A Name to Remember: Franco Di Santo

Stop me if you have heard this one before. There is a young striker from Argentina who is being described as the new Maradona. I wonder how that makes Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, et al feel. In this case the new Maradona is a player named Franco Di Santo who possesses something that even the original Maradona did not: height.

The 18-year-old Di Santo is 6ft 4in tall and could easily hide behind a stalk of corn. Clearly he isn’t drawing comparisons to Diego based on appearance. It is the play of Di Santo that apparently has the hype machine operating at all cylinders. He joined the Chilean first division club Audax Italiano in 2006 and has scored 9 goals in 46 games. He has also featured six times for Argentina’s U-20 team.

Evidently that is enough to attract the attention of no less…deep breath… Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Blackburn and Manchester City. Nine teams? That’s it. Get back to me when all 20 Premier League teams are chasing after him like dogs in heat.

All skepticism aside, Di Santo is reportedly decent in the air and possesses good on the ball skills for a big man. There is little video footage of him in action so for now just close your eyes and picture Maradona playing in front of one of those elongated fun house mirrors.

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Category: South America, World Football