Belgium has a few more exciting prospects: Januzaj Bakkali Tielemans Bruno Praet Ferreira-Carrasco etc. ... and that kid that is winning prizes left, right and center ... the best of Xavi & Iniesta combined ... the most exciting upcoming talent in the world of football Charly Jr. Musonda
where did I say Mexico dominated?.......Mexico had control of the game. Brazil was losing by the 30th second. Normal that they would be pressuring especially after being down 2 nil lol cause clearly you know the future . If he would have gotten that header, it would onlyhave tied the game....and clearly Brazil would have won it extra time, cause you know the future!!! again losing by the 30th second.
Having control means they wouldn't keep possession, defend and not give out chances on goal. That wasn't the case, you're playing the result here.
Could be talented etc, but all these "take two greats' best sides, and this new youngster is that" are kinda, I dunno. Kid X is great. He's like Messi and Cristiano combined, but only better. Watch out.
I know that's why I exaggerated x3 ... however this kid is lauded in every trny, even when his team loses ... if there's only a kernel of truth, he should develop into a great No. 10. He will be almost 18 when Brazil2014 kicks off but Belgium already has a lot of young talents that are more likely to be selected. Ferreira-Carrasco is a regular starter in a strong Monaco squad, yet he also faces tough competition to get into the NT. Like in the German NT, the next generation of Belgian talents seems to be even stronger than those who've already been capped (that etc. implies a bunch more gifted prospects).
I think he prased it a bit unlucky. He means his game is like a combination of Xavi/Iniesta. A player can have a similar style to another player but that doesnt mean he's just as good. He could be 10 times worse but still have the same style of play. Anyway Musonda is the most talented Belgian player I have ever seen. Talent alone is not everything though, it remains to be seen how he will handle himself among the pro's. Him being so small & weak for his age could be a problem.
Close race between Germany and Brazil. Turkey, Mexico and Belgium have a certain collection of young talent as well, but not as good as them.
Kerlon really ... he's too old to be in this thread (+25yo) and playing for a 3th division club in Japan (scored only 3 goals last season). When you meant it as a caveat ... well that's a very general point and is valid for every player (even the older ones).
The big 4: Januzaj, Bakkali, Charly Jr. Musonda and Andreas Pereira ... if they can fulfill their potential, they can dominate football and be one of the best of the world. Now they are considered as the best players of their generation. They might even be better than the likes of Hazard, Lukaku, Courtois, De Bruyne, Benteke, etc. I'm confident that they can at least rub shoulders with the best of their generation on an international level. In other countries you can also find talented 16yo, 17yo, 18yo, ... prospects. You won't hear me denying that. I'm only saying that Belgium is quickly catching up ... it started with Kompany, Vermaelen, Vertonghen, Dembele, Mirallas, Fellaini, etc. and the next generations only seem to get better. I'd say that there are a lot of exciting talents around the world and I feel that on a global scale, a small country like Belgium should be proud of their talent pool. PS instead of Boyata (listed in OP), I'd have chosen 1 of these guys Januzaj, Bakkali, Pereira, Tielemans, Bruno, Praet, Ferreira-Carrasco, etc. ... if it had to be a defender then Malanda Jr., Bossaerts, Cavanda, etc. would have been better options.
Thing is that Musonda may yet feature for Zambia (together with his brothers he has dual nationality). His father was a Zambian national player (one of the best), so it remains to be seen if Musonda actually ends up as a 'Belgian player'. So far Charly Jr has stated he is only interested in playing for Belgium, but you never know down the line and he may yet change his mind.
As for the subject at hand - Ghana has an immense talent pool (the players selected above are actually a very poor choice to show the talent at hand). U20 World Champions 4 years back and third this year with players like Assifuah and Acheampong already turning heads in awe in Europe. Not the best talent pool, but IMO just behind Brasil and Germany. P.S. It just occured to me that all of the Big 4 as you called them are dual nationality players and until they feature for the national side it's too early to say whether they will indeed be part of the Belgian talent pool. Januzaj (Kosovo), Bakkali (Morocco), Charly Jr. Musonda (Zambia) and Andreas Pereira (Brasil). Not to mention that this supposedly superb crop of Belgium youth players came dead last in qualifying for the U17 European Championships...
Belgium huh? hmmm interesting I was checking back at the u17, u20 World Cups and they're nowhere to be found not even in the u19, u21 euros I mean if they were so good one thinks they would've done well somewhere, right? we'll see, maybe they're late bloomers...
Results of youth teams are largely irrelevant as only a handful of players of each generation turn out to be good. Just check the winners of u17/u19 tournaments. 90% of the players you never hear from again. Holland won the u-21 in 2007 and most of the players play now for average midtable teams. Belgium finished 4th yet now a lot of these players play with top teams in the premier league. Youth football is all about developing those 3-4 top talents you have in your team, its more valuable for your senior squad than 11 decent players who might win you something at youth level but come up short once they reach pro level.
