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Takefusa Kubo: Home at Last at Real Sociedad
Over the past few years, Japan has lurked in the shadows as one of the rising stars in international football. They’ve qualified for every World Cup since 1998, they’ve produced the likes of Shinji Kagawa, Maya Yoshida and Makoto Hasebe, and they’ve had their fair share of memorable performances on the world stage. Nevertheless, they…
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Dean Huijsen: Can the Roma Loanee Assert Himself at Juventus Next Season?
At 19 years of age, Dean Huijsen has plenty of promise during his loan spell at Roma since making the move to the capital side in January, and it seems he could very well have a prominent role to play at his parent club Juventus in 2024/25 as they look to shake up their defensive…
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Tiago Santos: The Portuguese Fullback Imposing Himself at Lille
Baller Review – Tiago Santos Club: LOSC Lille Nationality: Portugal Position(s): RB Preferred Foot: Right Height: 5’9”/175cm Age: 21 Strengths: press resistance, ball progression, dribbling, crossing, passing, security, tackling, ball striking Areas for Development: aerial duels From Rafael Leão to Renato Sanches, from José Fonte to Tiago Djaló, we’ve seen quite a few Portuguese…
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António Silva: The Lowdown on Benfica’s Prodigious Center Back
In the Portuguese domestic football landscape, where talent shines bright and potential knows no bounds, one club in recent times has been head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to unearthing gems, be it by scouring the South American continent for the next big thing or by looking from within thanks to their…
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Pau Cubarsí: Barcelona’s Rafa Márquez Regen
Barcelona will consider the 23/24 season a missed opportunity, however, the emergence of La Blaugrana’s latest crop of young talent will be seen as a huge silver lining. Real Madrid are, at the time of writing, possibly just three games away from securing their 36th La Liga title…something Barcelona will consider a huge failing on their…
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Leonardo Balerdi: The Argentine Defender Emerging as Marseille’s Man Mountain
Leonardo Balerdi is someone who has learnt to smile in the face of the uncertainty. At just 14 years old, he made the decision to move 700km away from his hometown, Villa Mercedes, and go to play for the academy of his dream club, Boca Juniors. At 19, he was on the move again,…
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Loïs Openda’s Ridiculous Attacking Numbers Are Taking RB Leipzig to the Champions League
It has been nothing short of a meteoric rise for Belgian forward Loïs Openda. At 24 years of age, Openda has enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in the Bundesliga and the UEFA Champions League, and with 24 goals thus far, only Serhou Guirassy (25), Kylian Mbappé (26) and Harry Kane (35) are ahead of him…
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Teun Koopmeiners: Atalanta’s Versatile Cog in Midfield
At 26 years of age, Teun Koopmeiners has established himself as one of the Netherlands’ finest central midfielders and a vital cog in Gian Piero Gasperini’s system at Atalanta. His breakout campaign came in 2019/20, operating alongside fellow academy graduates like Myron Boadu, Calvin Stengs, and Owen Wijndal and excelling in the center of the…
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Mario Hermoso: The Highly Coveted Defender Available on a Free
It has been five years since Mario Hermoso departed Espanyol and returned to the Spanish capital, joining Atlético Madrid. Since then, he’s played a leading role in Atleti’s 2020/21 La Liga title, served as a versatile performer at center back and left back, and registered 10 goals and 6 assists in 168 appearances for the Rojiblancos.…
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Antonio Rüdiger: Real Madrid’s Kaiser in Defense
Stamford Bridge’s modest 43-000 capacity was never going to be enough to entertain the histrionics of Antonio Rüdiger. Whilst the German defender will forever be grateful to Chelsea for giving him the platform to perform – finding his voice and producing a string of metronomic displays as the Blues marched towards an unprecedented Champions…
