Diego Forlan writes a weekly column for The National, appearing each Friday. The former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid striker has been the top scorer in Europe twice and won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup. He currently plays in Japan for Cerezo Osaka. Forlan’s column will be written with the assistance of European football correspondent Andy Mitten
The best strikers make you sit up and take notice because every time they get the ball you think that something amazing could happen. Of course they’ll score goals, but they’ll have something in their game which makes you think “Wow, he can win this game by doing something magical”. It might be that he’s fast, better in the air or he has the ability to dribble past defenders, or just that he stands out among the players around him by being sharper.
We know of the best strikers in the world at the moment and a lot of them are from South America. Barcelona have three of them alone in Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, but what of the next generation from my home continent? I’ll tell you of five attackers that really excite me. Some are already playing in Europe, but all have the ability to play for a top European club, which is the ambition for youngsters all over South America.
The first is Guido Carrillo, a young Argentine at Estudiantes. The club president there is my old Manchester United teammate, Juan Sebastian Veron, and the manager another old colleague, Gabriel Milito.
Carrillo is 23 and is a big No 9. I’m noticing a shortage of No 9s, players who were a reference point in the box, like Ruud van Nistelrooy or Marco van Basten. Most strikers play as part of a front two and run around a lot more, but a big 9 can be very effective with height and power, and Carillo will do well in Europe. He’s not that quick but he knows how to play in the box, he turns, heads well and is really strong. He scores goals, lots of them, with a great variety. He shoots from outside the box and scores also from close range. He’s doing well for Estudiantes, he’s played more than 100 games for them and has appeared in the Copa Sudamericana. I’m surprised that he hasn’t left Argentina yet, but he would well for a lot of Premier League sides, if they played to his strengths.
Another excellent young Argentina striker is Paulo Dybala, now playing in Serie A with Palermo. He’s only 21, and more like Sergio Aguero or Ezequiel Lavezzi, than a classic No 9, and he’s been linked with Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal. I watched him last week and he’s so sharp that he makes a difference. When he gets the ball he likes to go direct to goal, to go past defenders and shoot with the left foot.
It’s almost impossible for Dybala and Carillo to break into the Argentina national team because of the players ahead of them, but a good coach should get them involved for the future. They should be experiencing the atmosphere and getting to know the rest of the squad. Dybala’s style would suit the current Argentina team.
There’s another young Argentina striker doing well: Luciano Vietto at Villarreal. Like Dybala he’s from Cordoba. Like Dybala he’s being linked with bigger clubs.
Argentina produces great footballers, but Uruguay does the same. Diego Rolan is a compatriot of mine who plays No 9 with Bordeaux in Ligue 1. He’s 21, too, and he has a bright future ahead of him. He made his national team debut last year and did well. I like his style. He has good technique, always wants to move the ball forward and lays the ball off easily for those players around him. He can see the right connections. Playing in France, a respected league, is good for him.
The Brazilian Felipe Anderson is another young South American making a name for himself in Europe. He plays for Lazio and while he usually operates as an attacking midfielder, he could easily play as a No 10. He already scores a lot and looks a bargain for €8 million. Anderson, 22, was at Santos with Neymar, he’s quick, dribbles and has a nice shot from outside the box. He’s scored some great goals and really made a difference for Lazio, a team having a successful season.
My final striker is Jonathan Rodriguez, a Uruguayan on loan at Benfica from Penarol, the club my family at home supports and who my father played for. He’s really quick and scored a lot of goals for Penarol. I think he has a good chance to go to Copa America.
The Portuguese league is a good stepping stone and Benfica is a great club. Even if he stayed there he could have a top career because they always play in the Uefa Champions League. The money would be appreciated by Penarol if he makes the move permanent, but all of the players I’ve mentioned will have ambitions to play at the highest levels for the biggest clubs. They’ll be good enough to do that.
sports@thenational.ae
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