The 100 best young players - class of 2012

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Post by Mr Nick09 Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:54 am

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
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Post by rwo power Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:51 am

Tsk tsk. They missed Marc-André ter Stegen (19), GK, Germany, M'gladbach
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Post by Kick Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:27 am

No McEachran no party.
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Post by fatman123 Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:03 am

kick mars wrote:No McEachran no party.

Laughing was waiting for something like this
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Post by EarlyPrototype Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:05 am

I counted 9 Germans and 9 Spanish. Very Happy
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Post by disait Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:13 am

8 Dutch isn't bad either!
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Post by rwo power Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:21 pm

EarlyPrototype wrote:I counted 9 Germans and 9 Spanish. Very Happy
And that while they forgot ter Stegen Very Happy
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Post by JAY-Z Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:29 pm

Roma has 3 players in that list xDDD


What about Shaqiri, why the hell he is not included?
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Post by la bestia negra Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:38 pm

rwo power wrote:
EarlyPrototype wrote:I counted 9 Germans and 9 Spanish. Very Happy
And that while they forgot ter Stegen Very Happy

thats ten germans


germany wins (read it with a mortal kombat voice)
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Post by halamadrid2 Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:57 pm

lol at Bojan and Lukaku...wtf are they doing there

and guidette :bow: , he would do much better than Man Citys current flop dzeko
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Post by la bestia negra Wed Jan 04, 2012 1:03 pm

halamadrid2 wrote:Man Citys current flop dzeko

you jelly bro 13 goals this season isnt enough

The 100 best young players - class of 2012 37

here have a picture of him riding a bugatti
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Post by EarlyPrototype Wed Jan 04, 2012 1:24 pm

rwo power wrote:
EarlyPrototype wrote:I counted 9 Germans and 9 Spanish. Very Happy
And that while they forgot ter Stegen Very Happy

and Canales Very Happy
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Post by the xcx Wed Jan 04, 2012 1:25 pm

supra969 wrote:
halamadrid2 wrote:Man Citys current flop dzeko

you jelly bro 13 goals this season isnt enough

The 100 best young players - class of 2012 37

here have a picture of him riding a bugatti
Bugatti sucks..In terms of speed its a beast but everyone knows how shit it takes the corners.
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Post by halamadrid2 Wed Jan 04, 2012 1:27 pm

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
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Post by la bestia negra Wed Jan 04, 2012 1:53 pm

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
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Post by halamadrid2 Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:35 pm

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
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Post by la bestia negra Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:40 pm

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
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Post by Iceman Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:43 pm

No Chamberlain no party smoking
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Post by halamadrid2 Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:43 pm

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
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Post by free_cat Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:48 pm

Some others that could be included from Barça youth:

Jonathan Dos Santos
Rafinha
Martin Montoya

Others that are missing:
Antoine Griezman
McEachran
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Post by Great Leader Sprucenuce Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:50 pm

Only Rafinha from those 3 i can actually agree with.......
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Post by free_cat Wed Jan 04, 2012 4:05 pm

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.
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Post by Yeezus Wed Jan 04, 2012 4:07 pm

No Vargas.


#alllllllrriiiiggghhtttttt.

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Post by boss Wed Jan 04, 2012 4:12 pm

Wowww 4 albanians + some ASN pl. that's great ..but many more pl.deserves 2be also !

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Post by Jay29 Wed Jan 04, 2012 4:19 pm

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. :coffee:

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