The 100 best young players - class of 2012
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The 100 best young players - class of 2012
We always knew where we stood with Spanish football magazine Don Balon’s annual list of the 100 best young players in the world.
While there would always be blinding omissions, and a few names that should never have been anywhere near, the Iberian soccer periodical called things pretty well. From each annual roster a few players would go onto become real superstars while the majority would never quite fulfil that youthful potential despite enjoying a reasonable career. Some would blossom while others would ascend so far into their own posterior that you questioned how anyone could have ever rated them in the first place. But that’s life, c’est la vie, asi es la vida; Don Balon judged what they saw and we liked that. Continuity is a great thing.
Regrettably, due to a swirling vortex of issues and events that we won’t go into here, Don Balon is no longer with us, and no Don Balon means no annual 100 list. Booooo!
We thought it was just us that lamented the demise of this annual roll call, but it turns out that we aren’t alone. On the interweb there are plenty of decent stabs at recreating Don Balon’s critical century, but most end up being driven by hype rather than any bona fide justification. Yes, we know Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling looks a player, and we’re sure he’s going to be great, but he’s not where Mario Götze is right now is he? Come back next year son.
So having allowed a sizeable chunk of the last six months to be consumed assessing the performance of the 2010 Don Balon list, we ended up with a whole raft of other names that we thought could/should have been in there. When this got to more than six hundred, we thought we’d best do something about it.
We’re not going to pretend that IBWM has anything like the clout that Don Balon wielded; this was a long running and well respected publication with a large audience after all. But ultimately, Don Balon’s annual list would eventually be whittled down by a handful of editorial types in front of a computer, and we can certainly relate to that.
For research, Don Balon would ask regional correspondents, journalists and media outlets to name names; so we asked regional correspondents, journalists and media outlets to name names. Don Balon would ask players, scouts and coaches for their opinions; so we asked players, scouts and coaches for their opinions. We’ve tried to get as balanced a view as possible, reviewing assessments, adding our two penneth and then prioritising names.
We’re not what you’d describe as experts, but then again, who is? You’d be hard pressed to find anyone that has digested and been involved in as much world football as we have over the last 20-30 years, so we think our views are reasonably valid…..well, when we’ve not had a drink anyway.
We spoke to lots of people, watched games, checked videos, took notes, read everything we could, discussed, argued, fought, made up, reviewed stats and then started over….and then we asked a selection of people whose opinion we trust to tell us we weren’t going off on one with any of our selections. The result is the 100 players listed below.
Our only criteria is that players should be have been born on or after January 1 1990 (yes, we feel old too). We’ve attempted to maintain a good mix of nationalities and tried to make sure that all regions are represented, but the cut had to come at some point so several nations are not included.
Most of the names are no brainers - Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshire and Mario Balotelli will be familiar to you, but players such as Joel Obi, Moritz Leitner and Valon Berisha might not. We’ve had a good look at them all, and we’re confident that there is enough going on to warrant inclusion.
We’ve tried to go with a more attacking feel, but there are some excellent defenders, defensive midfielders and goalkeepers included too. Please leave comments, highlighting how wrong and stupid we are if necessary, there will be a good reason why your personal favourite is missing and we’ll certainly try to answer any questions via the comments section or on twitter.
For now its names only, no narrative, this is our watch list for the next twelve months. We’ll talk about all in more detail this time next year, although we suspect you’ll be better acquainted with several before then. Take note of the names and watch out for these kids, we’re backing every single one and 2012 could be really special for several of them.
So here it is, in the spirit of the festive fifty, the chart of the year and other new year’s honours lists, we present the annual IBWM 100: 2012 edition - the best 100 young players in the world (according to us) right now.
