Tuesday, June 21, 2011

INFTH Top 100: Numbers 64 and 63

64. Kevin Prince Boateng- Boateng's rise to prominence over the past few years has been quite astounding. In 2009/10, Boateng was the star player for Avram Grant's eventually relegated Portsmouth side, before signing for Genoa over the summer. However, Boateng was immediately loaned out to Italian giants AC Milan, a move which proved hugely beneficial for both club and player.

Soon after signing, Boateng became a default starter in Maxi Allegri's Scudetto winning side, his box to box midfield play fast earned the respect of the San Siro faithful. Unfortunately, injury prevented Boateng from playing in as many games as he perhaps would have expected to, but nevertheless, Boateng left a lasting impression on the 2011 Serie A.

Internationally, Boateng has only recently broken into a senior team, after representing Germany at a whole host of youth levels, the former Tottenham man decided to play for Ghana; clearly with increased playing time in mind. Boateng started for Ghana at the World Cup, and even scored a goal; the opener against the USA in a crucial Round of Sixteen tie.

Since the end of the season, Milan have signed Boateng on a permanent basis, and I am sure that he will have a big role to play in seasons to come.

63. Marek Hamsik- After an unimpressive World Cup, Hamsik proved last season that he actually had fully deserved the hype surrounding that eventually disappointing campaign.

Playing as part of a fantastic attacking triumvirate at Napoli, Hamsik forged a wonderful partnership with teammates Edinson Cavani and Ezequel Lavezzi. A creative midfield player, eleven goals in the Serie A last season is a very respectable total, one that could earn Hamsik a move to a massive European club.

As the captain of the Slovakian National Team, Hamsik makes regular appearances on the international platform, a fantastic source of experience for the young man. As mentioned above, Hamsik's peformances for Napoli last season has put him in the pipeline for a move to a top European side, obviously, Manchester United have tracked him along with every other creative midfielder in World football, but a move to another Italian club appears slightly more likely.

Personally, I would love to see Hamsik move to a team like Inter Milan, if Sneijder departs then they will be in the market for a midfield creator, and Hamsik might fit the bill perfectly.

No comments:

Post a Comment