The likes of Ronaldo, Robinho, David Silva, Carlos Tevez and Fernando Torres have graced the Premier League in recent years and that has turned the English game into the best in the world. Here is a list of players in Europe that are targets for Premier League clubs and could be seen here in the near future. Who would you like at your club?

Click on Ricardo Montolivo to unveil the top 10

10. Vuvuzelas

It is apart of the culture in African football but they are very annoying to hear throughout 90 minutes. To be fair it has died down a bit since the departure of the host nation but still manage to make an appearance in the remaining games. It’s disappointing only for the fact we don’t hear no football chants and crowd reactions towards certain decisions.

9. The Jabulani Ball

The Jabulani ball has taken some criticism since the tournament began over 2 weeks ago and by the evidence we have seen it deserved it. Many players who have played with the ball in South Africa have struggled to adapt with the new Adidas ball, claiming that it is to round…what do you want guys, a ball shaped like a square or something? It seems a bit of an excuse to me, however, having watched all the games in South Africa so far, it’s clear to see that it is very different from previous tournament balls. Players have misjudged the flight and bounce, as well as failing to really hit it properly (exclude Carlos Tevez of course). For those reasons stated above, it does make for disappointing viewing at times.

8. Fernando Torres – Not performing like he is capable of

The Spanish striker does not look like he is in the grove this summer as he has been in previous tournaments, and so far in this World Cup, Torres has not been able to find the back of the net. The Liverpool hitman does not look the same player prior to the competition beginning, and its visible to see that he is either unfit or has other things on his mind. Many (including me) thought that Torres would be amongst the other elite strikers in the world battling for the illustrious golden boot. Unfortunately this is not the case this year. Generally, Torres has been poor in South Africa, and for those who placed a bet on the 26-year-old to be top goal scorer of the tournament, well it looks like you guys have lost your money.

7. France – So much Talent, yet no cohesion

The French have got to be the biggest joke in world football today. So much talented stars like Franck Ribery, Yoann Gourcuff, Patrice Evra and Thierry Henry yet they failed in what was one of their worst World Cup campaigns for a number of years. Raymond Domenech was useless as ever as the French manager, and trouble within the camp prior to the tournament and during it certainly didn’t help the cause either. A number of problems caused the Les Bleus to underachieve and evidently failed miserably in their attempt to qualify to the next round. It’s disappointing because we expected better performances from some of the players the football world has to offer, but instead everybody was sucked into the mayhem off the pitch. The FFF has a big crisis on their hands.

6. Didier Drogba – Not seen as much as we expected

The Chelsea hitman had a great season for the West London club and was tipped to be amongst the contenders for the golden boot. Unfortunately, during a friendly game against Japan a week before the commencement of the World Cup, the Ivory Coast striker broke his arm. Drogba struggled and many thought he was out of the tournament. However, the 32-year-old recovered in time and managed to appear in all of the Ivory Coast matches. He only scored one goal against Brazil but this was only a consolation. Africa’s star man was not 100% fit and because of this, he was unable to replicate what he did last season in this years World Cup. A big disappointment for the continent of Africa in whole.

Check out the top 5 on page 2, click here

The favourites
The underachievers
Fallen giants
Surprise Nations

The so called “Favourites”

Brazil- It’s rare to enter a WC without Brazil being amongst the group of favourites, and this is no different. After their poor showing in Germany 06 this Brazil team under guidance of coach Dunga will see anything but lifting the Jules Rimet trophy as a failure. Starting from the top down you can justify their place in this group. They have arguably the best goalkeeper in the world in Julio Ceaser. A defense spearheaded by the no nonsense Lúcio, with their usual gut busting full backs in the form of Douglas Maicon and Michel Bastos. A midfield where Kaka is given freedom to roam and Gilberto Silva he task of protecting the back 4. An attack where the likes of Robhino or Luis Fabiano can cut through a defense without hesitation. The only doubt cast over this squad was the decision by Dunga to leave Pato, Ronaldinho, and Adriano behind.

Strengths: Goals from every area of the field bar the goalkeeper.

Weaknesses: Weaknesses at the back with attack minded defenders.

Spain- Labelled a perennial under achiever, Spain head to South Africa playing the best football in the nation’s history. They won Euro 2008 in an almost effortless fashion and although the WC will pose a tougher test, you wouldn’t put it past them to go all the way. They went on a 35 game unbeaten streak. They eased through qualifying. They have one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Iker Casillas. They have possibly the best front 2 heading into this tournament in Fernando Torres and David Villa. And are spoilt for choice in midfield with names, like Xavi, Inniesta, Fabregas, Senna, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets just to name a few. So what’s stopping them from going all the way? Nobody but themselves.

Strengths: Clinical forwards, and an army of talented midfielders.

Weaknesses: Consistency. They have never maintained consistency throughout a WC.

Argentina- So far Diego Maradona’s spell as Argentina’s coach can only be described as eventful. Saying that they scraped qualifying by the skin of their teeth would be exaggerating, but they did cut it fine. Despite not beating Brazil in their 2 games and getting hammered 6-1 by Bolivia, they still head to South Africa with one of the best squads. Maradona has mixed and matched youth and experience. With players like Juan Seba Veron with bags of experience, and the likes of 22 year old current world player of the year Lionel Messi. By looking at this squad you can already see where they’re strongest. They have an abundance of fire power. With the likes of Messi, Tevez, Higuain, Aguero, and Diego Milito, once can’t help expect a bagful of goals from this team. Their only weakness here is Maradona’s indecisiveness. He’s so far used 78 players during his spell as coach and is not any closer to knowing his best XI.