I was going to post this earlier but changed my mind, they have some good young players playing for some big clubs. But other than a couple none are different makes for their clubs. And as a team they havent done anything or won anything or come close to win anything at any level including senior level. Yet some people thing they are one of the favorites to win the WC because they lead a weak group in qualifying. []__[]
For Mexico i'd add Jesus Manuel "Tecatito" Corona who scored in his debut with FC twente today. For France I'd add Zouma, Kondogbia. No love for Holland?
@guri: well check out how the U21 Euro2015 qualifiers are going or look at the youth trnys these guys have won prizes at ... even if their team didn't win, they received individual prizes, e.g. best player of the trny. At their clubs these guys are ahead of the curve. Ferreira-Carrasco (great at AS Monaco), Januzaj (ask Man Utd fans how they feel about him), Bakkali (PSV, youngest guy ever to score a hattrick in the Dutch league), Tielemans, Bruno, Praet (all 3 play at the all time Belgian champ where Kompany, Lukaku, et al. started their careers at similar age + they can also gain Champions League experience), Musonda (youngest guy ever to train with the first squad at Chelsea), Bossaerts (Man City ... already made captain), Pereira (Man Utd), etc. ... Do these 16yo, 17yo, etc. have to grow into their frame ... of course ... they're all but late bloomers though. @zahzah: most players on the Belgian NT have dual nationality or are proud of their multicultural heritage. The biggest talents have all chosen to join the Belgian NT (which makes the team even more attractive). Bakkali recently joined the Belgian NT ... he'll be capped soon (most likely as a sub versus either Croatia or Wales). Musonda will also join the Belgian NT in the near future. Januzaj is waiting to make his decision untill he breaks into the Man Utd squad (or another big club) ... very unlikely that he'll choose Kosovo. Pereira has always preferred his Red Devils kit (for club & country) and it looks like he won't be switching to yellow. BTW Acheampong is playing for the same club as Tielemans, Bruno & Praet. As far as "turning heads in awe" is concerned ... most of these Belgian talents are doing just that ... often while already playing for a world class club.
Sure, but at least for the first few games Acheampong was the best player on the Anderlecht team. He had a few weaker games lately, but still by far the best player overall this season. I watch Anderlecht regularly and Tielemans, Bruno and Praet has been mostly overshadowed by Acheampong. That said Tielemans is immense and just 16. Bruno has the best stats, but that doesn't actually tell the whole story, as Acheampong obviously does the most offensive destruction on his wing.
looking forward to seeing the u17 Belgians "turn heads in awe" at the U.A.E. World Cup in a couple of weeks let's see what other europeans made it Italy, Russia, Croatia hmmm good Sweden hmmm ok Austria? even Slovakia made it? wow wtf? where are they? something wrong here there has to be an explanation I can hear the gears turning already
France definitely has great prospects ... mainly defensive minded players though ... maybe also add Thauvin. I love Holland ... at the moment we'll have to wait and see who'll belong in this "best collection of young talent in the world" category. Strootman seems to be the frontrunner now ... Van Ginkel is out for the rest of the season but he could develop into a great player and then there are many others (that also have to develop further).
Opta/CIES, TPI, etc. own huge collections of player data and their models are regarded as reliable sources. When you take a look at their conclusions you'll see that the best Ghanese talents are nowhere near the level of the best German, Brazilian or Belgian talents. To compare Ghana and Belgium ... a few highlights: Hazard was ranked 3th overall (most valuable player regardless of age) behind Messi and Ronaldo and is the most valuable youngster. Gotze, Hazard, De Bruyne, Lukaku and Grenier were the 5 most decisive youngsters (last season) ... Courtois and Benteke are in the top 10 while there's no mention of a Ghanese youngster anywhere near the top. Kwadwo Asamoah is the only Ghanese player in the overall ranking of the most decisive players (42nd) and as he was born in 1988, he's even too old for this thread. Of course your views can differ from mine and I owe considerable respect to the Ghanese NT that has often impressed me. That I rank 1 talent pool over another doesn't exclude holding the latter in high regard. Maybe I've expressed my views too strongly?
Problem with those huge collections of player data is that quality of data differs based on where it is collected and data from Africa is pretty poor, while the European data is extensive - such players as Assifuah, Aboagye and so on are totally off the radar of those programs, but they outshined most of the players which feature on Opta/CIES, TPI at the U20 World Cup this year. Most players from Africa only feature when they actually turn up in Europe and even then the scouting info is pretty limited, because the is no backdata. Most of the kids on Anderlecht feature on the list, but meanwhile Acheampong is actually the best of the lot at the moment. And he was nowhere on any radar before 2013. To compare more objectively: Ghana: U20 World Champions 2009 and U20 World Cup Bronze Medalists 2013 Belgium: zilch, not even an appearance at any such event Given the above punctures a large hole in the trustworthiness of such quasi-comprehensive rankings. The third best youth team in world football and they don't have a single person in the overall ranking?
I would also add that it is much more likely for talent to get wasted for African players. They can't fully develop at home, while the market in Europe often bleeds them dry. European players are with a club from youth football onwards and their progress is monitored.