One’s To Watch
We all know plenty about Messi, Rooney, Kaka, Ribery and Ronaldo but what about the lesser know players to keep an eye on?
In previous international tournaments (such as the last World Cup and Euro 2008), The most open, free scoring games happen in the group stages which means this will be a crucial time where you can gain an advantage on your opponents.
Once you get past the group stages, opportunities to outscore your opponents become more limited as the ‘must have’ players have already established themselves and everyone has virtually the same team.
If your knowledge of World Football stretches to a couple of Champions League games and rumours about the next, next Maradona emanating from South America, here’s a look at who we think could be the hidden gems of the tournament.
Ramires (Brazil)
Benfica midfielder Ramires Santos do Nascimento was an ever present in last summer’s Confederations Cup, as well as having a huge part to play in Brazil’s path to World Cup qualification.
Ramires’ has become an integral part of the Benfica midfield and has already become a fan favourite at the club, as well as being regarded as one of the top players in the Portuguese Liga. Ramires is expected to play a huge starting role for Brazil as they go in search of winning their sixth World Cup.
Marek Hamsik (Slovakia)
The lynch-
With few giving Slovak chance of making an impact on the World Cup, Hamsik may not be the best buy for a Fantasy Football manager but expect lots of interest from club managers around Europe over the coming months.
Luis Suarez (Uraguay)
One of Europe’s leading young forwards, at 22 Suarez is already the Captain of Ajax. Although many have scored freely in the Dutch league and failed to make an impact at a higher level (Alfonso Alvez, Mateja Kezman for example), Suarez had proved his ability with regular goals at international level.
Sir Alex Ferguson is reported to be keeping tabs on his development and comparisons have already been drawn between Suarez and a certain Cristiano Ronaldo due to his ability to be just as effective out wide as well as through the middle.
Uraguay do have one of the tougher groups though -
© Fantasy Football Info 2009
Angel Di Maria (Argentina)
Ok, so given the transfer speculation sounding De Maria over the past 6 months (linked with Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd and Man City) you’ve probably heard the name but what do you know about the player?
An extremely skillful, quick winger, Di Maria has all the attributes to light up the world stage. Di Maria was called up to Argentina's squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he played alongside Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Liverpool's Javier Mascherano scoring two goals in six matches.
He has his fiery side too. Di Maria was sent off seven minutes after coming on as
a substitute for Argentina during their 6-
Marko Marin (Germany)
Marin is an attacking midfielder with excellent technical skills and a high amount of creativity. With only 7 full international caps, Marin may not even make the squad let alone the starting eleven but such is his huge talent, we felt he had to be included on this list.
IF you were to ask any German who the rising star of German football is, they’d probably say Toni Kroos but we think Marin is as good and has greater potential.
Everyone World Cup has one player who bursts through from nowhere to drive a struggling team on and Marko Marin could be that player.
Yoann Gourcuff (France)
The latest to be touted as the new Zidane, Gourcuff has had a fantastic season at Bordeaux. Like Zidane, he has that functional flair, lust for labor and ability to dictate the tempo of a game with ease.
Gourcuff has made six appearances for France in the last four months. He struck a scorching equalising goal against Romania in October. Although the promise of Benzema has attracted more media attention abroad, the young striker has struggled at international level. Gourcuff, playing as an attacking midfielder, has been a revelation for the otherwise underperforming Bleus.
Gervinho -
A product of the famed Asec Academy that produced the likes of the Toure brothers, Kolo and Yaya, Didier Zokora, Aruna Didane, Kouassi is an exciting striker who shone like a million stars as Ivory Coast reached the last eight at the football tournament of the Beijing Olympics in the summer with him as skipper.
He scores his fair share of goals but above all, his dribbling runs and ball skills have helped create openings from which his teammates have profited. Little wonder a man like Arsene Wenger with eye for young talent is reportedly keeping a close watch on a player good enough to carry a Brazilian nickname.