Five players to watch at the Fifa Under-20 World Cup, which kicks off Saturday in New Zealand.
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Giovanni Simeone (Argentina)
Footballing pedigrees don’t come much richer than that of Argentina’s Simeone. The 19-year-old River Plate striker is the son of former Argentina star and current Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone. Giovanni joined the River Plate youth set-up in 2008 and made his league debut in 2013. He was the leading scorer with nine goals in this year’s South American Under-20 Championship, which was won by Argentina.
Godfred Donsah (Ghana)
Many of the hundreds of players taking part in the tournament will be sought after by leading clubs when the tournament is over. But, after a breakout season in Italy’s Serie A, 18-year-old Cagliari midfielder Donsah already has some of the world’s most glamorous club clamouring for his signature. Italian media reports this month suggested Donsah has agreed a four-year, €6 million (Dh24.1m) with Juventus, but he has also been linked with Premier League clubs Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham and Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. He says he has modelled his game of past holding midfielder greats such as compatriot Michael Essien, former France captain Patrick Vieira, Mali’s Mohammed Sissoko and former France midfielder Claude Makelele.
Gedion Zelalem (United States)
Gedion Zelalem made his debut for the US in a World Cup warm-up match earlier this month but is already regarded as a potential star and key figure in the team’s campaign. Midfielder Zelalem, who recently joined Arsenal, was born in Germany to Ethiopian parents and played for Germany’s age-group squads to U17 level. But he obtained his US passport in December and was cleared by Fifa this month to join the US squad in New Zealand. US manager Tab Ramos has tried to control expectations, saying “by no means is he the last missing ingredient for us to win the World Cup.”
Andreas Pereira (Brazil)
Pereira’s young football career has been one of hard choices but not of wrong turns. Born in Belgium, where his Brazilian father Marcos was playing professionally, he has already had to choose between the country of his birth and that of his heritage. He played for Belgium at U17 level before transferring his allegiance to Brazil last year, declaring, “My heart is Brazilian.” As a PSV player in 2011, he faced tough choices when he attracted the interest of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. He decided to join United and recently signed a new three-year contract after being selected as the club’s Under 21 Player of the Year.
Rodrigo Amaral (Uruguay)
At 18, Amaral may be among the youngest players at the World Cup but has already shown an ability to shine against older opponents. He was voted the “Revelation of the Tournament” in the South American qualifying competition, which he finished with more assists than any other player. The attacking midfielder has also made his first-team debut for Montevideo-based Nacional and has been compared with Uruguay legend Enzo Francescoli. Amaral joined Nacional at under-14 level and scored 143 goals at various levels during the next four years.
