'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With the recent goal scoring antics of Stephan El Shaarawy, all the top clubs are keeping tabs on his performance while hardcore gamers of FIFA and other football games silently rejoiced that a player they scouted and brought to their team has now become a global superstar fulfilling the potential he showed in the game.
Many eyebrows were raised when Milan coughed up a hefty 10 million Euros for the then 19-year-old with just one Serie A appearance under his belt. Despite his top-class displays in the second division, which earned him the best player of the Serie B title, questions were asked about spending such large sum of money on an unproven youngster at a time of financial crisis.
With the transfer of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano in the summer, leaving just Alexandre Pato and Gianpaolo Pazzini as the two recognized strikers in the lineup, El Shaarawy has seen an increase in playing time and has started to fulfil his potential. He currently sits on top of the Serie A scoring charts with 14 goals with almost half the season gone.
With the transfer of the big names, El Shaarawy has been able to play a much more significant role and has been given more freedom to express himself on the field and the youngster has come out of their shadows firing on all cylinders becoming one of the first names in the team sheet.
El Shaarawy has all the attributes to be an exceptional forward with his pace, touch, movement, finishing, dribbling and most of all, his ability to anticipate and be at the right place at the right time to score goals. What is even more impressive is that he has shown these skills consistently this season which is an impressive trait, considering his young age. So good has been El Shaarawy’s form, that he has made the loss of Ibrahimovic seem a minor one. It is a testament to his performance that he has been called up for the Italian national team.
With the evident talent and the mental toughness that this young man has shown, it is little surprise that he has been linked to a move to many top European sides with Arsenal expressing their interest publicly. While it is unlikely that Milan will let go of their priced possession in January, there is little doubt that ‘Il Faraone’, as he is lovingly called, is one of the most exciting young talents in the world at present and has all the tools to be a world beater.
