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Karl
Senior Member
USA
914 Posts |
 Posted - May 02 2002 : 3:32:26 PM
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baddaz
the company one keeps
Thu May 2 11:55:16 2002
216.143.132.210
Top 50 Un-Established Youngsters In The World - Close Candidates
Niko Kranjcar (Dinamo Zagreb, STR) - Croatia U-16 star, blessed with wonderful offensive skills and good finishing qualities. Tall, not too pacey but with excellent ball-skills and superb technique.
Rubinho (Corinthians, GK) - Fantastic Brazil U-20 goalkeeper with one of the safest hands I’ve ever seen. Fantastic reflexes as well. Like most Brazilian goalies a bit dodgy on decision-making.
Helder Positga (FC Porto, CFWD) - Big, strong centre-forward blessed with great strength in the air, scores a lot of headers and makes good movement in the box.
Brian Howard (Southampton, AM/LM) - England U-17 offensive midfielder who can play on the left flank as well as in the centre. Fast, creative and a good passer of the ball. An excellent prospect, Manchester United have been reportedly eyeing him.
Mark Peters (Southampton, STR) - 17-year-old goalscorer who has broken all academy records scoring for fun whenever he’s had the chance.
Stefan Moore (Aston Villa, STR) - Wonderful England U-17 striker with a great touch on the ball and superb finishing qualities. A classy performer capable of fantastic things.
Marco Ferro (AC Pistoiese, STR) - Long-haired forward who possesses a lot of skill on the ball, good movement, always asking for the ball. Has a good shot from all ranges and is a good finisher.
Vincent Pericard (Juventus, STR) - Long-legged striker signed by Juventus last year. Star of France’s U-17 team, has good skill on the ball and is very powerful. A good goalscorer as well.
Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma, CM) - Classy central-midfielder in the Albertini mould, a good tackler, strong, technical, not a brilliant passer though. Almost signed for Chelsea but his excessive wage demands hampered the deal.
Ricardo Costa (Boavista, CB) - Captain of Portugal’s U-16 team that won the European Championship in 1998 and currently captain of Portugal’s U-20 team that recently won the Toulon tournament. Strong, a leader, reads the game well, a very powerful tackler, good in the air and has a quick response to the surroundings. A bit too hasty at times and should improve his passing.
Hassan Yebda (AJ Auxerre, CM) - Fantastic France U-16 power-house, the unsung hero of the side. Extremely powerful, long-legged, strong in the tackle and always likes to keep it simple. Not a brilliant player but a player any side needs, a terrific prospect. Aston Villa are apparently interested.
Gael Maia (Girondins de Bordeaux, CM) - Yebda’s partner at the centre of midfield for France U-16, not as powerful or as big but a better passer of the ball who possesses good vision and good organizational skills.
Florent Shaigneau (Stade Rennes, GK) - France U-16 goalkeeper, steady and comfortable with the ball at his feet. Has good kicking and is excellent on crosses.
Jacques Faty (Stade Rennes, CB) - Extremely powerful France U-16 centre-half, not as good as Julio Colombo but still a very good prospect. Excellent in the air, a strong tackler and leads the ball out of defence well.
Sebastian Grax (AS Monaco, STR) - Fantastic French U-16 striker, fast, tricky and possesses great vision. A good finisher and a fantastic passer of the ball. A top talent capable of great things.
Youssef Sofiane (AJ Auxerre, STR) - Another excellent France U-16 striker, maybe not as classy as Grax but powerful, pacey and with excellent finishing skills. Linked with Aston Villa.
Kevin Jackmot (Lyon, L/WNG) - Lightning fast left-winger in the Robert Pires mould, tracks back well and has good vision. A bit raw though and the accuracy in his passes, shots, etc is still not good enough for top-class football.
Francisco Tarantino (Athletic Bilbao, LB) - Wonderful Spain U-16 left-back, fast, technical, helps the attack well, has good defensive qualities and is a good passer of the ball. Has an extremely quick response and is an excellent prospect for the future.
Gorka Larrea Garcia “Busy” Bauza (Real Sociedad, R/WNG) - Mendieta-like Spain U-16 right-winger, has good pace and excellent passing and crossing skills. A team-player who likes to try his luck from distance. Quality player.
Gianpaolo Pazzini (Atalanta, CFWD) - Big, strong Italy U-16 centre-forward who turns well and is a good finisher. Has a good nose for goal and his positioning is excellent.
Pedro Oliveira (FC Porto, FWD) - Lightning fast Portugal U-20 forward, very technical and is an excellent dribbler. Can play on the left-flank or in the centre, he’s a danger to every defence with his pace and trickery.
Fernando Macedo “Nano” (FC Barcelona, L/WNG) - Big Spain U-18 left-winger, starred for Barcelona against Valencia a couple of years ago but hasn’t been awarded a chance in the first team ever since. A pacey left-winger who has good dribbling skills and a ferocious shot from all distances. A powerful runner capable of great things.
