GHANAsoccernet’s Akyereko Frimpong-Manso picks his top ten youngsters he expects to gain international recognition in 2011.
[caption id="attachment_21104" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Daniel Opare of Standard Liege, Belgium"]
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NO.10 Daniel Opare
Age:Â 20
Club: Standard Liege (Belgium)
Position: Right-back Defender
The right-back endured two years of frustration at Real Madrid's youth team Castilla and trained with senior team under Juande Ramos.
Opare was rated one of the globe's finest football talents after the 2007 Fifa Under-17 Championship in South Korea together with Saddick Addams and Ransford Osei but the period with Los Merengues clouded him in anonymity from the watching pundits who predicted his rise to stardom.
The 20-year-old left the Bernabeu in July, 2010 to join Belgian side Standard Liege. A decision which has turned his whole career round, fulfilling the promise and prospect he gave the bookmakers.
On his first outing, few days after joining the club, he was resolute at the back in a friendly against his former side Real Madrid, led by new man Jose Mourinho.
His pace and power, timely tackles and attacking abilities made him one of the best players in that goalless draw.
Opare is tipped to give Samuel Inkoom a hot challenge for the right-back position in Ghana's Olympic team and in the Black Stars with age catching on first choice John Pantsil.
[caption id="attachment_21105" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Salifu Amidu"]
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No. 9 Salifu Amidu
Age: 18
Club: Fiorentina
Position: Right-winger Midfielder
Perhaps you did not give him your attention when he made his debut for Ghana's Under-20 team in October last year against Benin at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium in Accra.
At his age, Sinisa Mihajlovic splashed a whooping € 2.4 million to secure his signature for Fiorentina from Serie B side Vicenza just 600,000 euros less than what Barcelona paid for Ibrahim Afellay from PSV Eindhoven.
Amidu who operates from the flanks is a clever playmaker with impressive long-range shooting ability which he showcased against Genoa in a Coppa Italia last month.
There are very few names that come to when prospective right-wingers are mentioned.
He is one of the young chaps you can bet your last penny on to hit stardom in the coming year if all things are equal.
[caption id="attachment_21106" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Daniel Boateng"]
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NO. 8 Daniel Boateng
Age: 18
Club: Arsenal
Position: Central defender, defensive midfielder
As I sat on my desk preparing this piece, my colleague, Patrick Akoto came around and cancelled out Daniel Boateng's name.
"Give me his credential, are you sure this is not one of your PR work?" I looked him in the face and asked him a simply question which splashed guilt on his face causing him to withdraw his statement.
After Arsenal trounced Darlington 6-1 at the Underhill, the watching Arsene Wenger said : "This is the next big man to solve my defensive headache."
Boateng owns the back with his absolute control in aerial challenges and sometimes take advantage of his 1.98m height to notch home crucial goals.
He has already snubbed the Three Lions and has committed his international future to Ghana.
Watch out for Daniel Boateng as he grows through the ranks at the Underhill, Westcombe Drive in Barnet.
Age: 21
Club: FC Basel
Position: Right-back defender
He fooled Uefa doping officials to suspect him. On that fateful night at the Stadio Olimpico, he was better than Barcelona's Dani Alves, Samuel Inkoom is just 21 but he is the most important player at FC Basel.
Inkoom is the brilliant attacking full back who combines pace and vision for a trademark.
The 2009 Fifa Under-20 gold medalist has silver medals from the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations 2010 and 2009 African Nation Championship.
He rose to become a regular in the Ghana team that reached the last eight at the 2010 Fifa World Cup finals in South Africa.
Why should you cast a doubt over the future of Samuel Inkoom? Anyone who does so may do it for all the wrong reasons.
Inkoom could be the next Douglas Maicon.
Age: 19
Club: Olympique Marseille
Position: Winger
Absolute phenomenon! Marseille Boss Didier Deschamps has reposed more than enough confidence in him after he thrilled the ex-France star with his non-stop action of hustle in attack and energy which never seems to finish.
