Charge of the youth brigade in football

Nothing is more exciting in a Fifa World Cup than seeing the emergence of young players. No one would have heard of Pele when he came to Sweden with the Brazilian team in 1958 as a callow 17-year-old. Even his coach had doubts about his readiness to step up to the highest level in international football. Pele was a rural boy who didn’t know much other than kicking a hard, spherical ball around on a rectangular pitch. He had worn pants for the first time in his life only after joining Santos as an apprentice two years earlier. By the end of the World Cup, though, Pele had become a household name across the globe. He was a central figure in Brazil’s maiden trophy. The teenager, who would later become the king of football, kept the word he had given to his father that he would one day lift the Jules Rimet trophy. Among all creative endeavours, nothing rewards youth like sports. Experience is a double-edged sword. A calming influence at times, it can also act as a deterrent to spontaneity, the lifeblood of success in any sport.

The 20th edition of the World Cup has thrown up its fair share of players who will continue to grab the headlines for their clubs before attaining maturity, in football terms, by the time of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Colombia’s James Rodriguez is the leader of the youth brigade. The baby-faced midfielder came of age across his country’s eastern border. Frenchman Paul Pogba is another player who has used the World Cup to exhibit his talents as an all-action midfielder.

Here is the lowdown on young players that shone the brightest in Brazil. Keep an eye on them. They may still be a work in progress but expect them to come to Russia as finished products. For the sake of keeping the list tidy, we have made 26 as the cut-off age for outfield players and 30 for goalkeepers.

Goalkeepers

Guillermo Ochoa, the flamboyant goalkeeper of Mexico with a safe pair of hands, became all the rage on Twitter after he kept Neymar and Co. at bay with a string of superb saves in the group stage. Ochoa was Mexico’s one-man army against Brazil’s attack that came in waves. The home team didn’t play badly but they couldn’t beat a goalkeeper who was in the form of his life. Ochoa, whose flowing hair makes him stand out in a crowd, maintained his excellent form in the round of 16 before a bullet shot from Wesley Sneijder broke his as well as his team’s back two minutes from time. The sympathies of neutral fans were with the gutsy goalkeeper.

Costa Rica’s Keylor Navas also gave a good account of himself, conceding only one goal in open play in five matches, which is a record at the World Cup in Brazil. The Levante goalkeeper can be an oasis of calm in the midst of chaos. He is always steady if not spectacular. David Ospina of Colombia was another worthy candidate as he stood like a rock when Uruguay launched a stirring second-half rally in the last 16. He appears older than his 25 years and his maturity on the field also belies his age.

Defenders

Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng enjoy great chemistry in the heart of German defence. The former is outstanding in the air which makes him a menace in set-pieces. Boateng has the physique to impose himself, even though he can appear ungainly in his movements. The experience of playing for top clubs in the Bundesliga has steeled their already strong resolve further.

Frenchman Raphael Varane is an established starter in the star-studded Real Madrid line-up. He isn’t a great athlete, but he has an ever-ticking football brain. When Jose Mourinho says Varane is one of the best in Europe, there is no need to add much. Daley Blind, son of the Netherlands’ assistant coach Danny Blind, set the Dutch on course for a fruitful World Cup with a raking pass from the left wing for Robin van Persie’s spectacular header against Spain. Like Varane, he is also an excellent reader of the game.

Forwards

Eduardo Vargas of Chile and Ivorian Wilfried Bony should vie for a place up front along with Thomas Muller. Muller’s enviable goal-scoring record in two World Cups is proof that one doesn’t need to be a Lionel Messi to put the ball in the back of the net. Neymar isn’t in the list even though he has age on his side because the Brazilian has already joined the big league.

Midfielders

It’s one department that will see a fierce battle because the World Cup in Brazil has produced extraordinary performances in midfield.

Rodriguez was the star of the show with six goals and two assists. The 22-year-old hardly put a foot wrong in four matches before Brazil managed to stop him with a cynical approach in the quarterfinal. Rodriguez has a velvet touch and a bazooka shot in his left-foot. His volley against Uruguay would go down as one of the most memorable moments of the 2014 World Cup. After Pele in 1958, no one so young has scored six goals in a World Cup.
In the group stage, Rodriguez demonstrated his calmness in front of goal with a dinked finish that beat Japanese goalkeeper all ends up. You will hear a lot about this fellow in the next few years. Don’t be surprised if Real Madrid break the bank to lure him away from Monaco. Rodriguez is a complete package as he has a nose for goals as well as the vision to set up forwards with perceptive passes.

At 21, Pogba plays like a battle-hardened veteran. The powerhouse midfielder isn’t only about brawn as he has the skill to complement his imposing physical game. He provided occasional sparks in an otherwise drab match against Germany with scintillating moves in the middle of the park. One of the regrets of Alex Ferguson in his Manchester United tenure should be allowing the dynamic Frenchman to join Juventus. Pogba has all the ingredients to become one of the greats of the game. He will be in his prime when France stages Euro 2016.

Belgium are blessed with gifted midfielders. Kevin de Bruyne, whose fine goal killed off USA’s heroic resistance, played to his potential throughout. Eden Hazard couldn’t set the field alight, even though there is no doubt about his talent. His inability to maintain tempo from start to finish worked against him. Despite not being at his best, the Chelsea man provided two assists. That’s what separates great players from the good ones. Axel Witsel, another Belgian, should be a contender for a defensive midfielder role along with Toni Kroos of Germany.

It was a pity that Alexis Sanchez’s tournament ended in tears after he missed a penalty in a shootout against Brazil in the last 16. The Barcelona winger, rumoured to be on the transfer wish-list of Arsenal, was the scourge of Spain and he had a hand in the two goals that sent the defending champions crashing out of the event. The Chilean has the pace and trickery to unlock any defence and he is no slouch in front of goal either as he demonstrated against Brazil with an opportunistic strike.  

Juan Cuadrado of Colombia was another player who made his name in Brazil. The whippet-quick winger set up four goals in three group stage matches as his country smashed all their opponents to smithereens. Even though Cuadrado was a disappointment in the quarterfinal, he had already forced people to take note of his potential. Ivan Rakitic, who had enjoyed a superb season with Sevilla, provided the first shock of the tournament when he threaded a fine pass to Ivica Olic that resulted in Croatia’s opening goal against Brazil. Even though his form suffered subsequently, he has the ability to dictate terms in a deep lying role like the Italian star Andrea Pirlo.