Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008

Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008

Also See: Top 20 Young Footballers to Watch in 2009.

Few years, like 2007, can claim to have served as the launching platform for many of the talented youngsters football has to offer.

From Cristiano Ronaldo to Cesc Fàbregas, passing by Giovani Dos Santos and Bojan Krkic, through to Karim Benzema and Alexandre Pato, not forgetting of course Lionel Messi: while some have used 2007 to confirm expectations and firmly establish themselves as the stars of today (and many many tomorrows), others have just recently exploded onto the football scene, with good promise that 2008 will be even more exciting to follow as the previous year.

Well-known and popular tabloid newspaper The Sun takes a look at the ‘Ones to watch in 2008′, a Top 20 of the Best Youngsters on the football scene. Who knows… in a short time, most of these players might very well deserve their own individual article (some of them already do). Let’s have a look…

The past 12 months have seen the emergence of some of the brightest young talents in world football.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fàbregas and Lionel Messi transformed themselves into world-class performers during 2007. Ronaldo, 22, and Messi, 20, were named as runners-up to Kaká in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards and Fàbregas, 20, has helped turn Arsenal in to genuine Premier League title contenders.

But who will be the stars of 2008? SunSport profiles 20 players who are set to make their mark on the beautiful game.

Note that this is NOT a ranked list; the players have been listed in alphabetical order for simplicity.

Also note that there undoubtedly are players who deserve to be on this list, but who have been forgotten by The Sun‘s authors. Feel free to make suggestions in the comments section. I’ll get you started: Gareth Bale, Ángel Di María… or even Ezequiel Garay, Markel Susaeta, Yoann Gourcuff (suggested by Hugo Steckelmacher)… or Jozy Altidore, Anderson (suggested by Ahmed Bilal)… have your say!

