The New Breed: Top Five Teenagers

[FerrariTifosi27]

The New Breed: Top Five Teenagers

Gill Clark picks out the top five teenagers in Europe today. A few came close to making this list, but in the end, most of them pretty much picked themselves...

Although the current superstars of football are very young, in footballing terms they are already breaking into middle age. So whilst Robinho (24), Rooney (22), Fabregas (20), Messi (20) and Ronaldo (23) are hitting their twenties, there is already a whole new batch of teenagers waiting in the wings, ready and eager to step into their boots. So step aside Wayne, Cesc, Lionel and Cristiano - it’s time to find out who are the new kids on the block.

5. Theo Walcott (Arsenal – 18)

The jury is still very much out on 18-year-old Walcott; however, there have been recent signs that he is finally starting to make an impact at Arsenal. Having scored in last season’s Carling Cup Final against Chelsea, he has also scored his first Champions League goals against Slavia Prague at the end of 2007 before finally netting in the Premiership with a brace against Birmingham City. Then there is also his recent performance as a sub in the San Siro to consider as Arsenal knocked AC Milan out of the Champions League.

Of course having team mates of the calibre of Thierry Henry, Emmanual Adebayor, Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas is bound to help the young man and under Arsene Wenger’s tutelage one can imagine the youngster can only improve. Certainly if his finishing could be honed to match his devastating pace, young Walcott will go far.

When you think that he already has one World Cup behind him (despite the fact he didn’t actually make it onto the pitch) and he could end the season clutching a Premiership winner’s medal and possibly even a Champions League medal, the future suddenly looks incredibly bright for Walcott. Very much a case of watch this space.

4. Bojan Krkić (Barcelona - 17)

At 17, already in the first team squad at Barcelona, with a prodigious talent for dribbling and a slight physique, it is easy to see why Bojan has inevitably been labelled with the tag of, ‘the new Messi’. High praise indeed, especially when young Messi is barely out of his teens himself.

So why all the fuss? Well, the teenage Bojan is already breaking records and looks certain to break a few more in the future. He is the youngest ever player to feature in the Champions League (after replacing Messi as a sub against Lyon in September 2007). He is also Barcelona’s youngest ever league goal scorer after netting against Villarreal. In fact if he lives up to his potential there will be many more records broken before Bojan hangs up his boots.

On the international front Bojan qualifies for both Spain and Serbia (having a Serbian father and a Spanish mother) and unsurprisingly both countries have shown huge interest in recruiting the teenager. Spain look to have secured his services and with a bit of luck we may just see Bojan this summer at Euro 2008.

3. Alexandre Pato (AC Milan – 18)

Although injury has interrupted the start of his AC Milan career, the fact that the (then) reigning European Champions were willing to splash out some 22 million Euros for a teenager means somebody, somewhere knows something.

The Brazilian teenager, Pato was originally signed in August 2007 but unable to make his debut until January 2008 due to UEFA regulations. However after a handful of appearances and his first goals for Milan an ankle injury stopped his progress but even so the signs were encouraging.

Pato is undoubtedly the future of AC Milan as this ageing team finally starts to break up. However, if he manages to be anything near as successful as his fading colleagues Maldini, Nesta, Inzaghi, Seedorf and co he will have enjoyed some career.

2. Anderson (Manchester United - 19)

Anderson had a quiet start to the season but slowly and surely he has come into his own and when you realise that Paul Scholes was out for over three months of the current season and wasn’t even missed you begin to realise the influence the Brazilian has brought to United’s midfield already.

Tough in the tackle and blessed with wonderful touch and distribution, adding goals to his game has to be his next challenge. However, having already got the better of Cesc Fabregas in United’s two exchanges with Arsenal this season it’s easy to forget Anderson is only 19 and in his first season in England.

If the goals arrive and his form continues on its current trajectory, the retirement of Paul Scholes will surely be hastened, and when it comes to compliments, they don’t get much higher than that.

1. Sergio Agüero (Atletico Madrid – 19)

In breaking the record as the youngest player to play in the Argentine First Division at only 15, the young Argentinian, Agüero, is already following in the footsteps of a certain Mr. D. Maradona.

Signed from Argentinian side Independiente by Atletico Madrid for 20 million Euros in May 2006, Agüero had a slow start to his first season but has blossomed ever since. His partnership up front with Diego Forlan for Atletico has been scintillating this season and ensured that Atletico now rival Barcelona as the great entertainers of La Liga. Aguero’s performances have also meant that former golden boy Fernando Torres hasn’t really been missed, despite the fact he has been banging them in for new club Liverpool.

Having already scored 12 goals in 24 games alongside Forlan (who has a similarly impressive 11 in 23) the Atletico Madrid front two are currently one of the hottest strike partnerships in Europe at the moment. If they continue their fine form Atletico may just be playing Champions League football next season, a competition Aguero is more than fit to grace.