Aaron Ramsey, Midfielder, Wales, Arsenal
Abel Hernández Striker Uruguay Palermo
Adam Maher Striker Hollan AZ Alkmaar
Alan Dzagoev Midfielder Russia CSKA Moscow
Alex Sandro Defender Brazil Porto
Alexander Merkel Midfielder Germany Milan
Alexandre Laczaette Striker France Lyon
André Carrillo Midfield Peru Sporting CP
André Schürrle Midfielder Germany Bayer Leverkusen
Ante Vukusic Striker Croatia Hadjuk Split
Bernd Leno Goalkeeper Germany Bayer Leverkusen
Bojan Krkić Striker Spain AS Roma
Chris Wood Striker New Zealand Birmingham City
Christian Eriksen Midfielder Denmark Ajax
Clément Grenier Midfielder France Lyon
Danny Welbeck Striker England Manchester United
David Alaba Midfielder Austria Bayern Munich
David De Gea Goalkeeper Spain Manchester United
David 'Junior' Hoilett Midfielder Canada Blackburn Rovers
Diego Rubio Midfielder Chile Sporting CP
Douglas Costa Midfielder Brazil Shakhtar Donetsk
Dudu Midfielder Brazil Dynamo Kyiv
Eden Hazard Midfielder Belgium Lille
Emmanuel Mayuka Striker Zambia Young Boys
Erick Torres Padilla Striker Mexico Chivas
Erik Lamela Midfielder Argentina AS Roma
Gastón Ramirez Midfielder Uruguay Bologna
Georginio Wijnaldum Midfielder Holland PSV Eindhoven
Granit Xhaka Midfielder Switzerland FC Basel
Gueïda Fofana Midfielder France Lyon
Iker Muniain Striker Spain Athletic
İlkay Gündoğan Midfielder Germany Borussia Dortmund
Inigo Martinez Defender Spain Real Sociedad
Isaac Cuenca Midfielder Spain Barcelona
Isco Midfielder Spain Malaga
Jack Rodwell Midfielder England Everton
Jack Wilshere Midfielder England Arsenal
James Forrest Midfielder Scotland Celtic
James Rodríguez Midfielder Colombia Porto
Jano Ananidze Midfielder Georgia Spartak Moscow
Jeffrey Bruma Defender Holland HSV
Joel Campbell Striker Costa Rica Arsenal
Joel Obi Midfielder Nigeria Inter
John Guidetti Striker Sweden Feyenoord
Jordan Ayew Midfielder Ghana Marseille
Juan Iturbe Midfielder Argentina Porto
Julian Draxler Midfielder Germany Schalke
Kevin De Bruyne Midfielder Belgium Genk
Kevin Strootman Midfielder Holland PSV Eindhoven
Kolbeinn Sigþórsson Striker Iceland Ajax
Kyriakos Papadopoulos Defender Greece Schalke
Lacina Traoré Striker Ivory Coast Kuban
Lazar Marković Striker Serbia Partizan Belgrade
Leroy Fer Midfielder Holland Twente
Lewis Holtby Midfielder Germany Schalke
Lorenzo Insigne Midfielder Italy Napoli
Luc Castaignos Striker Holland Inter
Lucas Moura Midfielder Brazil Sao Paolo
Lucas Ocampos Midfielder Argentina River Plate
Luuk de Jong Striker Holland Twente
Mamadou Sakho Defender France PSG
Manolo Gabbiadini Striker Italy Atalanta
Manuel Lanzini Midfielder Argentina Fluminense
Mario Balotelli Striker Italy Manchester City
Mario Götze Midfielder Germany Borussia Dortmund
Mateo Kovačić Midfielder Croatia Dinamo Zagreb
M'Baye Niang Striker France Caen
Michele Camporese Defender Italy Fiorentina
Miralem Pjanić Midfielder Bosnia & Herz. AS Roma
Moritz Leitner Midfielder Germany Borussia Dortmund
Neymar Striker Brazil Santos
Ola John Midfielder Holland Twente
Oriol Romeu Midfielder Spain Chelsea
Oscar Midfielder Brazil Internacional
Pablo Sarabia Midfielder Spain Getafe
Pajtim Kasami Midfielder Switzerland Fulham
Phil Jones Defender England Manchester United
Phillippe Coutinho Midfielder Brazil Inter
Rafael Defender Brazil Manchester United
Raphaël Varane Defender France Real Madrid
Ricardo Rodriguez Defender Switzerland FC Zurich
Richmond Boakye Striker Ghana Genoa
Rodrigo Moreno Striker Spain Benfica
Romelu Lukaku Striker Belgium Chelsea
Ryad Boudebouz Midfielder Algeria Sochaux
Sebastian Coates Defender Uruguay Liverpool
Ŝime Vrsaljko Defender Croatia Dinamo Zagreb
Son Heung-Min Striker South Korea HSV
Sotiris Ninis Midfielder Greece Panathinaikos
Stefan Savic Defender Montenegro Manchester City
Stephan El Shaarawy Midfielder Italy AC Milan
Takashi Usami Midfielder Japan Bayern Munich
Thiago Midfielder Spain Barcelona
Thibaout Courtois Goalkeeper Belgium Atlético Madrid
Toni Kroos Midfielder Germany Bayern Munich
Valon Berisha Midfielder Norway Viking
Wojciech Szczesny Goalkeeper Poland Arsenal
Xherdan Shaqiri Midfielder Switzerland Basel
Yann M’Vila Midfielder France Stade Rennais
Younes Belhanda Midfielder Morocco Montpellier
http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2011/12/21/the-ibwm-100-the-class-of-2012.html
Mr Nick09- Forum Legend
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
Tsk tsk. They missed Marc-André ter Stegen (19), GK, Germany, M'gladbach
rwo power- Super Moderator
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
No McEachran no party.
Kick- Admin
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
kick mars wrote:No McEachran no party.
was waiting for something like this
fatman123- Fan Favorite
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
I counted 9 Germans and 9 Spanish.
EarlyPrototype- Fan Favorite
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
8 Dutch isn't bad either!
disait- Prospect
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
And that while they forgot ter StegenEarlyPrototype wrote:I counted 9 Germans and 9 Spanish.
rwo power- Super Moderator
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
Roma has 3 players in that list xDDD
What about Shaqiri, why the hell he is not included?
