PROport Magazine presents 7 rising football stars whose life and value can change the World Cup. For some of them, the option of moving to Russia is possible.
Fernando Torres
Position: Forward • National team: Spain
Club: Atletico • Age: 22 years old • Height: 181 cm • Weight: 78 kg
BIDDERS: Manchester United, AC Milan.
WHAT REACHED: For four seasons in the championship of Spain Torres scored 61 goals, became the main striker of the Spanish national team and the icon of the Atletico fans. And thanks to the spectacular appearance, he signed an incredible amount of advertising contracts; more in Spain - only at Beckham and Ronaldinho.
WHAT IS INTERESTING: An article, speed, technique, confident head game - close to a complete, in general, set of qualities of a top forward. Torres would have been considered a top forward, if not for youthful infantilism and problems with the implementation of the moments.
PRICE BEFORE 2006 World Cup: 30 million euros. Atletico, however, is asking for much more. The Torres contract with the Madrid club expires in 2008.
WHAT CAN CHANGE 2006 World Cup: Torres has been called one of the most promising strikers in the world for several years now. The tournament in Germany should show whether Torres can justify these advances or remains in the category of “ever-promising”, content with the role of a local star in Madrid “Atletico”.
RUSSIAN OPTION: Not a single Russian club - not even one in which Jo shines - would have given up on Torres. But Torres will not go to Russia even with the most inexpressive career development: she’d better stay in Madrid’s idols at once.
Didier Zokora
Position: Defensive midfielder • National team: Côte d'Ivoire
Club: Saint-Etienne • Age: 25 years old • Height: 183 cm • Weight: 79 kg
BIDDERS: Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Arsenal.
WHAT HAS REACHED: Champion of Belgium as a part of "Genka". The undisputed leader of Saint-Etienne. The second, after Drogba, is the leader of the Ivory Coast national team.
WHAT IS INTERESTING: Zokora is the best supporting championship of France after the Diarre Lyon and is almost the only one that has not yet been assigned to the super club. Arsenal could correct this misunderstanding in the winter, but Londoners did not master the amount requested by Saint-Etienne.
PRICE BEFORE the 2006 World Cup: 12-15 million euros - if you look at things soberly, and not from the position of the managers of Saint-Etienne, who, inflating the price, push the duration (2009) of the current contract with Zokor.
WHAT CAN CHANGE 2006 World Cup: If Côte d'Ivoire survives in the "death group" and Zokora proves to be the best, the English grandees will decide to agree to the terms of "Saint-Etienne".
RUSSIAN OPTION: If nothing of the above comes out of Côte d'Ivoire and Zokor, then why not the Lokomotiv, which needs a cool reference from the day Lima left? Zokora could also solve a lot of burning problems of Zenith, but “there is no black in the colors of Zenith”.
Andreas Isaksson
Position: Goalkeeper • National team: Sweden • Club: “Rennes”
Age: 24 years • Height: 199 cm • Weight: 88 kg
APPLICANTS: “Milan”, “Inter”, “Arsenal”. Arsenal’s interest is the most persistent: after all, Lehmann is soon 37.
WHAT REACHED: Three-time champion of Sweden. From 1999 to 2001, Isaksson tried to break into Juventus, but the attempt was unsuccessful (not a single match in Serie A for 3 years). After a bright Euro 2004, Isaksson replaced Chechney who left Chelsea in Rennes, and in the 2005/06 season he became, according to one version, the best goalkeeper of the French championship. He has already played 39 matches for the Swedish national team.
WHAT IS INTERESTING: The most promising of the young goalkeepers of Europe, who in France is compared with the Czech, and sometimes - not in favor of the latter.
PRICE BEFORE 2006 World Cup: 6 million euros. Isaksson’s Rennes contract, which expires as early as 2007, acts as a price-lowering factor.
WHAT CAN CHANGE 2006 World Cup: If in Germany Isaksson is not prevented by an injury received a few days before the start of the tournament, then the Swede may well be one of the opening events of the tournament - and at least double the price.
RUSSIAN OPTION: Of the leading Russian clubs (and only they can handle the price of Isaksson), Lokomotiv is most in need of a cool goalkeeper.
Frank Ribery
Position: Central midfielder • National team: France
Club: Marseille • Age: 23 years old • Height: 175 cm • Weight: 72 kg
APPLICANTS: Arsenal, Bayern, PSG, Manchester United.
WHAT HAS REACHED: A young football player managed to change 6 clubs during his career, even playing in the Turkish Galatasaray, where Marseille acquired Ribery for only 3 million euros a year ago. After the outstanding Marseille season 2005/06 and the call to the French national team, the price of Ribery has quadrupled.
WHAT IS INTERESTING: Ribery is universal: he can close several positions at once in the popular diamond arrangement. Excellent starting speed and lack of complexes make Ribery the most explosive French player today after Henry. Crown reception - beat 2-3 opponents and complete the raid with a powerful blow. Ribery is also famous for his extreme passion - sometimes he even starts up too much, starting to beat opponents from behind and teach the judges the rules of the game.
PRICE BEFORE 2006 World Cup: 12 million euros. Marseille, however, insists on 20 million.