[Piola]

Lorenzo De Silvestri
Sebastian Giovinco
Giuseppe Rossi
Mario Balotelli
Andrea Russotto

[The Kop]

pfffft predictable.

show us some real journailstic ability and give us 5 names that arent already famous (not u bianchi, the author).

[Piola]

give us 5 names that arent already famous

That's what I did, 5 names who will be key players for Italy by WC 2014

[ForzaChievo]

Aleandro Rosi
Xhulian Rrudho
Simone Bentivoglio

[Piola]

Aleandro Rosi
Xhulian Rrudho
Simone Bentivoglio

Who's Rudho??

Where is he from??

[ForzaChievo]

Who's Rudho??

Where is he from??

We signed him from Ancona, he is Albanian & 20 years old.

He has only played 1 game for us, or atleast not many. Currently is on loan to a C2 side, not sure which one.

Supposed to have really big wraps about him.

[The Kop]

Yeh a 20year old on loan to a 4th division side is the next big teenager...............pffffffft

Papastathopoulos, 19, first name on the team sheet for AEK, capped for the national team, captain of u/19 and u/21 national teams, champions league experience, debuted at 15, had Grimandi and Fergosun (brother of SAF) camped in Athens to watch trainings aswell as games.

Thats a talented teenager.

[Piola]

Yeh a 20year old on loan to a 4th division side is the next big teenager...............pffffffft

Papastathopoulos, 19, first name on the team sheet for AEK, capped for the national team, captain of u/19 and u/21 national teams, champions league experience, debuted at 15, had Grimandi and Fergosun (brother of SAF) camped in Athens to watch trainings aswell as games.

Thats a talented teenager.

Lorenzo De Silvestri - 19 -Lazio - Starting XI in Serie A and CL - fucking legend
Sebastian Giovinco - 21 - Empoli on loan from Juve, will be at Juve next year
Giuseppe Rossi - 21 - absolute quality, will be a HUGE star one day
Mario Balotelli - 17 - Scored on debut for Inter, primavera product
Andrea Russotto - 19 - Treviso - will be in Serie A soon, quality attacker

Aleandro Rosi is decent but he's a wanka and I hate him

[ForzaChievo]

Aleandro Rosi is decent but he's a wanka and I hate him

[Art Vanderlay]

GG Buffon, Paulo Nesta, Andrea Pirlo, Tony Vidmar.......................

[LFTWNG11]

De Silvestri is going to be an eyetalian full-back of the Zambrotta category, although I think he is firmly a right back... is solid as fuck... at 19. Lazio also have a 19 year old left-back Romanian international Radu, has been quality in his appearances... Tuia will also rise through the ranks in the next couple of years as well.

Another quality player is Ninis from PAO, how good was that goal he scored to win against, was it AEK? DOnt know about his progress though.

Pato will be the best either way...

[Art Vanderlay]

Pavel Nedved, Jon Dahl Tommason, Beckham, Rivaldo............. the list goes on

[Piola]

De Silvestri is going to be an eyetalian full-back of the Zambrotta category, although I think he is firmly a right back... is solid as fuck... at 19. Lazio also have a 19 year old left-back Romanian international Radu, has been quality in his appearances... Tuia will also rise through the ranks in the next couple of years as well.

best thing about De Silvestri and Tuia is they are die hard laziali like Nesta

there is a vid on youtube where Radu is seen in a Roma jacket cause he loves Chivu, the wanka

5 pages of talk on the lazio forum about whether he should be signed, lucky for us hes a gun. hope he signs a nice long deal for us.

such fukn quality we produce, the juventini and milanesi can keep their dirty hands off these boys

[Translator]

stop your whining we gave you Pandev out of sympathy.

[Piola]

stop your whining we gave you Pandev out of sympathy.

if you call that sympathy then Lazio are the Salvation Army of Serie A, with all the quality we have given away

[FerrariTifosi27]

Emanuele Dessena, Domenico Criscito, Antonio Nocerino & Luca Antonelli

[MilanManiac]

Davide Di Gennaro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vvTx7-qBIA -early last year

atm he is at Balogna and will return to AC in good time adding another youth to the list.

[nachoman]

draper - para hills
munch - para hills

[diegom]

Marek Hamsik for napoli at only 20, will be a gun
Ezequiel Ivan Lavezzi, 22, has shown brilliance so far. Only a matter of time until a BIG Serie A club snatches him!
Fabiano Santacroce, 21 yo old brazilian defender

[MilanManiac]

crisci - para hills?

