Europe's brightest young talent, who are plying their trade outside the Big Five leagues. They may not yet be at a club in England, France, Germany, Italy or Spain, but on their current form, they soon could be. Arjblog reviews the best of the rest:
The Top XV from Elsewhere:
Xherdan Shaqiri - Basel - 19 - After shocking England with a goal in September 2010 during a Euro 2012 qualifying match; the Swiss striker, of Albanian parentage; is continuing to make a real name for himself at home. Potent and central at club, where he has racked up 65 appearances and 10 goals since 2009, while earning a call up to the Swiss World Cup side. This summer he helped the U-21s reach the European final against all conquering Spain. Fast, robust and with a real ability to invent the game, his creative genius is only overshadowed by his powerful shooting.
Yaroslav Rakitskiy - Shakhtar Donetsk - 22 - Yet another technical tyro in the stable of Ukraine's richest and currently biggest club, Rakitskiy is one of the diamonds that manager Mircea Lucescu has polished from the rough before unleashing in the first team. A strong and imperious defender, he has already graduated to becoming a first choice at the back despite his tender years, at both club and national level. 45 appearances for Donetsk have been supplemented by 11 appearances for the U-21s and three goals in 10 caps for Ukraine.
Necip Uysal - Besiktas - 20 - A creative midfielder who is one of the main technicians in the the Black Eagles' engine room, Uysal is fast emerging as the latest midfielder of top quality that the Turkish national team can call upon. Having played 38 times last season for the club in both league and Europe, he proceeded to earn four caps for the national team. Nominally a solid deep lying player, he does have a tough streak that saw him dismissed twice in the league last year.
Sime Vrsaljko - Dinamo Zagreb - 19 - Some say the precociously gifted Croat full back an even greater talent that Luka Modric, who like him, came through the ranks at Zagreb. Preferring the right side of defence but equally comfortable on the left, Sime has appeared with increasing regularity since his debut as a 16 year old in 2009. 42 appearances and one goal later, he got his first cap for the national team in a friendly match in February 2011. Over the summer Dinamo, one of Europe's best talent factories, rejected a four million euro transfer for him.
Andriy Yarmolenko - Dynamo Kyiv - 21 - Dubbed the next Sheva by drooling journalists in his homeland, the young striker has become a mainstay for both his club and the yellow and blue of Ukraine. Since a league debut at 19, where he scored the winning goal, he has stacked up 67 appearances for his club while scoring 20 goals. A further four strikes have come in 12 outings for the national side, where he is the fulcrum of the attack. Once unable to handle training as a 13 year old, he has matured into a tall, all-round player.
Tomas Necid - CSKA Moscow - 22 - The giant Czech striker has already scored seven goals in 25 games for the senior national team, after having come through the ranks at junior level. A Slavia Prague youth product, he moved to the Russian giants at 19 and set about establishing himself in the first team. Normally splitting starts with the senior pair of Seydou Doumbia and Vegner Love, the beanpole forward has accumulated 19 goals in 62 appearances for the club including starts in the UEFA Champions' League.
Stefan de Vrij - Feyenoord - 19 - A teenaged starting centre-half is rarely heard of, however de Vrij has established himself firmly as the Eredivisie's best defenceman. Comfortable anywhere along the back four but filling in either as centre-back or right fullback, the teenager is both gifted and versatile. So far he has made just shy of 50 appearances for the Rotterdam giants but will soon progress to both national team (a standout at U-17 level) and bigger club. Part of Dutch team that finished runner-up to Germany in the 2009 U-17 European Championship.
Sime Vrsaljko - Dinamo Zagreb - 19 - Some say the precociously gifted Croat full back an even greater talent that Luka Modric, who like him, came through the ranks at Zagreb. Preferring the right side of defence but equally comfortable on the left, Sime has appeared with increasing regularity since his debut as a 16 year old in 2009. 42 appearances and one goal later, he got his first cap for the national team in a friendly match in February 2011. Over the summer Dinamo, one of Europe's best talent factories, rejected a four million euro transfer for him.
Andriy Yarmolenko - Dynamo Kyiv - 21 - Dubbed the next Sheva by drooling journalists in his homeland, the young striker has become a mainstay for both his club and the yellow and blue of Ukraine. Since a league debut at 19, where he scored the winning goal, he has stacked up 67 appearances for his club while scoring 20 goals. A further four strikes have come in 12 outings for the national side, where he is the fulcrum of the attack. Once unable to handle training as a 13 year old, he has matured into a tall, all-round player.
Tomas Necid - CSKA Moscow - 22 - The giant Czech striker has already scored seven goals in 25 games for the senior national team, after having come through the ranks at junior level. A Slavia Prague youth product, he moved to the Russian giants at 19 and set about establishing himself in the first team. Normally splitting starts with the senior pair of Seydou Doumbia and Vegner Love, the beanpole forward has accumulated 19 goals in 62 appearances for the club including starts in the UEFA Champions' League.
Stefan de Vrij - Feyenoord - 19 - A teenaged starting centre-half is rarely heard of, however de Vrij has established himself firmly as the Eredivisie's best defenceman. Comfortable anywhere along the back four but filling in either as centre-back or right fullback, the teenager is both gifted and versatile. So far he has made just shy of 50 appearances for the Rotterdam giants but will soon progress to both national team (a standout at U-17 level) and bigger club. Part of Dutch team that finished runner-up to Germany in the 2009 U-17 European Championship.