WHAT CAN CHANGE 2006 World Cup: The tournament in Germany is, in fact, the first serious chance to make itself known to the new, post-Zidane generation of the French national team (Ribery, Malouda, Abidal). Although Domenech himself, it seems, is not yet sure that the youth he took at the 2006 World Cup is able to maintain the bar raised by the aksakals. If not, the old men will go to battle again.
RUSSIAN OPTION: Excluded. The times when Ribery could agree to an oriental tour (and after all agreed, having gone to Galatasaray) have passed. Now this is a football player of a completely different scale.
David Rosegnal
Position: Central Defender, Right Defender
National team: Czech Republic • Club: PSG • Age: 25 years old • Height: 191 cm • Weight: 79 kg
APPLICANTS: Hamburg, Spartak. The Moscow club became interested in Rosegnal in the winter, but then refused to sell its lead defender PSG.
WHAT HAS REACHED: Champion of Europe among youth teams in 2002. Champion of Belgium 2004/05 as part of Brugge.
WHAT IS INTERESTING: Dimensional, powerful, excellent head-playing defender with high game discipline and in the prime of life.
PRICE BEFORE the 2006 World Cup: 5 million euros. Contract with PSG until 2009.
WHAT CAN CHANGE 2006 World Cup: Direction of the next transfer of Rosegnal. Say, not to Russia, but to England or Italy.
RUSSIAN OPTION: Spartak, Lokomotiv, Zenit - and even CSKA, with only three decent defenders.
Per Mertezaker
Position: Central defender • National team: Germany
Club: Hannover • Age: 21 years old • Height: 196 cm • Weight: 85 kg
BIDDERS: Milan, Werder Bremen. Mertezaker himself says he dreams of Arsenal.
WHAT HAS REACHED: Status of the brightest young hope of the Bundestim after Schweinsteiger. By the age of 21, without leaving the humble Hannover, Mertezaker had 23 matches for the German national team.
WHAT IS INTERESTING: “The owner is on the“ second floor ”- this is the name of Mertezaker in Germany. Even the tall (202 cm) forward of Borussia, Jan Koller, with unenviable constancy loses to Mertezaker a fight in the air when Borussia and Hanover play with each other.
PRICE BEFORE the 2006 World Cup: EUR 8–10 million. The contract with Hannover until 2008.
WHAT CAN CHANGE 2006 World Cup: If Mertezaker succeeds in the World Cup, his dream of England will probably come true. Or Milan, which needs a rejuvenation of the back line, will shell out 10-12 million.
RUSSIAN OPTION: “Spartak”. Such a transfer would allow Muscovites to more confidently expect a start in the Champions League, and Cherchesov and Stranzl to communicate with a newcomer without an interpreter. But reflections in this spirit are purely hypothetical: German footballers, especially - such, have not yet arrived in Russia.
Valon Behrami
Position: Right defender, right midfielder
National team: Switzerland • Club: Lazio • Age: 21 years old
Height: 184 cm • Weight: 71 kg
BIDDERS: Aston Villa, Schalke, Fiorentina.
WHAT HAS REACHED: Behrami’s childhood was not easy (he and his parents fled to Switzerland from Kosovo), and his first career steps were somehow hasty (for the past 5 seasons he has been changing teams every year). But in “Lazio” and the Swiss national team, he entrenched instantly and has already become the most famous Kosovo Albanian in world football.
WHAT IS INTERESTING: Behrami is a creative, brave, high-speed player of the right side who defends himself, but loves to attack even more.
PRICE BEFORE 2006 World Cup: 6 million euros.
WHAT CAN CHANGE 2006 World Cup: The Swiss team very similar in their playing characteristics to Behrami may well become one of the tournament's discoveries. If it really does, superclubs will pay attention to many of its players.
RUSSIAN OPTION: CSKA, has not yet figured out how to solve its problems on the right flank.
Daniele de rossi
Position: central midfielder • National team: Italy
Club: Roma • Age: 22 years old • Height: 182 cm • Weight: 80 kg
APPLICANTS: Real Madrid, Manchester United.
WHAT HAS REACHED: 2003 European Champion among youth teams. The second of the idols of tiffozi "Roma" after Totti. Like the brilliant Francesco, De Rossi is a native Roman who combines high class with a bright appearance and game drive.
WHAT IS INTERESTING: After Totti's injury in the past club season, De Rossi revealed himself in its entirety - as a fighter, constructor, sniper and natural born leader, which he had been suspected of for a long time. And also De Rossi is a football player with the potential of “Italian Beckham” and an object of love for half of Roman girls (the other half is in love with Totti).
PRICE BEFORE 2006 World Cup: 25 million euros. The contract with Roma is until 2009.
WHAT CAN CHANGE 2006 World Cup: Many super clubs need star players in this role. And if De Rossi proves his stardom in Germany, the multimillion-dollar offer from Manchester or Madrid is almost certainly guaranteed to him. And if De Rossi refuses such an offer, he will have eternal glory in his native Rome.
RUSSIAN OPTION: There is no such option. De Rossi will arrive in Russia not earlier than Kaka or Rooney.
A dossier on the Dutchman Keith, who could strengthen Zenit, the Ivorian Toure and Serb Zhigich, who are well acquainted with the Loko coach Muslin, and the Ukrainian Gusev, who is ideally suited for CSKA, read on the website of the magazine PROsport in the article “ Youth Technique”