Michael Chopra (Newcastle, STR) - Star of Newcastle’s youth sides and an England U-17 international, a penalty-box striker who has a good touch on the ball and good finishing skills.
Michael Zepek (Bayer Leverkusen, CB) - Germany U-20 captain who disappointed during the U-20 World Cup in Argentina. Was bought by Leverkusen from Karlsruhe this summer. Technical, strong and leads the ball out of defence well. Too inconsistent at the moment but senior football should do him well.
Landon Donovan (San-Jose Earthquakes, STR) - Senior USA international, set to be on loan to the US side from Bayer Leverkusen for the next 4 years, Donovan is a pacey runner who has a good touch on the ball and excellent finishing qualities.
DeMarcus Beasley (Chicago Fire, L/WNG) - USA U-20 international Beasley is a fast and strong left-winger, a good crosser of the ball who likes to carry the ball whenever he can. His decision-making is still not perfect though as is his goalscoring record.
Bobby Convey (DC United, AM) - Small yet extremely talented US U-20 international, failed to impress during the U-20 World Cup. Excellent technically and very pacey but at the same time frail and spends a lot of time on the ground. English Premier-league outfits Ipswich and Newcastle have shown interest in him.
Tomas Guzman (Juventus, AM/STR) - Star of Juventus’ youth side and Paraguay’s U-20 team, Guzman is a gifted attacker who likes to drop back and deal with a bit of play-making. He’s a good dribbler though he’s not extremely pacey. He’s good in the box as well and scores his fair share of goals.
Keith Kelly (PSG, CM) - Strong and imaginative central midfielder, star player of Jamaica’s U-20 team, an excellent passer of the ball, both short and long. Kelly is a good tackler and a very complete player. Despite being only 17, he was in my opinion one of the revelations of the U-20 World Cup. PSG have a gem on their hands.
Christoph Preuss (Eintract Frankfurt, R\WB) - Wonderful Germany U-20 right-sided wing-back who loves to help in attack. Very fast and an excellent crosser of the ball Preuss can score from free-kicks and corners despite not being the biggest. He’s a team player and has excellent technique. He’s a wonderful passer of the ball, especially for long-ranges. His vision is superb and he’s a fantastic prospect for the future.
Hassan Ahamada (Nantes, FWD/WNG) - Very pacey France U-20 striker who won 2000’s European U-18 Championship with France and the 2001 Championnat with his club side Nantes. Ahamada is a tricky attacker capable of scoring good goals. He is a player capable of playing on the wing, where I feel he is at his best, rather than in the centre where he is often positioned at Nantes.
Tuomas Aho (My-Pa, CB) - Strong and stable Finland U-20 centre-half who is an exact duplicate of Liverpool’s Sammy Hyypia. Tall, powerfully-built and a good tackler, Aho is already reportedly interesting Liverpool. Despite not being the fastest Aho’s positioning and long-legs give him an advantage on attackers. He’s also superb in the air. A terrific prospect.
Mika Vayrynen (Heerenveen, AM) - A very talented Finland U-20 international. Likes to dictate the play and is an excellent dribbler who possesses good vision and excellent passing skills. His diving antics are not a pretty site though.
Daniel Sjolund (Liverpool, STR) - Talented Finland U-20 striker who started his career at star-making Swedish team Brommapojkarna before moving to West Ham United where he developed an excellent partnership with Jermaine DeFoe. Despite being happy at West Ham Sjolund moved to Liverpool last season for a reported fee of 1 million pounds. Sjolund is a pacey striker who has a good touch on the ball and excellent finishing skills. He’s a real fox in the box and has a good nose for goal.
Winston Parks (Limonense, STR) - Strong and tricky striker who impressed with Costa Rica’s U-20 team at the World Youth Cup. A player of great strength and excellent, close control he is also a great finisher. It’s fair to assume that we’ll soon see him performing in Europe.
Sebastian Pardo (Universidad de Chile, AM) - Star of Chile’s U-20 team he was fantastic during the South-American U-20 Championship but rather disappointed during the U-20 World Cup. A player of great skill he is an able playmaker who has good vision and excellent passing skills.
Leonardo Ponzio (Newell’s Old Boys, RM) - Argentina U-20 international who impressed during the U-20 World Cup with some very good displays of excellent passing and good movement.
Mauro Rosales (Newell’s Old Boys, R/WNG) - Fantastic Argentina U-20 right-winger who reminds a lot of Inter Milan’s Uruguayan Alvaro Recoba. Rosales is fast, tricky and a good crosser of the ball but a bit too frail for top-class football at the moment.
Daniel Cimen (Eintract Frankfurt, CB/LB) - Fantastic Germany U-16 defender. Was the captain of the Germany U-15s but was called up by Germany’s U-16 coach for 2001’s European U-16 Championship where he gave some very assured displays. Strong, good in the air and an excellent tackler, Cimen is an excellent prospect for the future.
