Football Wonderkid Scout

Nicolas Lodeiro:

Hailed as Uruguay's answer to Lionel Messi, Lodeiro recently joined Ajax and has impressed for Nacional in their domestic league campaign and during the Copa Libertadores.

Joaquin Boghossian:
The Uruguyuan striker helped his club Newell Old Boys to second in the 2009 Apertura championship thanks to his prolific goalscoring record. The target man looks a future international regular.

Gabriel Funes Mori:

Compared to Hernan Crespo, Mori is currently causing a storm in Argentina. Good in the air and an eye for goal, Mori has been capped up to Under 18 level and has been linked with a move to Juventus.

James Rodriquez:
Described as the next Cristiano Ronaldo, Rodriguez is one of the hottest properties in world football. The 18 year-old has been closely watched by a number of European clubs.

South America is responsible for producing arguably some of the greatest names ever to grace the game, with Pele, Diego Maradona, Socrates, Zico and the more current Lionel Messi. It is this seemingly endless production line of superstars that has seen an army of scouts from all over Europe descend, in hope of finding the next big star. Technically gifted and inexpensive, clubs are desperate to find footballing wonderkids at bargain prices. Brazil who have won a record five World Cups, have continued to produce the very best names in football. A country responsible for producing players with sublime individual skill and a collective fluidity to produce a team that is both beautiful to watch and devastatingly effective. At the 2009 Under-20 World Cup in Egypt, Brazil finished runners-up and some of those to impress have already secured big money moves to Europe, with Douglas Costa and Alex Teixeira both joining Shaktar Donetsk. Teixeira's striker partner at the tournament, Alan Kardec moved across the Atlantic to join Benfica, while Tottenham have agreed to sign Sandro from Internacional. Santos have produced some great players in their history who have gone on to achive excellence both in Brazil and in Europe. Pele is perhaps the most famous, but more recently, Robinho and Diego have come through the youth ranks at Santos and gone on to play for some of Europe's biggest clubs. The latest players to come off the conveyor belt at Santos, are attacking duo Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso who have been linked to Chelsea, Manchester United, AC Milan, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Neymar is probably the most sought after player in Brazil and the 18 year-old has been tipped to become a legend and has been described as the best export from Brazil since Pato. Compared to the legendary Pele, Neymar is a striker that can play up front or on either winger and has pace, quick feet and an eye for goal. Paolo Henrique is another Santos player that is high in demand. Nicknamed Ganso, the attacking midfielder has vision, pace and an excellent left foot which has been responsible for scoring some crucial goals for Santos. Also playing their trade in Brazil is Corinthians centre-back Dodo, who has strongly been linked with moves to Manchster United and Real Madrid. Likened to Rio Ferdinand, Dodo is the current captain of the Brazil U17 national team. Brazil has produced extraordinary strikers over the years and Internacional's Walter is widely expected to be the next superstar. He looks likely to follow former team mate Pato to one of Europe's top sides. 17 year-old Philippe Coutinho is another player making head waves in Europe and will link up with Inter Milan for the forthcoming season from Vasca da Gama.

Argentina's production line of talent shows no end of stopping and at international youth level, have won five of the last eight Under-20 World Cups, producing players such as Lionel Messi and Sergio Augero. In Argentina's Primera Division, River Plate's famous youth academy heads up the new wave of talent coming through. In Daniel Villalva and Gabriel Funes Mori they have two very promising strikers on their books. Villalva is the younger of the two and first came to the attention of the football world when he played for Argentina at the Under 17 World Championship. His impressive displays have seen interest from both Madrid clubs, Chelsea and Roma, all to be told that the striker wishes to remain at River and help them win the title. Gabriel Funes Mori is an 18-year old striker currently causing a storm in Argentina. Capped up to Under 18 level, he has good ariel ability and can play as a centre forward or on the left wing. Mori has already been tracked by major European clubs and Juventus are expected to make a move for a player dubbed by Matias Almeyda as the next Hernan Crespo. In midfield, Erik Lamela is widely regarded as one of the best prospects in Argentina. Currently a regular in the reserves for River, Lamela made his first team debut last June and was previously tracked by Barcelona. At Boca Juniors, Nicolas Gaitan and Ezequiel Muñoz are tipped for future stardom. Gaitan has been likened to Spain's David Silva and can play on the wing or in support of the main striker. Known for his quick feet, intelligent runs off the ball and creativity, Gaitan is ever present in the Boca first team and has been capped at full national level. Muñoz is a 19 year-old defender hailed as the next Walter Samuel and is widely tipped to join Fiorentina in the forthcoming transfer window. Defensively they also have Nicolas Otamendi of Velez Sarsfield who has been a revelation in his short career and has already won six international caps. Former Huracán duo Javier Pastore and Matías Defederico have already moved on after impressing for Huracan in Argentina's Primera Division. Pastore an attacking midfielder, joined Serie A side Palermo for $8 million in July 2009 and has already caught the eye in Italy. Former teammate, Defederico is a left-footed winger with lightening pace and very food dribbling ability which has seen comparisons drawn with Lionel Messi. Eduardo Salvio a star of the Under 20 Argentina national side, recently signed for Atlético Madrid in January for €10 million and is seen as a replacement for the likely departure of fellow countryman Sergio Aguero. In La Liga there is also the highly talented Matteo Mussachio who joined Villarrreal after joining from River and is beginning to establish himself as a regular at the heart of the defence.

