World Cup 2014: We all know Neymar, James Rodriguez and Lionel Messi have undoubtedly been the stars... but who are the unsung heroes in Brazil?

These 10 have been crucial to their teams, despite the lack of headlines

Jack Parkes
Friday 04 July 2014 10:32 EDT
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(Getty Images)

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The World Cup in Brazil has proved, among many other things, that a team can be far greater than the sum of its parts.

Costa Rica have completed an unlikely ascent to the lofty heights of the quarter-finals, having dispatched a group of former champions with relative ease, while Algeria, the USA, Greece and Chile all progressed further than they were expected.

Costa Rica, without a star man to call upon, despite the heroics of Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell are a feared enigma.

Several stars have been born in Brazil, James Rodriguez chief among them, but behind the glitz and glamour, a lot of these teams have other emphatic performers that can slip off the radar unnoticed.

Within the impressive team performances by some of the underdogs lie several unsung heroes who have projected their nations to unlikely success.

The unsung heroes, we salute you.

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