Moussa Dembele Club: Tottenham Hotspur Nation: Belgium There are few central midfielders in the game who combine physicality and technically quite like Moussa Dembele. A player who possesses pace, strength and stamina and yet appears to glide effortlessly past defenders, he seems to be the complete package. Highly confident in possession, his first touch and dribbling skills are of the first rank, which given that he is well over six feet tall shows quite how gifted the Belgian is. Having started out in his home country, Dembele soon moved to the Netherlands and spent five years there before joining Fulham. In England he took his game to the next level being employed both in central midfield and “in the hole” behind a central striker with fine effect. Such performances led Spurs to meet his £15m release clause as a replacement for the departing Luke Modric. Fortunately the Belgian has already settled at White Hart Lane, vindicating the significant sum spent on him.
Igor Denisov Club: Zenit St Petersburg Nation: Russia Always outspoken, Denisov is also one of Europe’s most capable retaining midfielders. A one club man who has been at Zenit for life, the central midfielder is an excellent short passer who rotates possession with great class and poise. However, Denisov is not afraid to get his hands dirty showing great desire, stamina and aggression in his defensive tasks. A natural leader he was previously the captain of Zenit and is now the captain of Russia since the appointment of Fabio Capello as the national team manager. There is though always a suspicion that Denisov’s personality will get the better of him, as he has frequently got himself into disciplinary trouble on account of his fiery temper. Most recently he lost the Zenit captaincy after going on strike for a pay rise following the arrival of Hulk and Axel Witsel. Now back in the fold at club level his undeniable ability is there for all to see.
Eren Derdiyok Club: Hoffenheim Nation: Switzerland This powerful Swiss striker has long been tipped for the top. Boasting aerial prowess, pace and strength he looks well placed to act as a target man at one of Europe’s top clubs. And having opened his international scoring account at the age of 19 many felt he would kick on and establish himself as one of the most dangerous strikers of his generation. So far though there has been little evidence of him making good on that prowess at club level. Derdiyok began his career at Old Boys in his native Switzerland and soon moved to national powerhouse Basel. Three impressive seasons at Basel prompted a transfer to the Bundesliga and Bayer Leverkusen, but while Derdiyok often looked like a player of pedigree he never fully delivered, and a move to Hoffenheim in the summer of 2012 has offered an opportunity to step up. At present Derdiyok’s excellent right foot, combined with his physical abilities, have made him a scorer of some great goals. Now he needs to become a great goal scorer.
Mattia Destro Club: Roma Nation: Italy A hugely promising attacker, Mattia Destro is now one of Italy’s brightest stars. A product of the Inter youth system, Destro moved to Genoa as part of the deal which took Andrea Rannochia to the San Siro, but limited opportunities in Liguria prompted a loan deal to Siena. It was at the Tuscan club that Destro’s burgeoning talent was fully realised with a stunning set of performances making him one of the stand out players in Serie A during 2011-12. That impressive season saw Roma swoop to sign Destro as a replacement for the departing Fabio Borini, with many feeling that the acquisition a significant upgrade. The Italian striker is a player who loves to dribble and is at his best counter-attacking in broken play where his balance and close control can best be utilised. Powerful and capable of playing from the left if he does not get his preferred central spot, he has not yet hit the heights in Rome but has all the potential to succeed.
Angel Di Maria Club: Real Madrid Nation: Argentina It can be easy to characterise Angel Di Maria as just a great dribbler given the ability of the Argentine winger to slalom through defences with his pace and balance. That though would be to ignore the full range of skills that the Real Madrid star possesses. Highly creative, he is also an excellent crosser and chooses his options well, frequently slipping clever passes through for the likes of Benzema, Higuain and Ronaldo to run on to. Technically strong he has shown versatility in the past for his national team by playing in central midfield to accommodate the wealth of attacking options they possess. One thing he always seeks to do when afforded space is to cut in off the right flank and shoot with venom on his left foot. At Real Madrid he normally defers in the goalscoring stakes to his more lauded teammates, but there is no doubting his ability. The Argentine is highly prized at the Bernabeu where he has established himself following a £25m move from Benfica.