The talent is already capped twice for Ghana but the prospects he showed is yet to come to bare.
Even at 19, Jordan scares defenders with his 1.98m height and burly imposing figure.
He loves to run at defenders and has impressive work rate.
He is instinctive and comfortable with both feet.
Follow him with keen interest, Jordan Ayew could be brighter and more brilliant than the Ayew you know.
Age: 20
Club: Udinese on loan to Granada FC
Position: Central defender
Jonathan Mensah seems to have accomplished the dream of every footballer.
Being at the World Cup and not just being there but playing consistently. He is the most uncompromising defender at his age I have seen since I started following football from age two.
One could liken him to the accomplished Samuel Osei Kuffour at the Fifa Under-17 World Cups in Italy 1991 and Japan 1993.
Yet, Jonathan Mensah solid and firm and understands the modern game at the tender age of 20.
A complete team player who has always got his eyes on the ball.
He is the Ghana dream for the future.
[caption id="attachment_21110" align="aligncenter" width="237" caption="Richmon Boakye-Yiadom"]
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No. 4 Richmond Boakye-Yiadom
Age: 17
Club: Genoa
Position: Centre forward
He is the youngest African import to have ever scored in the Italian Serie A.
Richmond Boakye who joined Genoa from local side Bechem United is already attracting interest from AC Milan and other European sides.
Boakye who mentors Asamoah Gyan qualified Ghana for the upcoming 2011 African Youth Championship in Libya.
He is not the physical specimen like Drogba you would prefer upfront but Boakye, popularly called ''Kwame Fish'' is a notorious goal poacher for Genoa's Primavera side.
Ghanaians can look up to Boakye for all the goals when Gyan is gone.
No.3 Mohammed Abu
Age: 18
Club: Manchester City on loan to Stromsgodset
Position: Holding midfielder
The last time I spoke to Mohammed Abu, he told me he was working hard enough wrest the holding midfield role from Nigel de Jong at Eastlands and he is well on course.
It did not take him time to break into the Stromsgodset first eleven when he arrived for a loan spell in August, helping them to lift the NM Cup which gave them an automatic qualification for next season's Uefa Europa League.
Abu is superior in midfield, can square up and create decent chances to score and also plays a deep lying role.
He is rated high at the Eastlands and as he returns to train with them before the Norwegian season City reserves coach will be proud of his signing.
[caption id="attachment_21112" align="alignright" width="197" caption="Opoku Agyemang"]
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No.2 Opoku Agyemang Prempeh
Age: 21
Club: Al Sadd
Position: Winger
The guy with incredible physique, speed and power.
Opoku Agyemang is Ghana's own Carlos Tevez at 21, an el apache that ex- Black Star's coach Milovan Rajevac could not play without.
His blistering and explosive pace is a nightmare to defenders.
Milo cursed his stars for loosing Agyemang to a cruciate ligament tear and said he would have had a better with Opoku around.
Agyemang has come out of the tormenting eight months on the sidelines and has put his scoring boot on.
Notching three goals in a three games to help them lift the Qatari Cup.
Age: 21
Club: Olympique Marseille
Position: Left winger
When the Confederation of African Football snubbed Andre Ayew for the Most Talent young player of the year award, I sat in front of desk and stared on my laptop's screen in disbelieve.
"They have gone bonkers again" I told myself. My Jamaican-American girlfriend told me her dad loves Andre so much that he refuses to go work whenever the young talisman steps onto the playing pitch.
A chap who at 20 has two Africa Cup of Nations medals to his name, World Youth Championship gold medal and an appearance at the World Cup.
Had he been on the pitch on that fateful night when Ghana played Uruguay, destinies would have changed and the festivals would have continue on the streets of Accra and beyond .
It took Didier Deschamps mountains to convince Ayew to remain at the Stade Velodrome.
He chose to remain at Marseille and doing excellent.