What about Shaqiri, why the hell he is not included?
JAY-Z- First Team
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
rwo power wrote:And that while they forgot ter StegenEarlyPrototype wrote:I counted 9 Germans and 9 Spanish.
thats ten germans
germany wins (read it with a mortal kombat voice)
la bestia negra- First Team
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
lol at Bojan and Lukaku...wtf are they doing there
and guidette , he would do much better than Man Citys current flop dzeko
and guidette , he would do much better than Man Citys current flop dzeko
halamadrid2- Ballon d'Or Contender
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
halamadrid2 wrote:Man Citys current flop dzeko
you jelly bro 13 goals this season isnt enough
here have a picture of him riding a bugatti
la bestia negra- First Team
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
rwo power wrote:And that while they forgot ter StegenEarlyPrototype wrote:I counted 9 Germans and 9 Spanish.
and Canales
EarlyPrototype- Fan Favorite
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
Bugatti sucks..In terms of speed its a beast but everyone knows how shit it takes the corners.supra969 wrote:halamadrid2 wrote:Man Citys current flop dzeko
you jelly bro 13 goals this season isnt enough
here have a picture of him riding a bugatti
the xcx- Banned (Decade)
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
supra969 wrote:halamadrid2 wrote:Man Citys current flop dzeko
you jelly bro 13 goals this season isnt enough
here have a picture of him riding a bugatti
firstly hes only scored 11
secondly, Dzeko=the new Berbatov....literally half of his goals were scored against tottenham at the start of the league more or less
last time he scored was on the 5th of November
and the only reason he is playing now is because Ballotelli is being rested
jog it on brah....flop of the yr by far
halamadrid2- Ballon d'Or Contender
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
halamadrid2 wrote:supra969 wrote:halamadrid2 wrote:Man Citys current flop dzeko
you jelly bro 13 goals this season isnt enough
here have a picture of him riding a bugatti
firstly hes only scored 11
secondly, Dzeko=the new Berbatov....literally half of his goals were scored against tottenham at the start of the league more or less
last time he scored was on the 5th of November
and the only reason he is playing now is because Ballotelli is being rested
jog it on brah....flop of the yr by far
you just jelly man and its 13 goals not 11
la bestia negra- First Team
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
supra969 wrote:
you just jelly man and its 13 goals not 11
forgot the carling cup..... he is still crap though
he sits on the bench thats how good he is
halamadrid2- Ballon d'Or Contender
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
halamadrid2 wrote:supra969 wrote:
you just jelly man and its 13 goals not 11
forgot the carling cup..... he is still crap though
he sits on the bench thats how good he is
his seat is worth 12 million just saying
and i belive he is the only one to score a super hatrick for city
la bestia negra- First Team
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
No Chamberlain no party
Iceman- First Team
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
supra969 wrote:halamadrid2 wrote:supra969 wrote:
you just jelly man and its 13 goals not 11
forgot the carling cup..... he is still crap though
he sits on the bench thats how good he is
his seat is worth 12 million just saying
not sure what you are reffering to but if its his wage, at least he makes an effort coming to the games, wayne bridge can sit at home and there will be £90 000 check waiting to be collected every week
Last edited by halamadrid2 on Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:26 pm; edited 1 time in total
halamadrid2- Ballon d'Or Contender
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
Some others that could be included from Barça youth:
Jonathan Dos Santos
Rafinha
Martin Montoya
Others that are missing:
Antoine Griezman
McEachran
Jonathan Dos Santos
Rafinha
Martin Montoya
Others that are missing:
Antoine Griezman
McEachran
free_cat- Fan Favorite
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
Only Rafinha from those 3 i can actually agree with.......
Great Leader Sprucenuce- Forum Legend
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
Immaculate_Mole wrote:Only Rafinha from those 3 i can actually agree with.......
Too bad, cause they are probably much better than many in that list. Others from Barça could be included tbh, but I would be accused of being too much Barça biased.
free_cat- Fan Favorite
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
No Vargas.
#alllllllrriiiiggghhtttttt.
#alllllllrriiiiggghhtttttt.
Yeezus- First Team
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
Wowww 4 albanians + some ASN pl. that's great ..but many more pl.deserves 2be also !
boss- Starlet
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Re: The 100 best young players - class of 2012
Bojan
Chris Wood
Jack Rodwell
Stefan Savic
Can't understand why these four are on the list, but the likes of Smalling, Coquelin, Greizmann and Chamberlain aren't.
Pretty decent list though, all the same. Will be useful for my Football Manager scoutiing.
Chris Wood
Jack Rodwell
Stefan Savic
Can't understand why these four are on the list, but the likes of Smalling, Coquelin, Greizmann and Chamberlain aren't.
Pretty decent list though, all the same. Will be useful for my Football Manager scoutiing.
Jay29- World Class Contributor
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