Uruguay have a promising young generation of talent coming through the ranks at the moment with Sebastian Gallegos, Nicolas Lodeiro, Jonathan Urretaviscaya, Sebastien Coates, Tabaré Viudez , Matías Cabrera, Santiago García, Joaquin Boghossian and Leandro Cabrera all impressing and tipped for future stardom. It is perhaps the most golden generation of youth talent ever seen in the country. Nicolas Lodeiro is perhaps the most exciting talent to emerge from Uruguay in recent years and has been compared to Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. The playmaker first came to attention after some impressive performances for his club Nacional in the Copa Libertadores last season and as skipper of the Uruguay Under-20 side. With acceleration, vision and excellent dribbling skills, Lodeiro recently signed for Dutch powerhouse Ajax where he will continue his football education. Sebastian Gallegos was recently signed by Atlético Madrid for a fee of €7 million after impressing at the Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria in 2009, a tournament that has previously unearthed stars of tomorrow like Cesc Fabregas and Toni Kroos. A left-back turned winger, he can also operate as a second striker and scored five goals during the tournament, receiving the Bronze Shoe award for his efforts. Gallegos who already had a big reputation at youth level, proudly lived up to it with his exploits for the junior Celeste and with a number of European clubs ready to make their move, it was Atlético who pounced first. He will now team up with fellow Uruguayan Leandro Cabrera, the 18-year old defender who joined from Defensor Sporting after winning the Clausura in 2009. Up front, Uruguay's wonderkids include Santiago García who has been likened to Samuel Eto'o. Like Eto'o, García is a goal machine and although he nas never been capped by the senior national team, García is a regular at U20 level. His physical presence, speed and ruthlessness in front of goal are the main reasons why so many clubs are after his services. He currently plays for Nacional who are based in the country's capital Montevideo. It is here where one of Uruguay's other greatest prospects lie in 19-year old defender Sebastien Coates. Standing at 6ft 5 inches, his commanding performances both domestically and in the Copa Libertadores have seen him a target of a number of European clubs including Juventus. One of the most talked about prospects in Uruguay is Newell Old Boy's striker Joaquin Boghossian, a direct replacement for the departed Oscar Cardozo who joined Benfica. Born in Montevideo, Boghossian scored 23 goals in 55 games in the Uruguayan leagues before joining Argentina's Newell Old Boys. In his first season the target man carried on his impressive goalscoring record, helping his side to finish runner-up in the 2009 Apertura and earning qualification for the Copa Libertadores. Boghossian's impressive form has left the door open for joining the Uruguay squad for the 2010 World Cup and a possible move to Europe.

Other South American talents emerging include the precocious talent of Colombia's James Rodriguez who is currently playing for Argentine champions Banfield. Described as the new Cristiano Ronaldo, Rodriguez is an attacking midfielder who is tall, strong and excellent in possession. Currently impressing in the Copa Libertadores, a number of Europe's biggest clubs are monitoring his progress and a move looks inevitable. Then there is Mexican scoring sensation Javier Hernández who recently signed for Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson was quick to move for the forward after mounting interest in a player who has scored four goals in four international appearances. The 21 year-old's signing will help the goalscoring burden on Wayne Rooney. It is perhaps the clearest sign yet that Sir Alex Ferguson has lost patience with Bulgaria's Dimitar Berbatov. Elsewhere Mexico's hopes are riding on the Dos Santos borhters who are seen as future components of the national team. While Giovanni struggled to make the grade at Barcelona and Tottenham due to off the field problems, he is now enjoy life at Galatasaray. Meanwhile, younger bother Jonathan remains on the books at the Catalan club, but has now been promoted to the first team by Pep Guardiola and has won three caps already under Javier Aguirre. Paraguay's hopes will be pinned on striker Robin Ramírez who currently plays for Libertad and has impressed at Under 20 level, scoring 5 goals in 8 games, while Chile's rising star is Alexis Sanchez who was first capped at the age of 17 and has won 27 caps since, scoring 8 goals.