Top 5 young midfielders who can take the world by storm

The world has seen the skills of Schwensteiger, Lampard, Gerrard, Pirlo and tons of other talented players but who will step into their shoes once they have retired? Here’s a look at a few players who are talented enough to take the world by storm.

Mario Gotze: The German prodigy is undoubtedly a gem in the making. Well known for his speed, excellent technical and dribbling skills and creativity, he is a product of the Dortmund academy and has played there ever since. He broke into the national team at the tender age of 18 and though he has only 18 caps and 3 goals to his name, many say he is the future of the German midfield. Though he was selected for the EURO 2012, he didn’t get much playing time (Ozil was preferred); but whenever he came on as a substitute, he rattled the opposition defenses with his speed and strength. Former German Football Association’s technical director Matthias Sammer reckons Gotze as “one of the best talents that we’ve ever had”. Hope that he is correct and Gotze becomes one of the greatest the game has seen one day.

Christian Eriksen: The Danish midfielder is certainly one of the stars of the future, having already showcased his talent by helping his team win the Eredivisie twice, also winning the award of ‘Danish Player of the Year’ in 2011. He is well known for his venomous shoots and pin-point passing. Has the potential to be the Danish Kaka. Currently playing for Ajax, he is an integral part of the Danish national team and it is just a matter of time before he moves to a bigger club. He has made 26 appearances and scored two goals for his motherland.

Eden Hazard: Ah, what can you say about this player? He has got all the qualities required for an attacking midfielder and is well known for his speed and … well, everything. His exploits have even drawn comparisons with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and it is said that he is the cross between the two. Though he doesn’t score as much goals as them, he compensates with the help of his effective and accurate passing and after just 10 appearances at Chelsea, he has scored a goal and given 6 assists, pretty less by his standards. He can play on both flanks and has been credited as “possibly the outstanding talent in Europe right now”. Lucky Chelsea!

Stephan El Shaarawy: Lesser known among the rest in this list, he is another personal favourite of mine. Just 19, it will take time for him to arrive at his best but he is rapidly improving. The Italian is notorious for his speed and dribbling and is one heck of a pain in the neck for the opposition. He has just played one match for the senior team but in my opinion he will be the Italian Sneijder. Currently playing for AC Milan, he will certainly be scouted by other teams in the future.

Oscar: Another Chelsea recruit over the transfer season, he has already shown what a talent he is during his delightful brace against Juventus in Champions League. He is a team player and possesses a great shoot and curl as we saw against Juventus, also great vision and a fantastic passing ability. He formerly played for Internacional and has received eight caps for the Brazil senior team and was part of the Olympic squad which lost in the final. He still needs time to showcase his complete potential and has drawn comparisons with fellow Brazilian Kaka and German Mesut Ozil. Certainly a rising star.

Here are mentions of some more uprising stars:

1. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
2. Philippe Coutinho
3. Lucas Moura
4. Iker Muniain
5. Jack Wilshere
6. Isco
7. James Rodriguez
8. Julian Draxler
9. Xherdan Shaqiri

This was a look at a few players who can be the next Gerrards, Robbens, Pirlos and Lampards. Hope they don’t disappoint.