Top Five: Football's Teenage Future Stars

Predicting the emergence of young stars in football is never easy. Take Theo Walcott, a star from the age of 16, before he ever even laced up for Arsenal. His move to the Gunners from Southampton put the eyes of England on the young forward at far too young an age. Add to that, Sven-Goran Eriksson’s inexplicable decision to add Walcott to England’s 2006 World Cup squad, leaving off much more capable strikers. Expectation had no chance of being met at such a young age. Two years into his stay at Arsenal and some people even went as far as to say he was a bust. A bust at 18? He is now 19 and has earned a regular spot on one of the most prominent squads in the world. He had a break out performance in England’s important World Cup qualifier against Croatia, opening his national side account with a hat trick, in a 4-1 victory.

This happens much too often in today’s sporting world. The hype is created and then when the young player fails to meet the expectations, he is ridiculed. Part of this is media created and part is due to overzealous managers and owners introducing young starlets into the squad too early. Take a look at a player like Freddy Adu. He was touted as a superstar at age 14, played for DC United at 15 and criticized for not being a superstar by the time he was 17. After his role as MLS savior faded away, Adu settled in as an all-star midfielder in the MLS, eventually moving to Benefica in Portugal. He now plays for AC Monaco, and at such a young age, can still be a star player for the US squad, and sign with a big team in Europe.

Having said that, sometimes a young player’s talent should have a light shining upon it. Last season, we saw the emergence of several teenage talents. Karim Benzema, although he has been playing with Lyon’s top team for a couple of years now, burst out for his French national side and his club. Spaniard, Bojan Krkic and Agentina international, Sergio Aguero, did the same for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, respectively. In Italy, Brazilian Alexandre Pato, rejuvenated an aging AC Milan up front, scoring in half of his matches. The Premier League opened last season with several promising young talents. While Gareth Bale was held back by injury, Michah Richards emerged as a force on the left for Manchester City.

So who will emerge this season? Officially joining the ranks of the slimy hype machine, I will present five players that could break into stardom in the 2008/09 campaign. This list is comprised of only those players that I have had a chance to watch play more than a couple of times. I have made an effort to steer away from players who have already had a good share of top-flight games. Players like Gareth Bale, Lucas Leiva, Adel Taarabt, Gio Dos Santos, Denilson, and Gerard Pique, have gotten their fair share of press and time on the pitch, and I wanted to select some lesser known names.


1) Breno- Bayern Munich- 19 years old
Brazilian born defender, Breno, signed with Bayern last winter, but did not get his first game until the start of this season. In a 1-0 loss at Hannover 96, Breno was his team’s best player. He is currently sitting behind Lucio, Daniel van Buyten, and Martin Demichelis on the depth chart at center back. But with Bayern’s early season defensive struggles, he should start to see a lot more playing time.


2) Carlos Vela- Mexico- Arsenal- 18 years old
Mexican striker, Vela, is part of Arsene Wenger’s never-ending crop of young talent. With Jack Wilshire and Aaron Ramsey, the future looks bright at the Emirates. Vela, already with top international experience, looks the most likely to get some Premier League action this season. RVP is fragile, Bendtner is inconsistent, and who knows what kind of condition Eduardo will be in when he comes back. If Arsene wants some new blood up front, Vela could be his man. His Carling Cup hat trick against Sheffield United may be just the beginning.

3) Toni Kroos- Germany- Bayern Munich- 18 years old
Another young uber-talent in the Bayern system is Toni Kroos. Kroos has already been dominate for his German U-17 and U-21 sides, and now looks to shine in the Bundesliga. In the few times he has hit the pitch for Munich, the midfielder has looked impressive. His crossing ability and ball striking are advanced for such a young player, and his presence on the pitch is also that of a player well beyond his years.

4) Franco Di Santo- Argentina- Chelsea- 19 years old
Di Santo has been doing well for the Chelsea reserves, and he has managed to get into three games for the top team so far this season. While Chelsea is currently competing with Tottenham in the, “who has the most ridiculous amount of talented midfielders on their squad” competition, they are very thin at striker. With the injury to Didier Drogba, only Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou stand in front of Di Santo on the depth chart.

5) Macauley Chrisantus- Nigeria- Hamburg SV- 18 years old
Chrisantus burst onto the scene at the U-17 World Cup, with seven goals in seven games. His pace and talent are evident, but he sits behind two experienced Croatian strikers at Hamburg, in Petric and Olic, and Peruvian goal scorer, Jose Guerrero, stands in his way as well. Competing with another youngster, Eric Choupo-Moting, Chrisantus will have to make the most of his appearances for the early Bundesliga leaders.