Chile 2015: 10 Rising Stars To Watch At FIFA U-17 World Cup

The attention of football scouts has been drawn to Chile, where the latest edition of the FIFA U-17 World cup is currently on-going.

The tournament offers yet another good opportunity to see more of tomorrow’s stars shine.

Naij.com brings to you, ten players who have great prospect and may eventually progress to become the Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Cristiano Ronaldo or the Lionel Messi of their time.

10. Ismail Azzaoui (Belgium)

Now plying his trade in the Bundesliga for Wolfsburg in the wake of Kevin De Bruyne’s departure, Ismail Azzaoui is one player to watchout for at this tournament.

Ismail Azzaoui

The technically gifted winger is making waves at youth level for Wolfsburg.

He could very well make the same strides Eden Hazard did.

9. Kelechi Nwakali (Nigeria)

Coach Emmanuel Amuneke once described the captain of the Golden Eaglets, Kelechi Nwakali, as another gift from God to Nigeria.

Kelechi Nwakali

With the youngster linked with a move to EPL giants Man City, he’ll be looking to lead the Golden Eaglets to defend the crown they won two years back in the United Arab Emirates.

8. Felix Passlack (Germany)

The Dortmund youngster is one of the most versatile players at the tournament, being able to feature at right-back, on either wing and also in the number 10 hole.

Felix Passlack

He has been touted by many as ‘the new Mario Götze’. Passlack not only could be the player of the tournament, but a superstar in a future not so distant.

7. Tomás Conechny (Argentina)

Much of Argentina success in Chile may likely fall on the shoulders of 17-year old Tomás Conechny.

Tomás Conechny

Conechny has all it takes to put himself in the World map with his a rapid turn of pace and a keen eye for goals.

6. Christian Pulisic (USA)

Christian Pulic, 17, is one talented youngster to watch out for at this tournament.

A cousin to Will Pulisic, a goalkeeper in the squad, the Borussia the youngster caught the attention of Borussia Dortmund scouts while at the US U-17 Residency Program.

He is considered a top prospect in the US youth system and even drew praise from former Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp (now at Liverpool).

Klopp told the German media: “He can kick the ball around really well. And in a very intense training session with narrow spaces, he did not stand out in a negative way. That is a real sign of quality.”

Christian Pulisic

Pulisic’s ability to pick out a pass before a play is a skill very few Americans possess.

Although kept quiet in the entire 90 minutes as Nigeria defeat USA in the opening day fixture, Pulisic will be hoping to get the goals when his team square up against Croatia tonight.

5. Timothé Cognat (France)

Cognat captained France to victory at the U-17 European Championship in May.

Tottenham have stepped up their interest in this young midfielder who plies his trade with Lyon.

Timothé Cognat

Mauricio Pochettino’s scouts have been keeping tabs on the teenager in recent months and watched him captain France Under-17s to glory in the European Championship.

Cognat, 17, is expected to cost around £2million with add-ons.

4. Leandro (Brazil)

Leandro scored eight times in nine appearances to take home the top scorer’s trophy from Brazil’s success in March’s South American U-17 Championship.

With slick dribbling skills, a rapid turn of pace and a keen eye for goal, Leandro has already drawn comparisons to Neymar and Robinho.

Leandro

He will be hoping to get his team back on track when they tackle their next opponent.

3. Pablo López (Mexico)

A dynamic left-footed operator capable of performing all sort of midfield task, Pablo López is one youngster to watch out for in this tournament.

Pablo López

The starlet, whose role models in his position are compatriot Hector Herrera and Spain’s Andres Iniesta, will have to produce strong displays over the next few weeks to help his team progress to the next round.

2. Davor Lovren (Croatia)

A younger brother to Liverpool star Dejan Lovren, this young forward is technically sound and very fast.

According to reports, Liverpool have sent scouts to the Under-17 World Cup to check out the progress of this youngster.

Lovren was influential as Croatia battled their way to a 1-1 draw against hosts Chile in front of more than 20,000 people in the opening day.

Davor Lovren

Davor Lovren is an attacking player who generally features on either wing. The left-footed youngster is known for his direct play and dangerous shooting from range, attributes which recently landed him on a Guardian list of the 50 best young talents in world football.

1. Lee Seung-woo (South Korea)

Although Lee Seung-woo failed to find the back of the net on Saturday, October 17, when South Korea defeated the three-time world champion, Brazil, his names rings a bell.

If it doesn’t to you, then you might want to type his name into the YouTube search bar and find out just what the 17-year-old Korea Republic star can do.

Lee Seung Woo

Nicknamed the ‘Korean Messi’, Lee Seung-woo is quick on and off the ball and has got ability that South Korea probably has not seen in a long while.

The 17-year-old Barcelona youngster stood out at last year’s Asian U-16 Championship scoring five goals — including an outstanding solo effort for his second goal in the quarterfinal victory over Japan.

Nigeria placed fourth at this year’s African U17 Championship in Niger Republic to qualify for FIFA U-17 World Cup. But they will be hoping to defend the crown they won two years back in the United Arab Emirates.

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Source: naij.com

Chile 2015: 10 Rising Stars To Watch At FIFA U-17 World Cup