The potential stars of London 2012
Ramirez has been the subject of much
transfer speculation this summer, with both Liverpool and Man City
linked with a move for the £20million-rated Uruguayan. The 21-year-old
possesses both speed and strength and his keen eye for goal saw him
notch eight strikes in 28 Serie A starts last season.
Ramirez provides
Bologna's attacking thrust with his bursts from midfield and willingness
to create chances for teammates, and Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez will
be looking for a similar contribution at the Olympics.
9. Cristian Tello
9. Cristian Tello
Tello burst into the Barcelona
first-team last season, scoring on his first La Liga start in a 2-1 win
over Real Sociedad. The 20-year-old's impressive combination of
blistering pace and neat control should see him further involved under
new coach Tito Vilanova, but before that Tello will be hoping to fire
Spain to glory.
The winger is still a raw talent, demonstrated by his
frustrating performance in Barca's 2-1 title-losing defeat to Real
Madrid in April, but he's certain to stand out as one of the brightest
prospects in a strong Spanish side.
8. Sebastian Coates
8. Sebastian Coates
Coates only featured 14 times for
Liverpool last season following his £8million transfer from Nacional,
but the centre-back certainly made an impression with his acrobatic
strike against QPR. The 21-year-old replaced the injured Diego Godin in
Uruguay's starting line-up at the Copa America last year and went on to
lift the trophy as well as claiming the Best Young Player award. The
Olympics provide Coates with another opportunity to display his
qualities, with the added pressure of leading the defence in Diego
Lugano's absence.
7. Leandro Damiao
7. Leandro Damiao
If transfer rumours are anything to go
by, Damiao is available for as little as £16million this summer, with
wage demands of £35,000 a week. For some reason that has deterred AC
Milan, but Spurs should be encouraged to nip in and finally secure a
deal for the striker.
The powerful 22-year-old has scored 70 goals in
115 games for Internacional and played a part in the club's Copa
Libertadores victory in 2010 and follow up success in the Recopa
Sudamericana. If Damiao lives up to his reputation at the Olympics, his
price-tag could take a huge jump.
6. Ki Sung-Yeung
6. Ki Sung-Yeung
Describing Ki as the 'South Korean Steven
Gerrard' is a bit far-fetched, but the Celtic midfielder is certainly
playing below his level in the SPL. The 23-year-old possesses a wide
range of passing and has already been the subject of a £6million bid
from Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg.
Celtic are loath to lose
their star player, whose composure and vision will be key to South
Korea's chances at London 2012. However, should Ki perform to
expectations, he's certain to attract more suitors to test the Scottish
champions' resolve this summer.
5. Joe Allen
5. Joe Allen
It will be interesting to see how Allen
performs at the Olympics in a team with a vastly different playing style
to Swansea. The midfielder has been a key cog in the Swans' system over
the past two years but could struggle under Stuart Pearce's less
refined (to put it kindly) approach.
The 22-year-old bases his game on
the clever use of possession and space and attracted many plaudits for
his performances last season as he helped Swansea to a comfortable
mid-table finish. Brendan Rodgers is keen to take Allen to Liverpool and
he could be forced to meet the £15million valuation if the Wales
international has an impressive tournament.
4. Oscar
4. Oscar
Oscar did me proud when I picked him as one to
watch at the Under-20 World Cup last summer, helping Brazil reach the
final and then scoring a hat-trick to see off Portugal. The attacking
midfielder is now a year older, a year wiser and a year more expensive,
with Chelsea linked to a £25million move for the 20-year-old. The
transfer would make the Internacional playmaker the most expensive
player ever to be signed from a Brazilian club and he could well prove
his worth at the Olympics.
3. Iker Muniain
3. Iker Muniain
Anyone who saw Athletic Bilbao play last
season will know that Muniain is supremely talented. The 19-year-old was
instrumental in Marcelo Bielsa's team reaching the Europa League final
and picked apart Manchester United with a goal and an assist in the 3-2
victory at Old Trafford.
The youngster's mature performances belied his
years but unfortunately the Europa League defeat to Atletico Madrid was
followed with a humbling by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. Playing
at the Olympics as part of a brilliant Spanish team presents Muniain
with the opportunity to rectify last season's disappointments.
2. Lucas Moura
2. Lucas Moura
When a 19-year-old has 15 caps for Brazil
you know he's pretty special, and Lucas is a fantastic talent whose
participation at the Olympics is eagerly awaited. The speedy Sao Paulo
forward is a top target for Manchester United and a £35million price-tag
shows how highly rated he is.
Lucas is a bag of tricks who can create
goalscoring opportunities out of nothing with his mazy dribbling and
burst of pace. Along with the other Brazilian players on this list he
threatens to disrupt Spain's summer trophy march.
1. Neymar
1. Neymar
The man with the mohawk has won almost all there
is to win in South America, adding the continent's Footballer of the
Year award to his Copa Libertadores crown with Santos. Indeed, he would
surely have moved to Europe by now if it weren't for reported wages of
around £140,000 a week (including endorsements) and the eyes of the
world will be on him when he arrives in London.
Neymar didn't exactly
light up the Copa America in 2011, but we're all aware of what he's capable of by now. The Olympics give the 20-year-old a stage to flaunt his talents and he'll be aiming to live up to the hype.
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