[Giallorossi]

Yeh a 20year old on loan to a 4th division side is the next big teenager...............pffffffft

Papastathopoulos, 19, first name on the team sheet for AEK, capped for the national team, captain of u/19 and u/21 national teams, champions league experience, debuted at 15, had Grimandi and Fergosun (brother of SAF) camped in Athens to watch trainings aswell as games.

Thats a talented teenager.

Lorenzo De Silvestri - 19 -Lazio - Starting XI in Serie A and CL - bottle of shiraz legend
Sebastian Giovinco - 21 - Empoli on loan from Juve, will be at Juve next year
Giuseppe Rossi - 21 - absolute quality, will be a HUGE star one day
Mario Balotelli - 17 - Scored on debut for Inter, primavera product
Andrea Russotto - 19 - Treviso - will be in Serie A soon, quality attacker

Aleandro Rosi is decent but he's a wanka and I hate him

is that cos he is a ROMA player by any chance and he saw the light at 12 and moved from lazio di merda to ROMA!!!!

[Piola]

Yeh a 20year old on loan to a 4th division side is the next big teenager...............pffffffft

Papastathopoulos, 19, first name on the team sheet for AEK, capped for the national team, captain of u/19 and u/21 national teams, champions league experience, debuted at 15, had Grimandi and Fergosun (brother of SAF) camped in Athens to watch trainings aswell as games.

Thats a talented teenager.

Lorenzo De Silvestri - 19 -Lazio - Starting XI in Serie A and CL - bottle of shiraz legend
Sebastian Giovinco - 21 - Empoli on loan from Juve, will be at Juve next year
Giuseppe Rossi - 21 - absolute quality, will be a HUGE star one day
Mario Balotelli - 17 - Scored on debut for Inter, primavera product
Andrea Russotto - 19 - Treviso - will be in Serie A soon, quality attacker

Aleandro Rosi is decent but he's a wanka and I hate him

is that cos he is a ROMA player by any chance and he saw the light at 12 and moved from lazio di merda to ROMA!!!!

he went to Roma trials, their scouts didnt have an eye for talent and rejected him so the Laziali signed him. when he was at Lazio, the used to SING ROMA SONGS in the Lazio dressing rooms and at 12 went to roma, who couldnt recognize quality.

[Mr DJ]

draper - para hills
munch - para hills

haha, munchy munch is alright but drapes is woeful. haha

[The Kop]

Marek Hamsik for napoli at only 20, will be a gun
Ezequiel Ivan Lavezzi, 22, has shown brilliance so far. Only a matter of time until a BIG Serie A club snatches him!
Fabiano Santacroce, 21 yo old brazilian defender

thats great.
too bad they arent teenagers........................




Why not just rename the topic "my club has better youngsters than yours but at the end of the day they will fizzle out and be replaced by some south american"

[diegom]

Marek Hamsik for napoli at only 20, will be a gun
Ezequiel Ivan Lavezzi, 22, has shown brilliance so far. Only a matter of time until a BIG Serie A club snatches him!
Fabiano Santacroce, 21 yo old brazilian defender

thats great.
too bad they arent teenagers........................




Why not just rename the topic "my club has better youngsters than yours but at the end of the day they will fizzle out and be replaced by some south american"

Sorry mate, did NOT KNOW that by teenagers u meant 19 and 20 year old???


btw, how old is that greek superstar?

[DON HALA MADRID]

I consider the best 2 players in Europe, currently.

Ronaldo
&
Aguero

Both play the biggest roles on their teams and are held responsible for most victories achieved this season. Not to mention, both are amazing to watch. I'm basing this on form. Ronaldo has once again destroyed most of the EPL's defence's this season (ok they may not have all been world class opponents, but it takes world class to do the magic he does) and even Aguero tore apart Barcelona 4-1.. by himself. He has been 80% of Atletico's offense this season, without him they lose.

I like Goal's list though, was predictable - but fairly accurate. Anderson is on great form at the moment, Pato will probably become the world's best one day - and Bojan is certainly worthy of a mention. My question though, why is Walcott on there?

[Juventino]

Walcott is teh English Wondakidd!!!! So he HAS to be there.

[MilanManiac]

Pato, 10,000 percent of the way.

[LFTWNG11]

Marek Hamsik for napoli at only 20, will be a gun
Ezequiel Ivan Lavezzi, 22, has shown brilliance so far. Only a matter of time until a BIG Serie A club snatches him!
Fabiano Santacroce, 21 yo old brazilian defender

thats great.
too bad they arent teenagers........................




Why not just rename the topic "my club has better youngsters than yours but at the end of the day they will fizzle out and be replaced by some south american"

Just so AEK doesnt have to drill you again... Ninis is 17 now... made his senior debut at 16.


Sorry mate, did NOT KNOW that by teenagers u meant 19 and 20 year old???


btw, how old is that greek superstar?