Promising young talents in World Football
Gael Kakuta – 19 years old – Chelsea - France
Kakuta made headlines even before he had kicked a ball in English football. Such was the impact of his transfer from RC Lens to Chelsea in 2007. The super adept midfielder is more than likely to prove that Chelsea made no mistake in pursuing the starlet. Whether the pursuit may be legal or not, now he is a Chelsea player.
Kakuta got a chance to strut his stuff in front of World audiences this summer at the European U-19 Championships and he set the stage alight. His charismatic performances helped his country avenge their defeat in the previous year’s U-17 Championships against Spain as they won a thrilling final 2-1.
While on the pitch Kakuta often looks likes he is playing in an age group below his own as he is too fast, too intelligent and too strong for his opponents.
Kakuta is a naturally gifted player and is equally effective on either wings or as the midfield playmaker and such adaptability will surely come in handy for the youngster at Chelsea.
Thiago Alcantra – 19 years old – Barcelona - Spain
The hot teen prodigy from the Far East has been tipped as one of the best emerging talents in the Bundesliga. But his side will have to make do without the starlet as he suffered a metatarsal injury in a pre-season friendly against Chelsea.
The electric forward, is aptly nick-named ‘Rocket’, and has impressed all and sundry on every outing that Armen Veh has offered him. Although his fitness is a concern, his attributes are sublime as he is capable of causing havoc for opposition defences playing from either wings or from the central midfield.
Thiago Alcantra – 19 years old – Barcelona - Spain
Football runs in his blood as he is the son of 1994 World Cup winner Mazinho. He has been at the La Messia since 2004, and at the age of only 19, he has already made a debut for the star studded side from Barcelona.
Thiago is a replica of Deco in his prime. With his astute reading of game plays, and, uncanny knack of splitting open defences with just a simple pass. Also, he has a keen sense of positioning and is never far from the heat of the action
The Italian born midfielder carries a lethal shot in his armoury and has a deft creative touch. His sublime assist for Sergio Cannales in the European Championship against England in the group game was nothing short of being magical.
Thiago along with Oriol Romeu is looking to break into the first team at Barcelona and by the looks of things he is not very far.
Abel Hernandez – 19 years old – Palermo – Uruguay
Possessing searing pace and the physique of a middleweight boxer, ‘La Joya’ is perhaps the only reason why Palermo allowed the transfer of Edinson Cavani to Napoli to go through. With Fabrizio Miccoli’s persistent fitness problems the starlet can expect to feature more and more for his club side this season.
He is no stranger to first team football and has already made over 30 appearances for his club. He has scored crucial goals against both Milan Clubs as well as scoring a magnificent brace against Fiorentina last season.
Philippe Coutinho – 18 years old – Internazionale - Brazil
The sturdy forward hails from Rio de Janeiro and is touted as the future of Inter. Coutinho was signed by Nerrazurris in 2008 but since then he has spent two loan seasons at his hometown club Vasco De Gama.
He stands at 1.72 metres tall but possesses sublime balance and one of his main attributes is his lethal shooting capabilities, which he can achieve with either foot. His foot ambidexterity is his main weapon as his opponents never have an idea if he is to cut left or right while running at devastating pace at the defences.
He only cost his club a mere 3.3 million pounds and is worth gold dust right now as clubs all over Europe are admirers.
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