You can also check out our World Soccer Magazine’s Top 50 Most Exciting Teen Footballers article here on Soccerlens.
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Sergio Agüero Age 19 Striker .
Atletico Madrid
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1sergio aguero70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Yet another Argentine youngster who has been tagged “the next Maradona”. Aguero joined Atletico Aged just 17 in June 2006 from Independiente for a club-record fee of £15.75m. Struggled to cope with the pressure in his debut season but has already scored 12 goals in 22 games this term.
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Ever Banega Age 19 Midfielder .
Boca Juniors
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2ever banega70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Classy holding midfielder who has been linked with moves to some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Took over the holding role for Boca when Fernando Gago joined Real Madrid last year and formed a strong partnership with Juan Román Riquelme as the Argentine giants won the Copa Libertadores — South America’s answer to the Champions League.
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Karim Benzema Age 20 Striker .
Lyon
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3karim benzema70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Came through the ranks at Lyon and has caught the eye of Arsenal, Real Madrid and Juventus after scoring 12 goals in 16 matches this season. Made his international debut for France in March and has netted three times for Les Bleus in eight games. Arsene Wenger described him as “an immense revelation”.
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Breno Age 18 Defender .
Bayern Munich
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4breno70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Brazil Under-20 skipper who will join the German giants on January 1. Bayern paid São Paulo around £8.5million for the skillful central defender. Ex-Brazil and Bayern striker Giovane Élber described Breno as “an absolutely stunning prospect” after he agreed his big-money move.
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Macauley Chrisantus Age 17 Striker .
Hamburg
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5macauley chrisantus70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City were all interested in signing Chrisantus after his exploits at this year’s FIFA Under-17 World Cup. The scintillating striker fired seven goals in seven games and was the top scorer as Nigeria won the competition. Joined Hamburg in November 2007.
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Denilson Age 19 Midfielder .
Arsenal
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6denilson70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Brazilian star who is a regular fixture in the Gunners’ youthful Carling Cup sides. Bought from São Paulo in August 2006 for £3.4m despite just four starts for the club. All-round midfielder who is comfortable going forward but also a tenacious tackler.
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Lorenzo De Silvestri Age 19 Defender .
Lazio
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7lorenzo de silvestri70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Talented full-back who has been tipped as a future Italian international. De Silvestri will be a target for Roma, Juventus and Arsenal in January as he will be available on a Bosman when his contract expires in the summer. Made his Champions League debut in August and has made 12 appearances so far this season.
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Franco Di Santo Age 18 Striker .
Chelsea
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8franco di santo70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Argentine wonderkid who will join the Blues in January for £3.4m from Chilian side Audax Italiano. Like Lucas Leiva at Liverpool, he holds an Italian passport and will be able to play for the Blues immediately. May struggle to break into Avram Grant’s star-studded team but should earn a few run outs in cup competitions in 2008.
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Giovani dos Santos Age 18 Striker .
Barcelona
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9giovani dos santos70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Came to prominence in 2005 when he was one of stars of the Mexico team that won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. Has been a regular feature for Barca this season and has managed to keep Ronaldinho out of the starting XI. Already has four caps for Mexico.
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Stevan Jovetic Age 18 Striker .
Partizan Belgrade
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10stevan jovetic70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 A £7m target for Manchester United after becoming the top scorer in the Serbian league with 11 goals. Was named captain of the Montenegro Under-21 side aged just 17 and has already made his full international debut. A creative striker who likes to drop deep and run at defenders. He is also a deadly-accurate finisher.
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Bojan Krkic Age 17 Striker .
Barcelona
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11bojan krkic70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Hailed as Spain’s answer to Lionel Messi by Barca fans after scoring over 800 goals in the Catalan club’s youth teams. Broke the record as the youngest ever player to feature in a Champions League match in September 2007. A month later, he became Barcelona’s youngest La Liga goalscorer.
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Toni Kroos Age 17 Midfielder .
Bayern Munich
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12toni kroos70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Named player of the tournament at the 2007 FIFA Under-17 World Cup and has already made his Bundesliga and European debuts for Bayern. A creative, goalscoring midfielder, Kroos shone at youth level for both club and country. Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness has already earmarked him for the revered No10 shirt.
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Lucas Leiva Age 20 Midfielder .
Liverpool
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13lucas leiva70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Signed for the Reds in the summer from Copa Libertadores finalists Gremio after winning the Brazilian Footballer of the Year award. Likened to Steven Gerrard before his move to England, the box-to-box midfielder has already featured heavily in Rafa Benitez’s side and should be a key player in 2008.
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Lulinha Age 17 Midfielder .
Corinthians
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14lulinha70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Transfer target for Italian champions Inter Milan after starring for Brazil’s Under-17 side. Scored 12 goals in seven matches during the South American U-17 Championships before being one of the stars of the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The tricky attacking midfielder has an eye for goal and is already being touted as the long-term successor to Ronaldinho.
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Alexandre Pato Age 18 Striker .
AC Milan
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15alexandre pato70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Known as ‘the duck’, Pato shot to fame when AC Milan shelled out £15m for his services in the summer — despite rules stopping him from playing until January 3. Milan have high hopes for Pato, with president Silvio Berlusconi claiming he expects the youngster to score 30 goals between January and the end of the season. Brazil coach Dunga has dubbed him “the new Ronaldo”.
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Gerard Piqué Age 20 Defender .
Manchester United
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16gerard pique70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Returned to United this season after a successful loan spell with Real Zaragoza. The ex-Barcelona youth product showed huge potential during his year in Spain and is expected to feature regularly for the Red Devils in 2008. Has played nine times this season, including the Champions League matches with Roma and Dynamo Kiev.
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Ivan Rakitic Age 19 Midfielder .
Schalke
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17ivan rakitic70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Niko Kranjčar and Luka Modrić may have ended England’s Euro 2008 qualifying hopes but new Three Lions boss Fabio Capello will have to watch out Rakitić in 2008. The Swiss-born attacking midfielder is the latest Croatian star to catch the eye and was snapped up by German champions Schalke in the summer.
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Adel Taarabt Age 18 Midfielder .
Tottenham
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18adel taraabt70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Young French midfielder who has established himself as a regular member of Spurs’ match-day squad. Compared to Zinedine Zidane before his move to North London, the left-footed trickster has already wowed the White Hart Lane faithful with his ambitious runs and long-range strikes.
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Carlos Vela Age 18 Striker .
Arsenal
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19carlos vela70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 The Gunners snapped up Vela after he finished top scorer in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2005 — a feat that Cesc Fabregas achieved two years earlier. The Mexican has been on loan in Spain for the past two seasons and will return to North London in January. An exciting prospect who should make his Arsenal debut this term.
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Theo Walcott Age 18 Striker .
Arsenal
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20theo walcott70x70 Top 20 Young Footballers for 2008 Joined the Gunners from Southampton for £5m in January 2006 and shot to fame when he was called up to England’s 2006 World Cup squad aged 17. Scored the opening goal in last season’s Carling Cup final and is a regular at Under-21 level for the Three Lions. Should return to the Fabio Capello’s England squad in 2008.

