There are a number of players appearing at the 2010 World Cup who are well known by football scouts, agents, acute managers and fans of their respective national teams but unknown to everybody else. Once the tournament has ended some of these will remain unknown while others will become familiar names and reference points for great moments in the tournament.
This 4 part series will document these players who you probably have not heard of but are ready to explode onto the international football scene.
Luis Suarez
Technically sound with good balance and a sweet shot, this clinical striker has been scoring goals for fun this past season with Ajax. With 49 goals in his last 48 matches at club level, Luis Suarez has been attracting the attention of bigger clubs. Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona are reportedly interested and are all said to be monitoring his progress. Playing alongside Diego Forlan in an attacking Uruguay team Luis Suarez is an outside tip for golden boot.
Simon Kjaer
The Palermo center back has only recently turned twenty one years old but is as good a defender as you can find in Europe at the moment. He has great awareness, is capable of accurate fifty yard passes from central defense and is tough in the tackle to boot. After Palermo failed to qualify for the Champions League, they were pipped to the post by Sampdoria on the last day of the season, he is expected to leave Sicily this summer. The type of fee he commands will depend on his performances on the big stage in South Africa.
Javier Hernandez
Manchester United have already signed the diminutive young Mexican but he is an unknown commodity to most football fans. Known as El Chicharito, he has scored 7 goals in only 12 appearances for Mexico and is expected to lead their front line alongside Arsenal’s Carlos Vela at the tournament. At Manchester United he will presumably start behind Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov in the pecking order but whether he is third or fourth choice, behind or ahead of Michael Owen, will largely depend on how he performs in South Africa over the coming weeks.
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