Post videos and comment or ask questions on others already up. Let's get a discussion going about the new footballers of the World and let them shine brightest a little earlier then they should be. The age maximum for a player that you post a video of should be 23! The first player I'm listing just about all of you should be familiar with. Karim Benzema / FRA / Olympique Lyonnais Igor Akinfeev / RUS / CSKA Moscow Miralem Pjanić / BOS / Olympique Lyonnais Dimitri Payet / FRA / AS Saint-Étienne Ederson / BRA / Olympique Lyonnais René Adler / GER / Bayer 04 Leverkusen Kerlon / BRA / Cruzeiro Esporte Clube Guilherme / BRA / Cruzeiro Esporte Clube
[video=youtube;vqrrxho0Wb4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqrrxho0Wb4[/video] I know there are some on this board who prefer Michael Bradley, but I think Altidore is the future for the US and will be the first US non-keeper to become a world class player. I posted this video already in this thread about his move to Villarreal. Unlike other US prospects who are physically superior (Marvell Wynne, Eddie Johnson, and Johann Smith for examples), Altidore has also had the skills and brain to match. He can shoot from distance, he can find space, and he gets open for crosses. I'm looking forward to seeing him flourish in a technically advanced league like La Liga before a move to one of the giants of European football.
La Liga is the most competitive league in the World. I don't think Jozy is going to have a better opportunity to get his international career started then in Spain unless he doesn't receive any playing time. The best thing is that he'll be joining the best "American" forward right now, Giuseppe Rossi, as a rotational striker. What a shame he plays for Italy instead of the United States. In any case, don't forget that Turkish international Nihat Kahveci is there as the top second striker at the moment. The good thing is that El Submarino Amarillo have made space for Jozy to have opportunities by letting Jon Dahl Tomasson go to Feyenoord. Then, once the club's top striker Guillermo Franco has passed his prime in a few years then I'm sure Altidore and Rossi will be their top forwards. That is the realistic view of the situation for the club right now. As for comparing Bradley to Altidore; I think that both - along with Danny Szetela - are great prospects for the United States' future in football. Consider also that one is a striker that scored 15 goals over two seasons and the other is a defensive midfielder that scored 15 goals in a single season breaking a record, I don't think they are comparable.
Two of the top ten rated young footballers in the World today. [video=youtube;SZE2UUedbuA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZE2UUedbuA[/video] [video=youtube;n06ZrpqcOFE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n06ZrpqcOFE[/video]
In the Defour video above, you're seeing him play mostly around age 18 and 19. He will likely be going to Arsenal by the winter or even before this summer is even over with. No telling how much either club are willing to pay for the midfielder. What makes him so special is that he's so good at knowing how much power he needs to put into each shot and how to hit it. His concentration helps that and you can see it in just about every goal. The stand-out of this skill set being the goal at 2:27, which should drop some jaws here I'm sure of that. Knowing that he can score goals the way he does, he's typically a fantastic playmaker which helped him earn the captain's armband at Standard at a young age. Dembélé on the other hand is just a crazy dribbler. He's can adapt to new systems easily and plays multiple positions including striker, second striker, left and right winger and attacking midfielder. He's a huge talent, but I wouldn't expect him to be a big-time goalscorer. I expect him to be the guy who breaks down the defense and opens opportunities for his teammates.
Some Premiership Influence now. [video=youtube;Z6L3RtJKv1o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6L3RtJKv1o[/video] [video=youtube;LHkEKAiphBA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHkEKAiphBA[/video] [video=youtube;7x2gg7CsZuM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2gg7CsZuM[/video]
By a mile. I watched him last season at Barca and he was very good for that age. Although i can't remember his age. 17-18 i think, anyway still an amazing talent. I just hope Barca don't pull another stupid move by selling him before he becomes amazing like they did with Dos Santos.
Well, they sold dos Santos because they want to concentrate on Krkić and Messi as their top forwards. That also explains why they got rid of Ronaldinho and are currently looking to dump Eto'o somewhere for as much cash as they can get. I agree with their methods right now because Messi and Krkić are definitely the future of the sport itself. No offense to dos Santos anyway, I still believe he can be a great forward. The thing I don't understand about Barça is signing a quality young defender like Martin Cáceres and then picking up Gerard Piqué from Manchester United and considering using him over the Uruguayan! Piqué isn't going anywhere! BTW, did you check some of the videos I posted earlier? You should be keeping an eye on Steven Defour because Arsenal are keen on signing him sometime this season. Also, Dimitri Payet and Igor Akinfeev are on Arsenal's "manager's list." Arsène Wenger seems to be the only manager who targets the same players that I'm looking at the most. lol Also guys, let's not forget about Hatem Ben Arfa! [video=youtube;4o7iekY7iTA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o7iekY7iTA[/video] [video=youtube;RtLibU1w3hw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtLibU1w3hw[/video] [video=youtube;CzHI0rA6Bto]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzHI0rA6Bto[/video] [video=youtube;ugmkqkq6otA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugmkqkq6otA[/video] [video=youtube;3k9B2DgyDXg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k9B2DgyDXg[/video] [video=youtube;WBNhAgvvws8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBNhAgvvws8[/video] [video=youtube;jPk0HdyBBhY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPk0HdyBBhY[/video] [video=youtube;EKyh2LRuAec]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKyh2LRuAec[/video] More to come .. until then, note that the video of Pato are clips of when he was only 16 years old!
I don't have time to get videos right now, might update this post in the morning: Daniel Petrucci Fabio da Silva Rafael da Silva Frazier Campbell (that's right, I said it) Klaas Jan Huntelaar (I think he's <23) Ashley Young - will be best English winger by far, probably already is
[video=youtube;EYsc3VQ3Rqw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYsc3VQ3Rqw[/video] [video=youtube;y1lZRj106kg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1lZRj106kg[/video] [video=youtube;7pVcd589a8E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pVcd589a8E[/video] [video=youtube;WfdLXr1EMHY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfdLXr1EMHY[/video] [video=youtube;uEmMWRBd_Gk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEmMWRBd_Gk[/video] The last two are not compilations, but both are great defenders and only 21 years old.
M21 i knew Wenger was targeting Igor Akinfeev, Didn't know about the Steven Defour and Dimitri Payet. Very promising.
I read about Payet in French media reports a month ago and Defour has been recent. Defour was on Ajax's list about two years ago, but it fell through and he went to Standard where last season he helped them win their first Belgian Jupiler League title since 1983. He's a premier talent and I'm sure Wenger will snatch him away. If not before the summer transfer window closes, then by winter. I would be excited to get him.
The age maximum for a player that you post a video of should be 23! who prefers bradley to altidore(other than bob bradley of course)?
Juan Mata/Spain/Valencia, Keirrison/Brasil/Curitiva/, Falcao/Colombia/River Plate, Ramires/Brasil/Cruzeiro. I'll add more when I remember more lol.