Antonio Di Natale Club: Udinese Nation: Italy Surely no player has enjoyed such an “Indian summer” to his career as Antonio Di Natale. The Udinese striker had never broken the 20 goal mark in a season in Serie A until he was 32, then went on to do it three times in a row, and in twice of those seasons he ended up as the league’s leading marksman. A fantastic finisher who has excellent movement he frightens defenders constantly with his clever runs. Frequently caught offside, he loves to play on the shoulder of the last defender and his goals tally more than compensates for the runs he mistimes. Although he provide limited defensive contributions he is a talisman for the Zebras who rely on his fine set-piece taking as well as his goals. Having arrived from Empoli almost ten years ago he is now an idol in Udine and will be sorely missed when he finally decides to hang up his boots.
Alou Diarra Club: Rennes Nation: France A former captain of France, Diarra has had a nomadic and erratic career. Acquired by both Bayern Munich and Liverpool he did not make a single league appearance for either club, instead being sent on loan to develop. Despite his failure to establish himself at a top level club Diarra managed to break into the French national team and eventually came to be skipper. As a defensive midfielder his key attributes are his tackling, positioning and stamina as well as an ability in the air that one might expect from a player of his height. Essentially a fairly limited midfield anchor, he wins the ball and passes it to those more able. While his aggression in the tackle is notable he has a tendency to be over exuberant and commits rather more fouls than his managers would prefer. His steady approach in midfield has been highly valued though, particularly by Laurent Blanc who was a great admirer of Diarra during their time together at Bordeaux.
Lassana Diarra Club: Anzhi Nation: France One of the most versatile footballers in the current game, Diarra’s ability to fill in at numerous roles saw him feature for some of Europe’s biggest names at the age of 24. Ideally a central midfielder, Diarra can play in more defensive or attacking roles and is also highly competent at right-back. An excellent tackler, with pace, stamina and aggression he is adept at mopping up loose balls in midfield. When he does get on the ball he is a fine passer and rarely makes the wrong choice in his use of possession. One obvious weakness is his discipline, an overeagerness sometimes leading him to dive in and concede unnecessary fouls, but maturity is tempering that. Having begun his career in his native France brief spells at Chelsea and Arsenal afforded few opportunities. It was at Portsmouth that he probably played the best football of his career, though he has still been impressive during his time at Real Madrid and more recently in Russia with Anzhi.
Marcelo Díaz Club: Basel Nation: Chile Having emerged from the youth teams at Santiago giants Universidad de Chile in 2004, Díaz became something of a utility midfielder over the next five years at the club, being effective when used in a variety of roles without ever really dazzling in any of them. He was even loaned out to La Serena in 2010. But the arrival of Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli in 2011 changed his fortunes. Sampaoli identified Díaz as a crucial player, installed him in central midfield, and was rewarded as the player blossomed into a metronomic passing machine, always keeping it simple, making goals, spreading the play but also doing his fair share of defensive work. His partnership with the more energetic and expansive Charles Aránguiz was as good as any in World football as La U won three consecutive Chilean Primera titles in 2011-12 and the 2011 Copa Sudamerica. He was rewarded with a place in the Chilean national team under Coach Claudio Borghi - where he immediately became a huge influence on the teams exciting, cultured attacking play - and a move to FC Basel for the bargain fee of €3.4M.
Hi, what a brilliant project you guys got going on here. I was wondering if I was allowed to make a request for a profile; Henrique Almeida Caixeta Nascentes, better known as simply Henrique, who plays for Botafogo.
Just a remark: Dutch names like Siem de Jong, Nigel de Jong and Luuk de Jong suppose to be under the letter J, not D.