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.
