 Manuel Neuer of Schalke 04 |
"Manuel Neuer has very much potential"
Jens Lehmann, former Schalke and Germany goalkeeper
"He is world class"
Mirko Slomka, former Schalke coach
"Manuel is a fantastic goalkeeper. I'd like someone to show me a better keeper in Germany"
Marcelo Bordon, Schalke captain
Considered to be one of the most talented young German keepers, Manuel Neuer is a promising candidate to succeed his hero and idol as a child, Jens Lehmann.
Neuer won the starting position at Schalke 04 on November 2006, when coach Mirko Slomka sprang a monumental surprise in the run-up to a crunch home clash against Bayern Munich, dropping experienced first-choice keeper Frank Rost and installing Neuer in his place.
The Royal Blues drew 2-2 with the champions, the first match in a storming undefeated run that has yielded 32 of a possible 36 points since then with Neuer having picked the ball from the back of his net on just eight occasions and has kept the same number of clean sheets.
On 5 March 2008, in the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League, Neuer performed a world-class display against FC Porto where he pulled off many crucial saves throughout the 120 minutes of regular time to force a penalty shoot-out.
And he capped his magical performance with two penalty saves as he denied spot-kicks from Bruno Alves and Lisandro López, emulating Lehmann when he starred in the UEFA Cup final against Inter Milan at the San Siro to lead Schalke to the title.
Neuer is a local boy, born and bred in Gelsenkirchen and he used to stand on the terraces and watch Lehmann play for his local team.
"I used to get there a long time before kick-off, because I wanted to watch Jens Lehmann warm up," Neuer recalls. "Lehmann has always been one of my role models."
Neuer appeared at every youth level for Schalke, before signing professional forms in 2005.
The coaching staff were rewarded in spades for their faith in the young lad, leaving Schalke general manager Andreas Müller to describe the custodian as "an exceptional talent."
Alongside lightning-quick reflexes and a commanding penalty-box presence, Neuer is no slouch with the ball at his feet. "He's the kind of keeper who gets involved. When he trains as an outfield player, you hardly notice the difference," Slomka observes.
He was one of only three Bundesliga players to play every single minute in the Bundesliga 2007/08 season. Neuer is also one of the two goalkeepers to get an assist - the others being René Adler of Leverkusen and Bayern's Michael Rensing.
Neuer has been a regular for the Germany U-21s since making his debut in a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on 15 August 2006.
He has rapidly become a crowd favourite as he was voted Schalke's Player of the Year in a vote organised by the official fan-club. "This award means a lot to me. To be chosen by the fans is always something special," he said.
Full name: Manuel Neuer
Date of birth: March 27, 1986
Birthplace: Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Nationality: German
Height: 1.92 m
Weight: 85 kg
Club: Schalke 04
Position: Goalkeeper
Number: 1
Honours:
German Bundesliga Goalkeeper of the Year (2007)
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Neuer won the starting position at Schalke 04 on November 2006, when coach Mirko Slomka sprang a monumental surprise in the run-up to a crunch home clash against Bayern Munich, dropping experienced first-choice keeper Frank Rost and installing Neuer in his place.
On 5 March 2008, in the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League, Neuer performed a world-class display against FC Porto where he pulled off many crucial saves throughout the 120 minutes of regular time to force a penalty shoot-out.
And he capped his magical performance with two penalty saves as he denied spot-kicks from Bruno Alves and Lisandro López, emulating Lehmann when he starred in the UEFA Cup final against Inter Milan at the San Siro to lead Schalke to the title.
Neuer is a local boy, born and bred in Gelsenkirchen and he used to stand on the terraces and watch Lehmann play for his local team.
"I used to get there a long time before kick-off, because I wanted to watch Jens Lehmann warm up," Neuer recalls. "Lehmann has always been one of my role models."
The coaching staff were rewarded in spades for their faith in the young lad, leaving Schalke general manager Andreas Müller to describe the custodian as "an exceptional talent."
Alongside lightning-quick reflexes and a commanding penalty-box presence, Neuer is no slouch with the ball at his feet. "He's the kind of keeper who gets involved. When he trains as an outfield player, you hardly notice the difference," Slomka observes.
