20 Players to Watch at the 2008 Men’s Olympic Soccer Tournament

The 2008 Men’s Olympic Football Tournament starts tomorrow, so here’s our World Cup Blog Players to Watch guide.

It’s 10 big names who you probably already know, and 10 guys you might not know yet but should look forward to seeing anyway.

10 You Know

Ronaldinho (Brazil) – attacking mid
2008 could be the year R10 is reborn, following his move from Barca to AC Milan. If he brings out the skills in Beijing, then all the jokes about his weight and the suggestions that he’s past it will be forgotten.

Alexandre Pato (Brazil) – forward
Ronaldinho’s young Milan teammate lived up to (and maybe even surpassed) all expectations on both his Serie A and Seleção debuts last year. This will be Pato’s first tournament, so expect him to do the same again.

Diego (Brazil) – attacking mid
Regularly lights up the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen, but usually overshadowed by Kaka in a yellow shirt. With Kaka staying in Milan this August, there should finally be space in the spotlight for Diego.

Leo Messi (Argentina) attacking mid / forward
You don’t need me to tell you how good Leo Messi is. And the little Barcelona player is already the talk of the tournament, with Argentina and Barcelona at loggerheads over whether he should be there at all. But even if we don’t see Messi kick a ball in Beijing, his case is likely to cause a major rethink of exactly how Olympic football works.

Juan Roman Riquelme (Argentina) – attacking mid
Say what you like about him: he’s lazy, he’s selfish, he’s a bit of an oddball, but when on his game this man is a joy to watch. And he will see plenty of the ball in Beijing because – Leo Messi or not – Argentina’s gameplan will revolved around Riquelme

Sergio Aguero (Argentina) – forward

Doesn’t get the same headlines as Leo Messi, but the similarly statured (ie tiny) striker has been banging in goals for Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

Freddy Adu (USA) – left mid/attacking mid/forward
We’re pretty sure now that Freddy Adu is not, in fact, the new Pele. He’s never even threatened to a consistent run of form. But he’s still a talented young player with a whole career ahead of him and a lot to prove. Showed us a bit of what he can do at the U-20 World Championships last year, so this is his chance to play against adults.

Salomon Kalou (Cote d’Ivoire) – winger/forward
In and out of the Chelsea team and always overshadowed by Drogba on the national team. The Olympics will see Kalou front and center as the Elephants main man.

Taye Taiwo (Nigeria) – left back

There’s only one thing to say about the Marseille left back and his turbo-charged left foot: Don’t get in the way.

Giuseppe Rossi (Italy) – striker
Not the most popular striker in the USA right now, after shunning his birth country for the land of his parents. After rotting in the Man Utd reserves for a few years, 21 year old Rossi has just had a decent first season in La Liga where he scored 11 goals for Villarreal.

10 You Might Not Know

Slobodan Rajković (Serbia) – defender
As rich as Chelsea may be, they don’t splash out insane cash for the helluva it. So when Rajkovic was snapped up for a world record as a 16 year old for 5.2m, it made a bit of noise. Still only 19, he’s undoubtedly one of the defenders to keep an eye on for the tournament.

Takayuki Morimoto (Japan) – striker

Japan’s Ronaldo (fat one), as he’s been called, was the island nation’s greatest young hope when he moved to Catania in Serie A as a 17 year old. Five minutes into his Italian debut he scored a goal and a legend was born. Won’t be long before he’s the best player for Japan’s senior team, much less the Olympic edition.

Ángel Di María (Argentina) – winger

Caught the eye as one of the main men (or boys?) in Argentina’s U-20 triumph last summer. Benfica liked him so much they coughed up €6m. The above vid is what he did for Benfica in 2008.

Sebastian Giovinco (Italy) – attacking mid

The mighty midget looks like an alien, but plays like one as well. At only 21, he is already one of the most skilled, dynamic and dangerous players in the whole of Serie A. Essentially the point guard of whatever team he plays for because the ball is on his foot roughly half the game. One of the shining jewels of Italy.

Andrea Russotto (Italy) – attacking mid

Giovinco gets the pub, but experts seem to think Russotto is the heir to Totti’s throne as Italy’s true #10. Likened to Messi and Baggio, what sets Russotto apart is his otherwordly vision and skill on the ball.

Jozy Altidore (USA) – forward
The young American striker is basically having Freddy Adu’s career. Banged in MLS goals for New York Red Bulls and secured a recent move to La Liga with Villarreal. Skill, strength, pace and an eye for goal. But apparently not gelling well with Brian McBride.

Jonathan de Guzmán (Netherlands / Feyenoord) – winger
Canadian born, but never keen to wear a maple leaf. De Guzmán has been impressing in the Eredivisie with Feyenoord and recently became a Dutch citizen. This will be his first chance to impress on a big stage in Oranje.

Dong Fangzhou (China) striker
And not just because he has a hilarious first name, the Chinese striker is on the books at Man Utd. OK, so he’s only played one league game since arriving at Old Trafford, but did bang 18 goals in 28 games while on loan at Royal Antwerp. And if the host nation do well, then expect Fangzhou to be involved.

Royston Drenthe (Netherlands / Real Madrid) – left winger/left back
The dreadlocked one was the talk of the 2007 U-21 European Championships, where his performances secured a move to Real Madrid. Spent the back end of last season either on the bench or out of the squad altogether, so will be keen to remind everyone what he can do.

Vincent Kompany (Belgium)

Big (and we mean big – he’s 6′3″) Belgian centre back who currently plays in the Bundesliga for Hamburg. There was a bit of a tug of war over the 22 year old between Belgium and Hamburg but he’s now got clearance to eat opposition Olympic strikers for breakfast in Beijing. And not just a defender, he’s got some tricks too.

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