether it is realistic given the Colombia playmaker only made six appearances in the first half of the season and started just twice is open to question. Rodriguez could soon be looking for his fifth club in less than three years.
Luka Modric, 40, Croatia (Last club: AC Milan)
AC Milan do have an option to extend Modric’s contract by another year but it is not yet clear if that will happen, or whether the veteran midfielder will continue his career elsewhere, or quit altogether. Modric struggled badly in Croatia’s World Cup group stage defeat by England but recovered in victories over Panama and Ghana to help set up a mouth-watering knockout clash with Portugal.
Vozinha, 40, Cape Verde (Last club: Chaves)
The Cape Verde goalkeeper went viral for his heroic performance in his side’s opening 0-0 draw with Spain and has since helped them through to the knockout stages for the first time, where they will face Lionel Messi’s Argentina on Friday. The 40-year-old revealed in an interview with a Brazilian journalist that his contract with second-division Portuguese club Chaves has ended, but that he wants to keep playing.
Full list of players still at the World Cup who are out of contract
– David Alaba, 33, Austria (Last club: Real Madrid)
– Nabil Bentaleb, 31, Algeria (Last club: Lille)
– Casemiro, 34, Brazil (Last club: Manchester United)
– Fabinho, 32, Brazil (Last club: Al Ittihad)
– Gideon Mensah, 27, Ghana (Last club: Auxerre)
– Thomas Meunier, 34, Belgium (Last club: Lille)
– Luka Modric, 40, Croatia (Last club: AC Milan)
– Abdul Mumin, 27, Ghana (Last club: Rayo Vallecano)
– Orjan Nyland, 35, Norway (Last club: Sevilla)
– Thomas Partey, 32, Ghana (Last club: Villarreal)
– James Rodriguez, 34, Colombia (Last club: Minnesota United)
– Mohamed Salah, 33, Egypt (Last club: Liverpool)
– Xaver Schlager, 28, Austria (Last club: RB Leipzig)
– John Stones, 32, England (Last club: Manchester City)
– Vozinha, 40, Cape Verde (Last club: Chaves)
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
