Japan has produced some fine exports to the Serie A for the last 25 years. Kazuyoshi Miura was a pioneer for Japanese footballers, becoming the first player from The Land of the Rising Sun to play in Italy when he joined Genoa in 1994. Attacking midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata played for Perugia, Roma, and Parma in…

In today’s footballing atmosphere, a player is scouted for months, even years, before he is signed by a club. It is not uncommon for a player to be scouted for 10-20 matches and still be discarded when a top European club is involved. The more a player is scouted, the further it reaffirms the positives…

Chelsea have seen a seismic shift in their defensive numbers this season. The additions of Thiago Silva and Édouard Mendy coupled with the ascension of the previously erratic Kurt Zouma have turned Frank Lampard’s team into genuine title contenders. But with one eye firmly on the future and a 36-year-old Silva getting no younger, Marc…

13 years have passed since VFB Stuttgart won the league title with one of the most exciting young squads ever seen in the Bundesliga. With a 19-year-old Sami Khedira and 20-year-old Mario Gomez, Stuttgart’s side quickly coined the nickname Die Jungen Wilden (Wild Youth), playing attractive football with a youthful exuberance free of any pressure…

From Erling Haaland to Alexander Isak, we’ve seen plenty of young Scandinavian strikers impress in Europe’s top five leagues over the past few seasons. The next player to emerge on that list could very well be Jonas Wind, who at 21 years of age, looks set to become a key player for the Denmark national…

Brazilian ballads of footballing folklore have been heard from the heights of Cristo Redentor to the rest of the world for generations upon generations. After all, this is a country that has produced some of the finest specimens to play the game. Kids in Recife dream of being Rivaldo, whilst those in São Paulo aspire…

“When you see the quality of his performance again, you see there are still some good deals to make out there. [He has been a success] because he has the natural qualities that suit firstly his position as a wing-back and, secondly, because he has the absolute body power that is needed in the Premier…

On October 15, 2016, Kai Havertz became Bayer Leverkusen’s youngest ever Bundesliga debutant at 17 years and 126 days old. Over the next three and a half years, Havertz would solidify his status as one of the biggest talents in Europe, leading Die Werkself to a fourth-place finish in 2018/19 before departing for Chelsea in…

Ever since he broke into the first team at Trabzonspor, I have been a big fan of Yusuf Yazıcı. That feels strange given we were born in the same year, but you don’t want to hear much more about me. I can’t blame you, as Mr Yazıcı is undeniably far more exciting.   To start…

Youth versus experience. A team near the bottom of the league table against a team fighting near the top end. Inter should have defeated Torino comprehensively when the two sides faced each other in Serie A recently but it was a struggle for the Nerazzurri.   One of the unlikely battles that took place during…