Kevin De Bruyne - Genk - 20 - The cherubic Belgian midfielder was one of the two youth pillars on which Genk's 2011 Championship team was built. Along with teenaged goalkeeping sensation Thibaut Courtois (Now at Atletico Madrid), the playmaker was instrumental in his club's success, scoring six goals and assisting on 12 others. A former national level youth player, he earned his first cap in a friendly against Finland last year. Impossibly blonde, he looks like a younger version of national team striker Bjorn Vleminckx.
Emmanuel Mayuka - Zambia / Young Boys - 20 - A sentimental choice perhaps and the only African player on this list, the former Kabwe Warrior has impressed since his move to Europe with Hapoel Tel Aviv as an 18 year old. 17 strikes, 10 assists in 42 games over two years later, he earned a move to the Swiss side for whom he has notched 10 goals and six in 34 games the past two seasons including three in five this year. The Zambian's 1000 watt smile will be a common feature of the 2011-12 Swiss Super League.
Cenk Tosun - Gaziantepspor - 20 - After coming through the ranks at Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 11 goals in 13 game during a stint with the second team in the regional league last year, he left the country of his birth to move to the country of his ancestry. At Gaziantepspor, the rich vein of form continued with another 10 goals in 14 games. Despite having played for the German youth teams, Tosun has declared for Turkey, although he is yet to win a cap. Speedy, with a lethal eye for goal, both national team and the Turkish big three can only ignore him for so long.
Luuk De Jong - Twente - 21 - Swiss born but Dutch raised, the son of two Dutch national team players is 'only' 6' 2" ! However, his class and ability at the front of his club's attack are unquestioned. Two goals in three starts during his club's championship season in 2010, improved to 12 goals and 11 assists in 31 games last year as he emerged as his club's starting striker alongside Austrian Marc Janko while picking up the Dutch Cup. A further three goals and one helper in four games so far this season, provides further proof that Luuk has arrived in the big time. No relation to martial artist and Man City footballer Nigel.
Georginio Wijnaldum - PSV - 20 - While a four minute debut goal against Malta during an 11-0 rout is nothing to write home about, what was noteworthy was the ease with which the young playmaker fitted into one of global football's most storied, stacked and sparkling engine rooms. He made over a 130 appearances and notched 25 goals for Feyenoord, for whom he made his debut at 16, after a prodigious rise through the ranks at rivals Sparta. He moved to PSV this summer for five million euros and is the starting central midfielder, having already racked up a goal and an assist in four games.
Alan Dzagoev - CSKA Moscow - 21 - The sparkling Russian attacking midfielder is the creative glue that holds the club's midfield together. Having retained the playmaking responsibilities despite the influx of star names from abroad is a rare achievement, but one that the native Ossetian takes in his stride. A league debut at 15, in the second division, was followed by successful Premier League season that saw him voted newcomer of the year once he moved to CSKA. One goal in 14 outings for Russia comes on top of 23 goals in 89 games for club.
Kleber Pinheiro - Porto - 21 - Being the starting striker at powerful and successful a club like Porto is another symbol of his growing stature within the game. Three years after moving a teenager from Atletico Mineiro in Brazil, the powerfully built forward has progressed to leading the Porto attack alongside the more famous Hulk, even wearing the number 11 shirt. Prolific in pre-season, he scored 15 goals in 40 games for Portuguese club Maritimo the last two years, before moving for 2.5 million euros in the summer.
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson - Ajax - 21 - Perfect this season, with four strikes from as many games in a germinal Eredivisie season, the Icelandic striker is considered to be even better than Eidur Gudjohnsen, a living legend for the national team. The number scored 15 goals in 32 games for AZ last season and sealed a 4.5 million euro switch in the off-season. Scored five goals, including a first half hat-trick in a league game last season.
Honourable Mentions:
Miroslav Stoch - Fenerbahce - 21 - A dismal spell at powerhouse Chelsea is behind him as the diminutive winger is a starter at national level and central to his club's attack. 12 goals in 55 games at club level since 2009 and three strikes in 25 outings for the Slovak side.
Mathias Jorgensen - Copenhagen - 21 - Once a failed Arsenal triallist, the giant Danish defender is now the captain of his club, where he is nicknamed Zanka, after a character in the popular movie Cool Runnings. Six goals in 88 appearances since his debut at 17.
Jan Chramosta - Mlada Boleslaw - 20 - A member of the eye-catching Czech U-21 team, the striker has notched 21 goals in 63 games for his club since a debut at 18 in a season where he was lauded as the best newcomer.
Ante VukuĊĦic - Hajduk Split - 20 - 21 goals in 55 appearances for club along with seven caps for the U-21s, the striker notched four goals from nine games in the Europa League last year, including a late, late, winner against Anderlecht.
Aleksandr Kokorin - Dinamo Moscow - 20 - The lanky, 20 year old striker wears the number 9 shirt as a starter with Dynamo Moscow, with whom he has played 87 times. Once scored the winning goal against Celtic in a Champions' League qualifier.
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