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Marco Pantanella writes for the mCalcio blog

Topics: Features, Lists

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71 Comments

  1. ARSENALFC

    what about Cesc? or is he considered a mature player

    December 29th, 2007 @ 22:07
  2. Andrei Meza

    where is scott sinclair?

    December 29th, 2007 @ 22:21
  3. Liverpool_Fan

    its only players who havent made a big impression on world football Fabrageas is already well known by all football fans

    December 29th, 2007 @ 22:28
  4. Liverpool_Fan

    Yeh sinclair should really be on there

    December 29th, 2007 @ 22:30
  5. KyleAusGooner

    Cesc isn’t considered young really..

    December 30th, 2007 @ 01:55
  6. Steve Amoia

    Marco:

    Very good work.

    I agree with Ahmed with regards to Jozy Altidore. He is 18, and plays for the New York Red Bulls. He has power, pace, technique, and he seems to be a very mature young man.

    He contributes to a football blog for the New York Times:

    http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/jozy-altidore-home-for-the-holidays/

    December 30th, 2007 @ 02:43
  7. iqnadirshah

    Agbonlahor is a glaring omission. Aston Villa may not be a very stylish team, but they are very hard working and he plays a big part in their success.

    December 30th, 2007 @ 05:09
  8. Infonote

    How can you forget Inter’s Mario Balotelli.

    Look what he did in the Coppa Italia.

    He scored 2 goals.

    December 30th, 2007 @ 08:54
  9. Liverpool_Fan

    Agbonlahor isnt under 20 is he?

    December 30th, 2007 @ 12:10
  10. fuzzy_red_devil

    Agbonlahor is 21.

    December 30th, 2007 @ 13:09
  11. iqnadirshah

    You’re right, my mistake.

    December 30th, 2007 @ 14:19
  12. BeckhamUnited

    Damn.. Gareth Bale anyone??

    December 30th, 2007 @ 18:24
  13. Shohan Khan

    I CANT STOP LAUGHING AT THE PERSON WHO SAID “what about scott sinclair” HAHAHA WOTTA JOKE!!

    Umm i dono why they left out Luka Modric..nd wot abt rossi? he is 20 just like benzema..

    December 31st, 2007 @ 03:06
  14. Marco Pantanella

    Good one Shohan, Giuseppe Rossi’s indeed only 20 and is definitely someone to keep an eye on. :)

    December 31st, 2007 @ 16:41
  15. justin mongiardo

    watch out for mario balotelli, superstar in the making

    January 2nd, 2008 @ 02:32
  16. Ian

    No Anderson?

    January 2nd, 2008 @ 12:21
  17. Muyowa

    What about the likes of
    kerlon (Cruzeiro),
    Sergio Ramous (Real Madrid),
    Marcelo (Real Madrid)
    Kasper Schemaical (Mancester City)

    January 2nd, 2008 @ 12:49
  18. Five Stories to Watch in 2008.

    [...] in top European sides, and some of whom are still very much getting their feet wet. Check out this list to see some of the other names to [...]

    January 3rd, 2008 @ 06:00
  19. james

    yeah gareth bale is who you need on this list

    January 4th, 2008 @ 14:46
  20. ronalMinho

    What about kasper schmeichel, niclas bendtner or nasri !!! Nasri is going to explode man
    The new Zidane or Guti.Haz at least

    January 4th, 2008 @ 16:36
  21. karna

    i feel bendtner deserves a place in that list more than walcott..being an arsenal fan,i ve been more exposed to these two…thats y im comparin the two…but walcott does deserve a place when compared to some of the others…taarabt does look an amazing prospect…hope pato makes it big for milan..coz they desperately lack quality upfront…

    January 4th, 2008 @ 17:49
  22. kj

    bojan will be the number 1 centre foward in the world.

    January 8th, 2008 @ 12:51
  23. ronalMinho

    i feel you karna, despite i’m a united fan.
    bendtner has scored in every competition he’s played in this season, and he’s often used only as a sub – having played only a few set of games as well

    January 9th, 2008 @ 13:24
  24. kunlery

    i thought john mikel obi of chelsea will be there.And nigeria u-17 player Rabiu Ibrahim.these are great players.

