Playing professional football is the world’s best job. A good day in the office is winning a game, scoring a few goals and relishing the atmosphere at a stadium as a loud crowd cheers you to victory. Doesn’t sound too shabby, does it? And it’s even better when you’re scouted before you turn sixteen. Promises of glory for your team and for your national side, cemented by sky-high wages – not a bad way to start out at all!
Spanish magazine Don Balon released its shortlist of a hundred young players they believe will be the future superstars of the game. Only players twenty-one and under as of this year are considered for recognition. Five Bayern Munich players made the list this year, including. Diego Contento, Thomas Müller, Breno, Holger Badstuber and Toni Kroos. In the last year, Müller and Badstuber – both 21 yrs old - have won a Bundesliga title, a bronze medal at the World Cup and were runners up at the UEFA Champions League.
Unsurprisingly, the list includes three Barcelona players - Bojan Krkic, Thiago and Marc Muniesa, graduates of the club’s youth academy, La Maisa. Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey was part of the list and when he recovers from a horrific leg injury following a terrible tackle, Arsenal and England team management will pray that he returns to his old self. Ramsey is quick, makes phenomenal passes and is often seen as the holding the key to a successful future for Arsenal, along with teammates Carlos Vela, Jack Wilshere and Thomas Vermaelen. The list also includes my personal favourite of all current prospects in European football, Milan’s Alexander Pato. Prolific in front of the goal, with superb aerial ability and speed, what more could you ask for from a young striker who is only just finding his feet in a European league? Real Madrid’s rising talent Sergio Canales made the list as well as Gaël Kakuta and John Obi Mikel of Chelsea. Fortunately, these young stars have already started playing at big teams and gradually proving their worth.
Several players stand out in my mind as the ‘next big thing’ among footballers. Take Brazilian sensation Neymar. His supposed transfer to Chelsea fell through and he continues to play for Santos in Brazil, but there’s no doubt that he and Brazilian teammate Philippe Coutinho will be amongst the most sought after picks for all managers across Europe during the next transfer window. Players like Belgium’s seventeen year old Romelu Lukaku and nineteen year old Eden Hazard could be the difference that the Belgian national team need to make an international impact. A prudent manager’s must-track list of rising stars would include Hazard, Real Madrid’s attacking midfielder who holds a personal ‘stamp of approval’ from Zidane. It would also include Iker Munian, the youngest scorer in the La Liga and Paris Saint-Germain’s Mamadou Sakho, a Ligue 1 sensation.
Let’s not forget the almost-discovered players waiting to emerge as the new Messis, Kakas and Drogbas of their generation. The Under 20 World Cup is an exceptional forum for players to make a name for themselves in football scout circles. Ghana won the tournament in 2009, and its striker Dominic Adiyiah was the top scorer and was voted player of the tournament. He was signed to Milan and is currently on loan to Reggina, where we can only hope he gets enough first team playing time to nurture his talents. Brazil was runners up at the tournament and fittingly the Silver Boot was given to Brazilian Alex Teixeira. Later signed by Shakhtar Donestsk, for those who remember, he played their away Champions League fixture against Arsenal at the Emirates. Another budding Brazilian, Giuliano, won the bronze ball behind Adiyah and Teixeira. He stayed with his team Internacional after the U20 World Cup and scored six goals to win the 2010 Copa Libertadores.
This summer’s World Cup was evidence that as more and more established and successful football players gradually fall into the ‘over the hill’ category, there’s an increasing opportunity for young players to make an impact in international and domestic football. Let’s wait till the January transfer window to see how many of these young players will grace European leagues with their budding skill and aptitude.
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