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Nothing beats the feeling of giving a man-of-the-match performance at a very young age. And, it comes as the icing on the cake if the performance proves to be an ultimate game-changer for your side. Over the years, there have been many legends who have given promising performances at a very young age. Subsequently, they have had their names etched in history as some of the greatest ever to play the beautiful game.
Also, the matches in which they make a difference have their names written all over it. In this slideshow, we take a look at similar matches that revealed future football stars to the world.
#5: ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI(BORUSSIA DORTMUND VS REAL MADRID)
Although Robert Lewandowski was already an established player, this game certainly saw him rise to prominence as one of the most clinical strikers in modern football. It was on 24th April 2013, when Lewandowski won the match single-handedly for Borussia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park. The Polish striker's four-goal-haul in the first leg of Champions League quarter finals shattered Real Madrid's hopes of winning the La Decima.
Robert Lewandowski became the first player in the history of the Champions League to score four goals in a quarter final. Subsequently, he also remains the only player in history to score four goals against Real Madrid.
The first goal came from a sublime cross provided by Mario Gotze, who found the Polish front-man lurking in the penalty box behind the defenders. It was Madrid superstar Ronaldo then, who pulled one back on a pass from Gonzalo Higuain.
The second goal for Dortmund was a pass in the box from Marco Reus, as Lewandowski turned and slotted it in the right bottom corner. Madrid defenders called for an offside but to no avail. On the third occasion, a deflected Marcel Schmelzer shot saw him fire the ball into the roof of the net.
Later, Dortmund earned a penalty as Ramos pushed Reus in the penalty box, causing him to go off balance. Lewandowski was on the mark again, as he scored a straight shot from the spot. Dortmund completed a historical 4-1 victory, while shot-stopper Diego Lopez had a nightmare.
HIGHLIGHTS:
#4: CRISTIANO RONALDO (SPORTING CP VS MANCHESTER UNITED)
Surely, no fan can forget this one. Sporting CP had contacted the English champions for a friendly to inaugurate their new stadium. United agreed. But, little did they expect to see a future gem playing against them.
Sporting CP won the match 3-1, while the eighteen-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo gave a hard time to the United defenders. Ronaldo's stepovers and a plethora of tricks had the crowd on their tiptoes. The United defence line had already asked Sir Alex Ferguson to sign the kid by half-time, as the Portuguese prodigy put in a man of the match performance.
Sir Alex Ferguson acted quickly, considering the number of vultures that were circling around him- Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona. All the big fishes had their eyes on this young talent, but it was United who snapped him up for a £12.2 million fee, two weeks later.
Ronaldo asked for the number 28 but was given the legendary number 7 by Sir Alex. The Red Devils had just lost David Beckham to Real Madrid, but Ronaldo made sure Old Trafford got a worthy successor for the Englishman.
The Portuguese winger had a fantastic relation with Ferguson, calling the Scot as his 'football father'. Little did the United fans know that they had signed an absolute beast who would later go to be the best of his generation.
HIGHLIGHTS:
#3: WAYNE ROONEY (MANCHESTER UNITED VS FENERBACHE)
A year after Ronaldo's signing, it was the turn for English hot sensation Wayne Rooney to put pen to paper for the Red Devils. Rooney already had raised eyebrows, when he faced United at Old Trafford in a league match for Everton. He is regarded as the best deadline day signing done by Manchester United in years. United signed him for a record £30 million, making him the world's most expensive teenager at that time.
The stage was set for Rooney when Fenerbahce came to Old Trafford for a Champions League fixture. The United fans had an amazing night, as the debutant teenager set Old Trafford alight.
The first goal came from a clever through ball by Dutch striker Rudd Van Nistelrooy. Rooney smashed it in the middle, opening the scoring for United. Ryan Giggs set up Rooney for the second, as the latter rounded off a defender and scored with a deft shot in the bottom left corner from outside the box.
The third came when Giggs let Rooney take a free-kick. And, the English youngster didn't disappoint, slotting the ball over the defence wall in the left top corner. United won 6-2 as Rooney bagged a memorable debut hat-trick, his first in the famous red shirt.
HIGHLIGHTS:
#2: GARETH BALE (TOTTENHAM VS INTER MILAN)
Who can forget that night at San Siro? Tottenham were in the round of 16 of Champions League for the first time in their club's history, facing title defenders Inter Milan. The fixture turned out to be a nightmare in the first half, with the Italians going 4-0 up by the half time.
Assou Ekotto had been red carded for a foul on Samuel Eto'o in the penalty box, reducing Tottenham to ten men.
But left back Gareth Bale stole the show in the second half. His explosive and blistering pace troubled Maicon on the right. Maicon, regarded as the best right back at that time, looked absolutely clueless when it came to stopping the young Welshman. Bale tore Maicon apart in that fixture, and they say the Brazilian was never the same again.
Bale's opener was quite stunning as he collected the ball inside his own half, ran 50 yards down the left, beat Zanetti and scored the first goal. The second wasn't much different, as Bale ran 15 yards, cut past Zanetti once again and finished sweetly across shot-stopper Julio Cesar.
And then there was the third, in injury time, set up by Aaron Lennon on the edge of the penalty area - to the left obviously - with finishing as smart as that of any striker. Tottenham lost 4-3 to Inter Milan. But, the fixture saw the birth of a superstar, as Gareth Bale went on to be the best-ever player in Tottenham's history.
HIGHLIGHTS:
#1: LIONEL MESSI (FC BARCELONA VS REAL MADRID)
Imagine scoring a hat-trick against a Real Madrid of Van Nistelrooy, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Casillas, at a tender age of nineteen. Yes. That's how old Lionel Messi was when his three goals salvaged an exciting 3-3 draw for Barcelona at the Camp Nou. It was that day Real Madrid knew how the Argentine magician would haunt them in the years to come.
Playing in his first ever El Clasico, Messi scored his first goal on a Samuel Eto'o pass, arriving on the right edge of the penalty box and slotting it in the left bottom corner beyond Iker Casillas.
The second goal came when Messi capitalized on a failed Ronaldinho shot, levelling the score right before the half time. But, as luck would have it, It was Madrid again who took the lead in the second half through Sergio Ramos. The fans had to wait until the stoppage time when Messi produced another moment of sheer brilliance.The mighty Brazilian made a deft pass to Messi, who rounded off Ramos and Salgado before scoring the equalizer.
Little did anyone know that the boy from Rosario would go on to be the best ever that played the game.
HIGHLIGHTS:
