Post by QPR Report on Jan 13, 2009 7:35:46 GMT
From 8 Years ago
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The Times - January 12 - Football's top 50 rising stars
Some names on this list of starlets you will know, others you may not. They hail from leagues from all over the world, but all are united by their potential to make it big in the next twelve months.
50. Ahmad Khalil (Al Ahly)
The current Asian young player of the year is an exciting striker from the United Arab Emirates who is expected to train for a month with Chelsea as part of a deal between the club and the Asian football confederation.
49. Will Buckley (Rochdale)
The 20-year-old winger is in his first full season at Spotland if he continues to play as well as he has done this season, it may be his last in League Two.
48. Shannon Cole (Sydney FC)
A midfield player or full back on either flank, the 23-year-old is a free-kick specialist who had a trial with Doncaster Rovers but has been unable to secure a work permit. He was called into the Australia squad only two months after turning professional.
47. Khalfan Ibrahim (Al Sadd)
Named Asian footballer of the year in 2006 aged just 18, the striker is a Qatar international with a prolific scoring record who could have a future in Europe.
46. Sam Baldock (MK Dons)
Celtic are apparently tracking the progress of this rapid striker, 20 in March, who is that unusual thing given the recent creation of his club: a MK Dons youth product.
45. Rabiu Ibrahim (Sporting Lisbon)
The Nigerian attacking midfield player with an eye for goal will not be 18 until March yet has already been dubbed the next Jay-Jay Okocha.
44. David McGoldrick (Southampton)
The 21-year-old striker has nine goals this term for the Saints and is tipped to go marching on to bigger things for his all-round ability.
43. Patrik Ingelsten (Heerenveen)
The 26-year-old Swede, converted from winger to striker, is short but pacy and was the top scorer in his native country before signing for Heerenveen last month.
42. Victor Moses (Crystal Palace)
The archetype of raw talent, this Nigeria-born winger or striker is a Palace academy product with explosive pace, and has represented England at youth level.
41. Daniel Opare (Real Madrid)
The 18-year-old right back was called up into the full Ghana side soon after his 17th birthday after starring in the 2007 under-17 World Cup. Real beat out a host of clubs for his signature a year ago and he is expected to break into the first-team soon.
40. Lee Chung-yong (FC Seoul)
The fiery 20-year-old winger is South Korea’s top young talent and a member of the national team. A move to Europe has been mooted.
39. Joao Miranda (Sao Paulo)
AC Milan and Fiorentina are reportedly interested in capturing the tall 24-year-old centre back, formerly with Sochaux in France.
38. Mark Beevers (Sheffield Wednesday)
The 19-year-old centre back has been linked with a move to the top-flight this month after a series of mature-beyond-his-age displays for the club he joined as a trainee.
37. Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen)
The 20-year-old left-footed playmaker fell out with his previous club, Schalke 04, but has blossomed at Bremen and Europe’s leading clubs are said to be monitoring his progress.
36. Kyle Naughton (Sheffield United)
Newcastle, Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa are believed to be tracking this 20-year-old right back, who only made his Blades first-team debut last August.
35. Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar)
The 21-year-old goalkeeper represented Argentina in Beijing last summer and his reputation is growing, with his club top of the Dutch league at the time of writing.
34. Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus)
Pint-sized playmaker who scored a superb goal for Italy against Honduras in last year’s Olympics, the 21-year-old was reportedly an Arsenal target last year. Hasn’t seen much playing time this season, however.
33. Dan Gosling (Everton)
Signed from Plymouth Argyle last January, the midfield player – 19 in February – had to wait until Boxing Day for his debut and scored against Sunderland two days later. His manager, David Moyes, has been impressed and vowed to give him more opportunities.
32. Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)
Poland’s brightest talent, the predatory 20-year-old striker has already made his debut for the international side and the hype is building.
31. Jose Baxter (Everton)
The speedy Bootle-born 16-year-old striker could have an impact in 2009-10, and will be nurtured carefully by Moyes, who certainly did a good job bringing Wayne Rooney through the ranks.
30. Masal Bugduv (Olimpia Balti)
Moldova’s finest, the 16-year-old attacker has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal, work permit permitting. And he’s been linked with plenty of other top clubs as well.
29. Jack Collison (West Ham United)
Born in England but a Wales international through his grandfather, this 20-year-old product of the famed West Ham academy has broken into the first-team and not looked out of place.
28. Fabian Delph (Leeds United)
Top-flight vultures are circling Elland Road ready to lavish big money on the 18-year-old midfield prodigy who has dynamic physical attributes and a maturity beyond his years.
27. Mounir El Hamdaoui (AZ Alkmaar)
Spurs have been short of strikers, eh? Well they signed this 24-year-old Rotterdam born forward in 2004 but never played him, loaning him to Derby County, where injury struck. Free of injury this term, he is showing what he can do, with 15 goals making him the Dutch league’s top scorer at the time of writing.
26. Mark Noble (West Ham United)
This East Ender has progressed through the England youth ranks and has already made 61 starts. Tenacious and skilful, he should continue to improve this year and grab games by the scruff of the neck.
25. Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse)
Premier League clubs are tracking the progress of the tall forward, who is enjoying a breakthrough season: top scorer in Ligue 1 before the winter break with 12 goals in 19 games.
