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The sight of a left-footed wing wizard flying down the flanks and raising holy hell has always been one of football’s more mesmerizing sights.
In the last two decades, the world of football has been blessed to see the sights of Arjen Robben, Ryan Giggs, Gareth Bale, Angel Di Maria flying down the wings, leaving defenders for dead and providing goals/assists on the biggest occasions.
Now, there is a new set of left-footed wing wizards demanding that we sit back and watch them work.
#5. Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad & Spain)
A diminutive rising star, he has already drawn favourable comparisons with another La Real youth product; Antoine Griezmann.
Mikel who is nicknamed “Big Foot” is a Spanish winger in the mould of Pedro Munitis & Joel Amavisca but with more nuance to his game. Pacy over a short distance and capable of very fast dribbling while on the run, his reading of the game is impressive for such a young player.
He is the third youngest debutant in Spanish history (aged 19) making his debut for La Furia Roja (The Red Fury) in a friendly against Switzerland in 2016.
One of his biggest assets is his awareness about the game as he studies the ebb & flow of the match and usually, makes smart decisions about when to drift infield either in support of the striker(s) or to seek out goalscoring opportunities for himself
Among the youngster's greatest strengths is his exceptional crossing ability, which saw him claim seven assists in La Liga last season. He may not be the quickest, but Oyarzabal is always reading the game, assessing the next phase of play and running into space to provide an outlet for teammates.
A huge fan favourite, Mikel has already gotten 3 goals and an assist in the 4 games he has played for La Real in La Liga this season.
He was said to be a €40m target for Real Sociedad’s fierce Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao (to further its Basque-only policy) and has signed an extension with a reported €60m clause.
#4. Leon Bailey (Bayer Leverkusen & Jamaica)
Young Leon has had to slog his way to the top but now that he is there, does not seem to want to let go at all.
The youngster who started his European football sojourn at Belgian club KRC Genk is highly regarded in his native Jamaica (even though he has refused to play for the country in protest at the county’s poor footballing standards) and is already being spoken of as the footballing equivalent to a young Usain Bolt.
Fleet-footed and an accurate crosser with a very good eye for goal, Leon is capable of functioning effectively on either flank. Like most wingers, he is not the tallest player but what he lacks in height, he more than makes up for in agility and pace.
While his passing game can certainly be improved upon, his hammer of a left foot has made him a scorer of great goals.
Capable of also being deployed as a false 9, Leon is still finding his feet at Bayer Leverkusen after making a €20m move from Genk last season but Die Werkself (The Company XI) sporting director and former Germany star striker Rudi Völler believes that he has a very high ceiling and that he will come good eventually.
#3. Samu Castillejo (Villarreal & Spain)
It’s perhaps a testament to how highly thought of he is that in some quarters in Spain, Samu is already being regarded as a disappointment for not realizing his enormous potential even though he is just 22.
El Fideo (The Noodle) as he is affectionately called due to his skinny body shape and ability to wriggle from tight spaces.
A graduate of the Malaga academy, Samu has long been thought of as one to watch and was already being compared to Angel di Maria when he made his La Liga bow in 2014.
Very similar in playing style to the aforementioned Argentine, Samu is a winger who is not so big on pace but has electric dribbling abilities with an eye for a good cross and deployment centrally.
Capable of functioning effectively on either flank, Samu’s flakiness has not endeared him to coaches who appreciate his talent but are left tearing their hair out due to his lack of application.
After underperforming alongside the entire El Submarino Amarillo (The Yellow Submarine) in the early part of this season, Samu seems to be getting his mojo back and has so far netted a goal and gotten an assist in La Liga.
It is believed that with a regular run of games under his belt, El Fideo will showcase the abundant talent he possesses and remind his admirers/detractors of what they saw and were amazed by when he made his debut.
#2 Leroy Sané (Manchester City & Germany)
Sané has undoubtedly been one of the youngsters to watch ever since he burst onto the scene in Gelsenkirchen for Schalke 04 and the young lad with a former Senegalese international, Souleymane Sané, being his father, is set to achieve stardom in the nearest future.
A mesmerizing dribbler whose babyish mien hides a fierce competitor, Sané is a deceptively fast winger who is equally adept at functioning on either wing. He possesses a great goalscoring knack and registers his fair share of assists and is very strong physically.
Following his exploits in the Bundesliga with Die Königsblauen or The Royal Blues as Schalke 04 are known, he was hunted by Europe’s leading clubs and among them wereBayern Munich, the two Manchester clubs; City & United and Real Madrid (who can forget that wonderful performance at the Santiago Bernabeu?).
Pep Guardiola had apparently seen enough of him while he was coach of Bayern Munich to persuade him to join his Manchester City revolution for a reported fee of £37m.
His adjustment to the Premier League has not been easy and while he certainly took his time to settle last season, he has started off really well this term and looks to be getting into the groove of the Premier League.
He has made 6 appearances for the German national team and will be a strong contender to be in the squad for the 2018 World Cup.
#1 Marco Asensio (Real Madrid & Spain)
The new golden boy of Spanish football, Asensio is a player who has the world at his feet and is expected to hit heights as high as the Ballon d’Or in his career.
Such has been the heights that the young kid from Mallorca has hit that there are already calls for Real Madrid to dispose of Welsh winger Gareth Bale to make room for the whizkid.
Blessed with an ability to go past defenders like they are not even there, the 21-year old recently signed a contract extension tying him to Los Merengues until 2022 with a reported buyout clause of 350m.
Quick-footed, deceptively strong with an eye for a pass and a scorer of spectacular long-range shots from outside the penalty area, Marco is very calm for his age and doesn’t seem to rush into taking decisions while on the field of play.
Capable of playing on both flanks or behind the main striker, his versatility has made him an asset to Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane and provided a cupboard full of highlight reels in his first full season as a player for the Whites last season.
He has a unique record of scoring on his debut in every competition for Real Madrid and is certainly looking like the best €4m Real Madrid have ever spent.
With the 21-year-old already being compared in terms of playing style and impact to Lionel Messi as well as being said to possess the big game mentality of Cristiano Ronaldo, expect Asensio to be at the top of the queue jostling to replace the eternal duo of Messi/Ronaldo as the world’s premier footballer.
