Angel di Maria
Recognized as the best young talent currently playing outside of Europe’s top leagues, di Maria is constantly linked with Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid. A pacy winger with a good cross and a fiery shot, di Maria will be the decoy in the Argentina team during the 2010 World Cup. The main weapon, of course, will be Lionel Messi. Assuming Lionel Messi will be double marked there will be plenty of space for di Maria to exploit. Gabriel Heinze, supporting Angel di Maria on the left flank as a full back, is unlikely to offer much offensively but at the same time di Maria will be asked to perform few defensive duties. With an attacking mandate, good form and the attention on the other side of the field Angel di Maria knows he has the opportunity to explode onto the scene in South Africa this summer.
Eyong Enoh
A regular for Ajax in the last couple of seasons, Eyong Enoh developed slowly and has only recently started to prove himself as a capable footballer. As far as young defensive midfielders go, though, he is as promising as anybody around. Good in the tackle, capable of incisive passing, full of energy and adept at making late runs into the penalty area Eyong Enoh is one day probably going to play for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. In the eyes of the world Cameroon will be relying on Samuel Eto’o to find the back of the net but the truth is how Eyong Enoh fares in the midfield will determine, for a large part, how far Cameroon progress.
Eljero Elia
In the midst of a racism scandal in the Dutch press at the moment, Elia is making news in South Africa already, only not the way he intended. A success at Twente a couple of years ago, Elia is now making headlines in Germany with Hamburg. A fringe player rather than an automatic starter for his club, Eljero Elia has all the talent necessary to make himself a starter in any team in the world but just needs to find the consistency and the trust of a manager to allow him to shine. In the national team he has that trust. He understands he is behind Ryan Babel, Dik Kuyt, Wesley Sneidjer and Arjen Robben for a wide position in the team besides Robin Van Persie but he knows that if Holland need a plan b, an emergency, the coach will call on him because of his unpredictability. Elia can genuinely make something out of nothing. If the opportunity presents itself, and there is no guarantee it will, Elia could just be the biggest surprise of the tournament.