He was one of only three Bundesliga players to play every single minute in the Bundesliga 2007/08 season. Neuer is also one of the two goalkeepers to get an assist - the others being René Adler of Leverkusen and Bayern's Michael Rensing.
Neuer has been a regular for the Germany U-21s since making his debut in a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on 15 August 2006.
He has rapidly become a crowd favourite as he was voted Schalke's Player of the Year in a vote organised by the official fan-club. "This award means a lot to me. To be chosen by the fans is always something special," he said.
Full name: Manuel Neuer
Date of birth: March 27, 1986
Birthplace: Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Nationality: German
Height: 1.92 m
Weight: 85 kg
Club: Schalke 04
Position: Goalkeeper
Number: 1
Honours:
German Bundesliga Goalkeeper of the Year (2007)
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 Fabian Delph of Leeds United |
"Fabian is rangy like the young Stevie Gerrard and has a similar passing range, short and long. He also snaps you in the tackle like Gerrard"
Andy Robinson, Leeds United player
"He is someone we rate highly. A fantastic product of the Academy"
Gary McAllister, Leeds United manager
"Fab's got a lot of quality and he's probably been our best player this season"
Johnny Howson, Leeds United player
Built like an Ethiopian marathon runner, Fabian Delph has emerged as a key member in the resurrection of Leeds United.
He is dubbed as the most exciting prospect to come out of the youth system at Elland Road since Aaron Lennon in 2003.
After a string of impressive performances in Spring 2008, Delph was made captain of the Leeds reserves at the tender age of 17 and showed why manager Gary McAllister is convinced he will become a screen star in his own right.
The combative midfielder has boundless energy which he uses not just with the ball but without it, closing down at every opportunity and putting in tackles that belie his slender frame.
His pace was also seriously impressive as he can pass his marker from a standing start, then he settles in space and starts to play.
Born in Bradford, Delph started off his career as a trainee at Bradford City.
He made his debut at Leeds as a substitute against Derby County in the final match of the 2006/2007 season.
Last season, however, Delph only made two appearances for the Whites - at Portsmouth in the Carling Cup and at home to Gillingham in the final game of the League One campaign.
His splendid form this season has attracted the attention from a number of Premiership clubs, with Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester United reported to be lining up great offers for the teenager.
Still, Delph decided to put pen to paper on a new four-year contract with the club in September 2008.
Full Name: Fabian Delph
Date of birth: November 21, 1989
Birthplace: Bradford, England
Nationality: English
Height: 1.74 m
Weight: 60 kg
Club: Leeds United
Position: Midfielder
Number: 15
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Technorati tags: England Leeds Fabian Delph
He is dubbed as the most exciting prospect to come out of the youth system at Elland Road since Aaron Lennon in 2003.
After a string of impressive performances in Spring 2008, Delph was made captain of the Leeds reserves at the tender age of 17 and showed why manager Gary McAllister is convinced he will become a screen star in his own right.
His pace was also seriously impressive as he can pass his marker from a standing start, then he settles in space and starts to play.
Born in Bradford, Delph started off his career as a trainee at Bradford City.
He made his debut at Leeds as a substitute against Derby County in the final match of the 2006/2007 season.
Last season, however, Delph only made two appearances for the Whites - at Portsmouth in the Carling Cup and at home to Gillingham in the final game of the League One campaign.
His splendid form this season has attracted the attention from a number of Premiership clubs, with Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester United reported to be lining up great offers for the teenager.
Still, Delph decided to put pen to paper on a new four-year contract with the club in September 2008.
Full Name: Fabian Delph
Date of birth: November 21, 1989
Birthplace: Bradford, England
Nationality: English
Height: 1.74 m
Weight: 60 kg
Club: Leeds United
Position: Midfielder
Number: 15
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 Giovani dos Santos of Tottenham Hotspur |
"He is a young player who is demonstrating that he has great potential. He works well and he has an enormous future. He can become an important player for this club"
Thiago Motta, former Barcelona player
"Giovani dos Santos is a very good young person and I hope for him that he becomes a great player. He has much to learn and he has a positive attitude. I believe that that is the best thing in his favour"
Lilian Thuram, former Barcelona player
"A footballer of his quality makes all the difference in youth football. Very few players have what he has, and that's what sets Mexico apart from the rest"
Jorge Fossati, Uruguay national coach
Giovani dos Santos came to prominence in 2005 when he was one of stars of the Mexican National U-17 team that won the 2005 U-17 World Cup in Peru.