    January 17th, 2008 @ 08:10
  25. Marseille's fan

    SAMIR NASRI…don’t forget him

    January 30th, 2008 @ 12:42
  26. Marseille's fan

    hatem Ben arfa…too

    January 30th, 2008 @ 12:44
  27. Wim

    Don’t forget ibrahim afellay-psv
    reimund manco-alianza lima

    February 16th, 2008 @ 17:57
  28. Jack Wedderkop

    What about Sadick Adams of Ashanti Gold / Athletico Madrid he is amazing and is only 17 years old

    February 17th, 2008 @ 18:25
  29. LOL

    anderson? nani? guardado? marcelo? aaron?

    February 18th, 2008 @ 22:46
  30. balotelli

    where is a BALOTELLI,GIOVINCO and drenthe

    April 17th, 2008 @ 21:06
  31. RedDeviL

    Kerlon?
    Samir Nasri?
    anderson?? these players have lots of potential

    May 9th, 2008 @ 07:50
  32. ridwan

    i think Henri Saivet(France), Gabriel Torje(Romania), Eden Hazard(Belgium) should be on the Chart. Scott Sinclair..hahahahah u make me laugh.

    Henri Saivet

    Gabriel Torje

    Eden HAzard

    May 20th, 2008 @ 05:26
  33. ridwan

    I think scott sinclair can be a 20 most worst young player.

    hahaha

    he has no future in Chelsea

    May 20th, 2008 @ 05:28
  34. charles oneh

    HATEM BEN ARFA should not be forgeting likewise SAMIR NASRI

    May 24th, 2008 @ 18:15
  35. charles oneh

    O.Lyon should buy big players that will assist the team to win the uefa champions lesgua .Players like : RONALDINHO,ETO.O,DECO,and e.t.c.

    May 24th, 2008 @ 18:39
  36. Jordan - LFC man

    Yeah wat bout Bale !
    Frazier Campbell is one to watch bt he plays 4 united so yano !NOT goin anywere haha !
    wat age is Anderson hes quality !

    May 27th, 2008 @ 17:31
  37. curt

    ryan babel. looks to hav more potential than lucas. And lucas WILL be quality

    May 29th, 2008 @ 14:36
  38. Oswaldo

    Juve twins Tapiolei and Juanildo should really be on there

    October 14th, 2008 @ 16:58
  39. sir guti

    who said that Scott Sinclair has no future that was wrong because he is a fortunate player to play with big club like Chelsea

    October 22nd, 2008 @ 14:17
  40. chelsea_fan

    i think that somebody like franco di santo is a good player

    October 22nd, 2008 @ 14:30
  41. Hammers 4 life

    freddy sears nd james tomkins all the way, none of these foreigners

    October 27th, 2008 @ 23:44
  42. vard593

    Aaron ramsey, watch his goal for wales U21 vs england U21…. rafael man utd full back…. sergio motta….

    November 14th, 2008 @ 02:04
  43. RemZ

    Whats wrong with Scott Sinclair? A very good young prospect

    November 15th, 2008 @ 15:57
  44. xavier

    wht abt rafael of manu n Tarik ELyounoussi(i don’t think anybody knows dis guy but if given a chance he will play well)
    even kriztian nemeth, bale or john bostock

    ps i’m a liverpool fan but gt 2 say dis tht rafael has emense potential

    November 16th, 2008 @ 13:13
  45. RYAN

    RAFAEL,FABIO,WELBECK,POSSEBON

    MUFC 1

    November 16th, 2008 @ 19:23
  46. delija

    i think that ljajic and aleksic should be on there 16-17 yr olds getting looked at by manchester united and other english clubs

    November 18th, 2008 @ 14:35
  47. saeedmessi

    wat abt the totanham player BALE

    December 3rd, 2008 @ 07:13
  48. LFC

    Lucas Leiva is clearly the best player in the world under the age of 20!!!!!

    December 10th, 2008 @ 21:37
  49. alonzo_blud

    where is jack wilshire
    henri saivet
    mario balotelli
    mamadou sakho
    kerlon

    December 17th, 2008 @ 21:43
  50. Jeanluca Cachia

    kerlon he is a wonderful wonderkid

    December 24th, 2008 @ 10:27
  51. Jamie

    Kerlon
    Toni Kroos?
    Mario Balotelli?
    Lulinha?
    Joao Moutinho? (or is he too old?)
    Jozy Altidore?
    Samir Nasri?
    Ben Arfa?