Douglas Sisenado Maicon (Cruziero, R/WB) - Wonderful Brazil U-20 right-sided wing-back, blessed with superb dribbling skills, fantastic pace, two excellent feet, a strong shot from distance and superb crossing ability. His defensive side is a bit suspect so it seems likely he’ll play in a more offensive position in the future where he will be able to truly showcase his talents. A terrific prospect poised for great things.
Moritz Volz (Arsenal, RB/RM) - Strong and pacey Germany U-18 right-sided player, is bound to make his break-through at Arsenal this year after winning the FA Youth Cup for the last two years. A cultured right-back who is a good passer of the ball. Blends good attacking skills with equally good defensive ones.
Matteo Brighi (Juventus, CM) - Wonderful Italy U-21 central-midfielder who was bought by Juventus last year. A good tackler who possesses good technique and excellent passing skills. Has a fantastic shot from distance and is not half bad in the air too.
Sam Dalla Bona (Chelsea, CM) - Strong and technical central midfielder set to move away from Chelsea, probably to one of the Milan clubs. A good passer of the ball and an excellent tackler who made his break-through at Chelsea during the 2000-2001 season.
Bojan Djordjic (Manchester United, L/WNG) - A fantastic left-winger in the Ryan Giggs mould. Has excellent pace, an excellent left-foot and fantastic crossing ability. Djordjic is an excellent prospect who has a great variety of different finishes. A star for United’s reserves last season, Djordjic’s main problem is his ego. Belgrade-born but has so far played for Sweden, though he’s pondering a future with Yugoslavia after falling out with his Sweden U-21 coach. Is set to play some part in United’s first team this season.
Gaetano D’Agostino (AS Roma, STR) - Strong and technical striker who possesses an excellent left-foot. An Italy U-21 international who might be farmed out on loan to Bari this season.
Tounton Mkouko (Derby County, FWD) - Strong and pacey attacker who has not really settled at Derby but nevertheless produced quality displays for the club’s reserve and youth sides. A very talented player set to star for the first team in a year or two.
John Van Beukering (Vitesse, STR) - Holland U-18 striker who has already made his debut for Vitesse, and scored twice. A penalty-box striker and a great goal-poacher, he starred for the Dutch during 2000’s European U-16 Championship. A great finisher who has a good touch on the ball.
Luis Lourenco da Silva (Sporting Lisbon, FWD) - Lourenco is a small, nippy striker with a lot of skill and an excellent left-foot. Together with midfielder Carlos Martins, defender Ricardo Costa, forward Pedro Oliviera and centre-forward Helder Postiga, he starred during 2001’s Toulon tournament scoring 3 goals and leading Portugal to the title with a good 2-1 win over last year’s winners, Colombia. Angolan-born Lourenco is extremely agile, has good balance and close control. He’s a danger in the box as his quickness makes him a favourite to every rebound off the keeper. He’s frail though, that’s certainly the main downside of his game. He’s hard-working, intelligent and very good tactically. His lightning pace makes him a burden for every defence. Lourenco spent two months on loan at English side Bristol City, where he impressed and scored a goal in 3 appearances as a substitute. City wanted to keep him but Sporting rebuffed their offer claiming Lourenco has a big future with them. I don’t think he has the potential to be world-class but he could certainly become a good international player and a quality purchase for any team.
Per Nilsson (GIF Sundsvall, CB) - Nilsson is a technical and very highly-rated CB who can play in different positions including on the right and in midfield. He’s strong, good in the air and is a good passer of the ball.
Emiliano S. Dudar (Velez Sarsfield, CB) - Tenacious central-defender, tall, powerful, a real brick-wall for opponents. Dudar is quick as well and reads the game well. He’s a good passer of the ball too. An excellent prospect.
Chris Kirkland (Coventry City, GK) - Kirkland made the most of the opportunity he got last season. Magnus Hedman suffered an injury that kept him out for a couple of months, and the giant youngster stepped in and showed just why he was rated so highly. During Coventry’s ill-fated relegation scrap Kirkland was the one shining light, his performances were so good, he kept the Swedish international keeper Hedman on the bench after he had fully recovered from his injuries. Kirkland’s form attracted interest and Liverpool were rumoured to be interested in signing him for a fee in the region of £8m. It seems unlikely however that he will leave the Midlands club in the near future, and looks set to be playing regularly in the first division next year, with Hedman on his way out of Highfield Road.
Rahamat “Riga” Mustapha (Vitesse, L/WNG) - Holland U-20 international Mustapha is an extremely gifted winger blessed with superb natural talent, good balance and excellent dribbling skills. However, his problem is his poor end-product. He doesn’t score enough and doesn’t get that many assists as well. The Ghanayan-born sensation was on loan to small Dutch side RBC Roosendaal last season where he failed to impress, playing only 8 times (no goals). Mustapha is now back at Vitesse and hoping for a better season.
Karl |
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Keith Kelly