24. Piet Velthuizen (Vitesse Arnhem)
Arsenal have been linked with a £3 million swoop for the 22-year-old goalkeeper who has emerged as a future candidate for Holland’s number one shirt.
23. Guillaume Hoarau (Paris Saint-Germain)
A tall and strong target man, the 24-year-old is in his first season at the top level but has already proved he has what it takes and is expected to challenge for a place in the national side.
22. Kieran Westwood (Coventry City)
Signed from Carlisle United last summer for £450,000, the 24-year-old goalkeeper is already said to be worth ten times that amount and his manager, Chris Coleman, rates him as the best ‘keeper outside the Premier League.
21. Nathan Delfouneso (Aston Villa)
The new Gabriel Agbonlahor (even though the old one’s just got here)? This tall, tricky, 17-year-old local youth product has been tried out in the cups this season and looked the part, as he has done at junior level for England.
20. Thiago Silva (free agent, joining AC Milan in June)
The 24-year-old, converted to centre back after being a utility man, left Fluminese last year. Rebuilt his career after failing to make an impact in previous European spells and will be at the San Siro next season after appearing at the Olympics as an overage player.
19. Mario Balotelli (Inter Milan)
This 18-year-old Italy under-21 striker, born in Sicily to Ghanaian parents, made his Inter first-team debut at the end of 2007 and is highly-rated though has struggled for action under Jose Mourinho.
18. Angel Di Maria (Benfica)
An Arsenal target in 2007, the 20-year-old Argentina midfield player with a headline-friendly name scored the winner in the Olympic final last year and is one of Chelsea’s key transfer targets for the summer.
17. Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough)
Surprisingly linked with Real Madrid last month – he’s not quite ready for them yet - the 21-year-old has the potential to be Teesside’s new wing wizard if and when Stewart Downing moves on.
16. Diego Buonanotte (River Plate)
The tiny 20-year-old attacking midfield player with excellent dribbling ability featured in Argentina’s Olympic gold medal-winning side last year and has become a key figure at his club.
15. Sofiane Feghouli (Grenoble)
Dubbed the “new Zidane”, along with half the teenage midfield players in France, the 19-year-old Parisian has apparently come to the notice of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers.
14. Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli)
The Argentina forward is reportedly interesting Chelsea but his club this month said they are determined to hang on to the 23-year-old, who is viewed in Naples as one of the club’s brightest stars since Diego Maradona.
13. Steve Mandanda (Marseilles)
The Kinshasha-born goalkeeper had an unsuccessful trial at Aston Villa in 2007, but since he became first-choice at the Stade Velodrome he has gone from strength to strength and is now between the posts for France.
12. Marek Hamsik (Napoli)
A Slovakia international, the 20-year-old goalscoring midfield player moved from Slovan Bratislava to Brescia in 2004, then to Napoli in 2007 and is highly popular. When his watch was stolen last month, fans tracked down the thieves and recovered it.
11. Carlos Eduardo (Hoffenheim)
European scouts had kept tabs on this Gremio left-sided midfield player as a teenager, but it was to little Hoffenheim that he moved for €8 million in 2007. He is now 21 and Hoffenheim are shock contenders for the Bundesliga title.
10. Claudio Marchisio (Juventus)
A Turin-born Juve youth product long hailed as one of Italy’s brightest talents, the 22-year-old has shown this season that he is capable of dominating central midfield.
9. Fabio Da Silva (Manchester United)
His twin Rafael, has already caught the eye at right back this season and the word from Old Trafford is that Fabio, 18, is just as exciting – though he is yet to make his United debut given Patrice Evra’s excellence at left back.
8. Jozy Altidore (Villarreal)
Strong, quick and a good finisher, the New Jersey-born striker is the hottest property to come out of Major League Soccer since Freddy Adu. Altidore made a big-money move to Spain last summer.
7. John Fleck (Rangers)
The nephew of the former striker, Robert Fleck, he became the youngest player to feature in a Scottish Cup final last May and is a 17-year-old attacker with prodigious talent who has generated plenty of buzz.
6. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
Of all Arsenal’s adolescents, this Stevenage-born 17-year-old midfield player is perhaps the most exciting, and he has already featured in two Champions League games this season.
5. Douglas Costa (Gremio)
The new Ronaldinho? The new Anderson? Either way, this skilful 18-year-old midfield player attracted the attention of Manchester United and Real Madrid last autumn despite making just a handful of appearances. His buy-out clause is 21 million GBP.
4. Radamel Falcao Garcia (River Plate)
The 22-year-old Colombia striker, named after the former Brazil star, Falcao, is quick, lethal and two-footed and leading European sides are eyeing up this potential star.
3. David Silva (Valencia)
A Liverpool and Barcelona target last summer after he starred for Spain at Euro 2008, the diminutive winger, just turned 23, has fabulous skills and a determined character.
2. Karim Benzema (Lyons)
Lyons placed a 100 million Euro price-tag on this academy product to deter the hordes of bigger clubs eyeing up the 21-year-old France striker, who has few weaknesses in his game and is a bona fide superstar in the making.
1. Hernanes (Sao Paulo)
Perhaps the most-hyped South American prospect of last year, the hugely-talented 23-year-old Brazilian is an attacking midfield playmaker, leading to inevitable Kaka comparisons. How long before he moves to Europe?
(Thanks to Gabriele Marcotti.)