Strengths: An embarrassment of riches up front

Weaknesses: Left out 2 big names in Cambiaso and Zanetti. Still doesn’t know best XI

Click here to see the underachievers

The World Cup is a stage not only for established players in football, but it’s also a stage where young rising stars can showcase their talents and become household names in years to come.

Here are the top 10 young stars to look out for at this year’s World Cup in South Africa:

Mesut Ozil (Germany)

Young, talented and highly ambitious, three words to describe Germany’s rising star Mesut Ozil.

Playing his football for Bundersliga side Werder Bremen, the 21-year-old has already established himself as one of, if not, the Germans main man for World Cup glory. Ozil put himself on the map when he was just 17, when the German attacking midfielder signed for Schalke 04 in 2005. In 2008 Ozil signed for Werder Bremen for an estimated £4.3 million and has since shined very brightly.

Ozil was playing his international football for the German U-21 team and was the key catalyst to his side winning the U-21 European Championships last summer.

Ozil will be taking a huge step playing for the senior national team, but with the talent he possesses the midfielder is sure to be a big hit for Germany and the tournament in whole. A definite one to watch this summer and clubs around Europe will no doubt be monitoring the German ace in South Africa.

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Alexis Sanchez (Chile)

Known as ‘El Nino Maravilla’ (the wonder boy) the Chilean is exactly that. The 21-year-old Udinese winger is blessed with explosive pace, bags of trickery and has a keen eye for goal. With all these attributes at his disposal, the Chilean poses a major threat for any full-back that comes up against him this summer.

Sanchez has already managed to make 28 appearances for his country and has netted 11 times along the way. Chile boasts a real star in the making, and a great tournament for the young winger/striker could spark interest from a number of clubs around Europe and in England. Watch out for him this summer in South Africa, he looks to be a potential star of the tournament.

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Simon Kjaer (Denmark)

At only 21 years of age, the Danish centre-back has already established himself as a first-team performer for Serie A side Palermo in under just 2 years. A lot of interest has been shown in the 6’ 2’’ defender in recent months and a buy out clause of £11 million will no doubt attract more attention this summer.

He is currently one of the most talked about defenders on the market, and his performances this season have no doubt credited such gossip. Kjaer is young, strong, quick and very assured when in possession of the ball (everything a defender must acquire to become a great one).

Although Kjaer is still very young, he is highly rated in Europe and is tipped to be a world-class centre-back in the near future. Look out for the solid defender this summer, he is sure to be a big hit this summer.

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See the next 4 stars on page 2

Hamšík is recognized as Slovakia’s key attacking threat, playing on the left or centre of midfield. The 22 year old midfielder has scored 8 goals in 29 appearances for Slovakia, whilst also managing 8 goals in his 25 appearances for Napoli this season. Hamšík’s ability to score goals has alerted Alex Ferguson to the player, who, along with various other clubs throughout Europe has been scouting the Slovak for the better part of 2 years. Hamšík is a combative attacking midfielder, who has the ability to score goals from midfield, a characteristic Ferguson is looking for as the likes of Scholes and Giggs edge closer to retirement. Further, Anderson and Nani are still yet to convince Ferguson that they can produce for United, putting Hamšík firmly on his radar.

Whilst Manchester United and Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move for the player, Juventus legend Pavel Nedved believes that Hamšík is his heir to the throne at Stadio Delle Alpi. The former Juve star told Czech daily Sport:

“Hamšík is my true heir. He is the player with the characteristics that enable him to play just like me”.

However, Inter Milan director Ganriele Oriali has also expressed a recent interest in the Slovak, and so it will be an anxious summer for Napoli fans who would be loathe to lose their talisman.

Hamšík began his professional career with Slovan Bratlislava in 2002, before joining Italian club Brescia in 2004 for €500,000. Hamšík’s impressive goal scoring form for Brescia tempted Napoli to take a chance on the player, and Hamšík signed for Napoli in June 2007 for €5.5 million on a 5 year deal. Hamšík ended his first season with Napoli as the club’s top scorer, with 9 goals from 37 games.

Hamšík will represent Slovakia in what will be the nation’s first FIFA World Cup appearance in South Africa. Slovakia has been drawn into Group F alongside Italy, Paraguay and New Zealand.

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The other strongest European countries all qualified for the finals in South Africa next summer, with some nations more impressive than others. Spain and The Netherlands both won all of their matches and topped Group 5 and 9 respectively, and Spain especially who have Liverpool’s Fernando Torres and Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas among their ranks, will head into the tournament as one of the favourites. Elsewhere Italy and Germany both remained unbeaten, and will be there or there abouts at the FIFA 2010 World Cup once again.

England led by Fabio Capello were in good form as they won their first 9 qualifying matches, and expectations will be high once more come next summer. With many Premiership stars featuring, including Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, a fully-fit England can compete with almost anyone. The other group winners were Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia and Serbia, who will all provide a tough test for any nation in the tournament next summer after coming through one of the toughest qualifying sections.

The 4 play-off fixtures decided the last four World cup qualifiers from the European section, and France, Portugal, Greece and Slovenia all progressed in varying circumstances. The most controversial game was the match between France and Ireland, where the fixture was heading to penalties before France scored thanks to a helping hand from Barcelona striker Thierry Henry to break Irish hearts. Elsewhere, Greece secured a 1-0 aggregate win over Ukraine, Slovenia caused an upset and won an ill-tempered encounter with Russia, and Portugal who were without injured Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo cruised past Bosnia-Hercegovina.