    What about these guys? =/

    December 31st, 2008 @ 02:38
  52. CFC FAN 4 life

    wheres messi i think hes the best player in the world

    wheres solamon kalou ? Great player

    January 3rd, 2009 @ 15:12
  53. Sumbeam

    Delph, outsdanding player, well soon to be.

    January 16th, 2009 @ 12:40
  54. latrell spencer

    it’s all about adem ljajic and douglas costa

    January 17th, 2009 @ 11:06
  55. Sunderland AFC

    what about jonny evans of man united

    January 21st, 2009 @ 01:01
  56. Liverbird

    erm….. wat about kriztian Nemeth of liverpool? he’s gonna be 1 of the best! and i think Nani of man utd scum should be there.and sergio Aguerro should defo be there. Arsenal’s youth team are wicked but not as good as liverpool’s. joe Hart should be there aswell.

    February 9th, 2009 @ 18:51
  57. Liverbird

    and i think Messi is considered as a mature player now!

    February 9th, 2009 @ 18:54
  58. Liverbird

    Bale is crap now!

    February 9th, 2009 @ 18:56
  59. becky

    Jonathan Franks (19) – Middlesbrough

    February 26th, 2009 @ 16:37
  60. indian bombshell

    i fink lulinha shud b there aswell, and a youngster named mohammed lulat. good list though i also fink agbonlahore and insua shud b there. lucas leiva is rubbish !!!

    March 1st, 2009 @ 12:32
  61. terry

    micheal johnson, daniel sturridge, fabio & raf, lulinha,

    March 13th, 2009 @ 18:40
  62. milesleeds93

    what about fabian delph of leeds united man u and other premier ship clubs have even been looking at him?? also kerlon amazing skill jonny evans, rafael, the two juve twins, also higuan!!!!!

    March 27th, 2009 @ 02:08
  63. manutdkid

    what about macheda ?

    April 13th, 2009 @ 18:26
  64. dawood singh

    i am a great fan of hasan heki yusuf as i fink he is the only hope english football have. he plays for preston united fc and is an up and cming star with clubs such as manchester united and barcelona fc currently enquiering about him. watch this sapce hasan heski yusuf

    April 26th, 2009 @ 16:23
  65. k0ne

    where r the likes of jon obi mikel, Anderson, dareen gibson???

    May 26th, 2009 @ 01:09
  66. pablo10greece

    i am gonna give just the names of the players.and this
    sinclair and altidore? whaaaaaaaaaat???? greece laughs on you hahahahahahha!!!it seems you don’t know much of football.

    marek hamsik(napoli)
    luka modric(tothenham)
    alexander prudnikov(spartak moscow)
    matias fernandez(villareal)
    pablo mouche(boca)
    david santon(inter)
    krizstian nemeth(aek athens on loan from liverpool)
    marouane fellaini(everton)
    alex teixeira(inter)
    lautaro acosta(sevilla)
    jean paul pineda(palestino deportivo)chile

    and from my country

    sotiris ninis(panathinaikos)
    sokratis papastathopoulos(genoa)
    giannis papadopoulos(olympiakos)
    panagotis tachstidis(aek athens)
    dean bouzanis(liverpool)
    they are definetly going to play great football in the best
    championships.

    August 24th, 2009 @ 22:05
  67. pablo10greece

    some others

    anton sosnin(zenit petersburg)
    pedro(barcelona)
    tevfik kose(ankaraspor)
    raul garcia(atletico madrid)

    joao moutinho? howold is he?

    August 24th, 2009 @ 22:14
  68. pablo10greece

    anton sosnin(zenit)
    tevfik kose(ankaraspor)
    raul garcia(atletico madrid)
    miguel veloso(sporing lisbon)
    adrien(sporting lisbon)
    christian abarca(colo colo)

    don’t know ha?

    August 24th, 2009 @ 22:19
  69. Sauru4united

    Guys …

    Wat about Aaron Ramsey???
    I think he is definitely a star for the future
    n ofcourse the number 1 would be allesandro pato
    n ofcourse I agree on agbonlahor
    he is damn classy

    October 1st, 2009 @ 16:20
  70. jake

    just have real madrid an ull du fyn

    August 5th, 2010 @ 23:18
  71. jake

    Soz abou the coment buv, i wanna i a gud mood wha i mean say wuz wha abou real madrid ant there teeym. they shud be gud in La Liga

    August 6th, 2010 @ 08:58

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