This left-footed player is confident in front of goal and stands out for his speed and dribbling skills.
Giovani comes from a footballing family as his father Gerardo dos Santos, better known as "Zizinho", was a professional player with Mexican outfits América and his brother, Jonathan, has also been with Barcelona.
His father is Brazilian and his mother, Liliana Ramírez, is Mexican.
Zizinho is seen as the driving force behind his son's career, as he ran football academies in Mexico and negotiated a trial for Giovani at Mexican side Club Monterrey.
The prodigy then plucked from his native country by the eagle eyed scouts from Barcelona's youth academy.
His progress through the youth ranks of the club saw him play with Infantil A (2002-03), Cadet B (2003-04), Cadet A (2004-05) and Juvenil A (2005-06).
In 2006, Giovani was invited on the pre-season tour of Barcelona's senior squad and scored on his first team debut during a friendly match against Danish club AGF Aarhus.
He made the definitive step up to the senior squad for the 2007/08 season at the age of 18, making 28 appearances and scoring three goals.
On the international stage, he inspires the Mexican team to victory at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2005, where he was chosen the second best player of the tournament, finishing behind only to Brazilian and Manchester United mildfielder Anderson.
He also represented Mexico in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007, where his side were eliminated by Argentina in the quarterfinals. This time he was chosen as the third best player, behind Argentines Sergio Agüero and Maximiliano Moralez.
Giovani earned his first international caps for Mexico in a friendly match against Panama on September 9, 2007.
On 10 June 2008, the highly-rated forward completed his move to Tottenham Hotspur from Barcelona for an initial fee of £4.7 million, with the potential to rise to £8.6 million depending on appearances.
The deal also includes a sell-on clause of 20% within Giovani's first two years at Spurs, and 10% thereafter.
Full Name: Giovani Alex Dos Santos Ramírez
Date of birth: May 11, 1989
Birthplace: Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
Nationality: Mexican
2nd nationality: Spanish
Height: 1.75 m
Weight: 71 kg
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Forward
Number: 17
Honours:
FIFA U-17 World Cup (2005)
FIFA U-17 World Cup Silver Ball (2005)
FIFA U-20 World Cup Bronze Ball (2007)
Technorati tags: Mexico Tottenham Giovani dos Santos
This left-footed player is confident in front of goal and stands out for his speed and dribbling skills.
His father is Brazilian and his mother, Liliana Ramírez, is Mexican.
Zizinho is seen as the driving force behind his son's career, as he ran football academies in Mexico and negotiated a trial for Giovani at Mexican side Club Monterrey.
The prodigy then plucked from his native country by the eagle eyed scouts from Barcelona's youth academy.
His progress through the youth ranks of the club saw him play with Infantil A (2002-03), Cadet B (2003-04), Cadet A (2004-05) and Juvenil A (2005-06).
In 2006, Giovani was invited on the pre-season tour of Barcelona's senior squad and scored on his first team debut during a friendly match against Danish club AGF Aarhus.
On the international stage, he inspires the Mexican team to victory at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2005, where he was chosen the second best player of the tournament, finishing behind only to Brazilian and Manchester United mildfielder Anderson.
He also represented Mexico in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007, where his side were eliminated by Argentina in the quarterfinals. This time he was chosen as the third best player, behind Argentines Sergio Agüero and Maximiliano Moralez.
Giovani earned his first international caps for Mexico in a friendly match against Panama on September 9, 2007.
On 10 June 2008, the highly-rated forward completed his move to Tottenham Hotspur from Barcelona for an initial fee of £4.7 million, with the potential to rise to £8.6 million depending on appearances.
The deal also includes a sell-on clause of 20% within Giovani's first two years at Spurs, and 10% thereafter.
Full Name: Giovani Alex Dos Santos Ramírez
Date of birth: May 11, 1989
Birthplace: Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
Nationality: Mexican
2nd nationality: Spanish
Height: 1.75 m
Weight: 71 kg
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Forward
Number: 17
Honours:
FIFA U-17 World Cup (2005)
FIFA U-17 World Cup Silver Ball (2005)
FIFA U-20 World Cup Bronze Ball (2007)
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