Top Ten stars of the future in World Football

Outside of the Premiership there is a vast array of young talent who are earning a reputation in European leagues or indeed in South America. Whether they are playing in Argentina or Brazil and are trying to attract the attention of the major European clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter and AC Milan, or they have already made a big money move, there are many promising youngsters around the world. Here is a look at some of the young footballers outside of the Premier League who have the potential to make it on the biggest stage, and some youngsters who have already had plenty of hype and expectation surrounding them is growing.

10 – Breno Borges (20): Currently out of favour at Bayern Munich, the Brazilian defender wants to leave the German club sooner rather than later. He signed for around £8 million for Bayern in 2007 from Sao Paulo, but things haven’t gone his way in the Bundesliga despite being thought of as a world-class talent. He is currently being kept out of the team by Brazil legend Lucio, and there are rumours that he is being tracked by Juventus who are looking for a long-term replacement for Fabio Cannavaro.

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9 – Daniel Opare (19): The Ghanaian right back is yet to break through at Real Madrid but the club still have high hopes for the youngster. He joined Real Madrid Castilla in 2008 from Ashanti Gold SC in Ghana for a fee of around £1 million after the wonder-kid impressed at the 2007 FIFA U17 World Cup where he was widely regarded as the best defender of the tournament. He has already won a cap for Ghana, but has struggled with injuries and the jury is still out for the fast full back.

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8 – Mario Balotelli (19): The Italian striker currently plays for Inter Milan and is fast as well as technically gifted. Signed from Lumezzane in 2006, Balotelli has made 57 appearances for Inter in all competitions, hitting the back of the net 20 times. Balotelli is of Ghanaian descent but has already featured 15 times for Italy U21s. He is the 3rd choice striker at Inter, but has struggled for game time under Jose Mourinho and has been criticised in the Italian media for his poor work-rate and lack of discipline.

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7 – Diego Buonanotte (21): The River Plate attacking midfielder is the latest player on the conveyor belt that is young football talent from Argentina. The diminutive midfielder is just 5ft 2in, but his size doesn’t seem to have deterred people from hyping him up, as he was named by World Soccer Magazine as one of the 50 most exciting teenagers in football in 2007. He has since gained further recognition by featuring in Argentina’s 2008 Olympic gold medal-winning team.

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6 – Sofiane Feghouli (19): The French midfielder of Algerian descent, Feghouli is already being dubbed the ‘New Zidane’ both for his origins and his football talent. Currently playing for Grenoble in France’s Ligue 1, the Frenchman is known as much for scoring goals as creating them. As usual Feghouli is said to be on the radar of a number of top European clubs, and with Grenoble struggling in Ligue 1, Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to step up his interest for the youngster in January.

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5 – Stevan Jovetic (20): Liverpool fans will know this Montenegro international well, as he scored both goals against them for Fiorentina in a Champions League match earlier this season. The forward signed from Partizan in 2008 for £7.3 million and ‘Jo-Jo’ has scored 6 goals in 11 matches in all competitions this season thus far. Renowned for his close control and dribbling ability, his agent has hinted that he will leave Fiorentina next summer and there could well be a bidding war for Jovetic.

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4 – Bojan (19): The Spanish forward is tipped to be the next big thing in Spain and is likely to become a Barcelona legend in the future. Having already played over 50 La Liga games for Barca, Bojan has plenty of first-team experience for a youngster. Born to a Serbian father, he earned his first cap for Spain last year in what will be the first of many. He took the record for being the youngest Barcelona player from Messi, and has a scoring pedigree, as he scored 16 goals in 20 caps for Spain U17s.

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3 – Pato (20): ‘The Duck’ is known in Italian football for his incredible pace, skill on the ball and a rasping shot. The AC Milan and Brazilian footballer has already built his reputation in Serie A and will get a chance to increase his worth in Europe in the Champions League this season. The talented forward signed for Milan in 2007 from Internacional, and has played 65 league games for the Italian giants scoring 29 goals. Having also won 8 caps for Brazil, some people are calling him ‘Milan’s Messi’.

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2 – Angel Di Maria (21): The Argentinean midfielder starred for Benfica in their 5-0 drubbing of Everton in the Europa League where he chipped in with 3 assists. Most comfortable on the left win, Di Maria is an exciting talent and has been backed by national coach Diego Maradona as Argentina’s next superstar. Having already won 3 caps with Argentina, there has been much speculation about him moving to England, after nearly signing for Arsenal in the past, he now wants to join Manchester United.

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1 – Douglas Costa (19): The Brazilian, left-footed attacking midfielder plays for Gremio in Brazilian where he is contracted until 2013. Due to his talent he has a release clause of £20 million to fight off interest from Europe, but many clubs in the Premiership and La Liga have already registered an interest. Dubbed the ‘New Ronaldinho’, Costa is a free-kick specialist who has great vision, and the publicity surrounding him is bound to increase this season whether he moves or not.

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You may have already heard of some of these exciting talents, but make sure you look out for those players who you haven’t come across previously. Whether they are playing in the Champions League, Europa League or their respective domestic divisions, check them out and decide for yourself if they will become world-class stars. And is there anyone who hasn’t made it onto this list who you feel can become the next Ronaldo, Kaka or Messi?