I came across an interesting article on ESPNsoccernet featuring a list of up and coming young talents across the world. It was a good read with information on players I knew next to nothing previously. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=263788&cc=3888 I expected a list compiled of European and South American players only, but I was pleasantly surprised. 20 year old Chinese defender - Du Wei - was part of the list of eleven youngsters compiled by ESPNsoccernet which was so competitive that even Robinho got squeezed out of it! The normally critical Maradona said that Du Wei 'has a perfect sense of how defence should be played and his speed is unparalleled'. Not bad at all! It was good to see AFC represented in such stiff competition.
i suppose it had to be a bit "controversial". it is meant to generate discussions, especially at pubs and the likes. for instance, where's kaka? is du wei better than gabriel milito? how about the greek wunderkid alexandros papadoupolos? the list goes on....
I think you're right. Many of the players chosen for the list are not fully established stars like Ronaldinho or Owen. They probably have been picked for eye catching performances this season. As for Kaka, he made his name beforehand, and as far as I know haven't done anything recently to significantly increase his stature as a footballer. I thought Adriano's goal scoring exploits in Serie A might get him a mention, and Robinho definately deserved more than a single 'sorry we didn't pick you' sentence.
yeah, it's way too subjective. but fun to discuss though!! funny they didn't include john o'shea. he came out of nowhere at the start of the season but seems to have proven to be a reliable player. it's not easy to find a 6'4 defender who can play anywhere at the back and can dribble and run too (like that mazy run against newcastle). finding an Asian emerging XI is probably harder, because most of them usually fail to fulfil their potential. it's like a "flavour of the week" type thing.
Hehe, you're right about John O'Shea except for the fact that he was included in the list! I wonder what your excuses will be. Here are my nominations (Koreans only since I know very little about other Asian nation's young talents) for the Asian starlets XI. Feel free to do add more information since my knowledge on each of these players are by no means vast. Lee San (Born in '85): Part of West Ham's U-17 squad, I actually never seen him play but my friends talk about him as if he'll be the next big thing in Korean football. Choi Sung Guk (Born in '83): A highly accomplished attacking midfielder who is probably the most important player in the Korean U-20 squad (scored 7 goals), and recently made an impressive debut for the A team in a match against Columbia. After that match, Inter Milan defender Ivan Cordoba said that Choi Sung Guk would be able break into Inter's first team line up if they ever bought him. Jung Jo Guk (Born in '84): Profilic scorer at U-20 level (scored 13 goals in about 20 matches) and recently scored as a substitute in his U-23 debut match against Costa Rica. Kim Dong Hyun (Born in '84): Won the MVP for the 2002 Asian U-19 Championship. Scored 8 goals at U-20 level. Um... that's about it.