The world is full of young football talents. They grow up in the streets of São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Abuja or Belgrade, and the world is literally to their feet, so to speak.
These lads are on a mission to become the stars we will watch tomorrow. The next Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or João Felix.
At the same time, there are beautiful projects that focus on these players, from the Guardian’s top 60 young footballers yearly plan, the unique and high-quality Scouted Football, among others.
We are not going to compete with them. However, in our work and research in BabaGol, we discover many players that don’t get the focus or the chance to showcase what they can produce.
With that in mind, we have decided to share snippets of our source of knowledge. Our shadow scout, Juan Gafas, will pop-up weekly and will put the spotlight on one player that is worth your attention. This can be viewed as a tip for all BabaGolers to meet the next Jamie Vardy and Dado Pršo, or maybe the next Gary Medel or Jorge Valdivia, a moment (or a few years) before they become famous.
Prior to the Copa Sudamericana final this weekend, we will have a look at a player who could have a key role in this big match.
Alan Steven Franco
Age: 21
Club: Independiente del Valle (Ecuador)
Position: Central midfielder
Nationality: Ecuador
Market Value: €600,000 (Transfermarkt)
Why follow him? During the past year, Franco lead Independiente in the Copa Sudamericana to its second international final ever, played for the national team at the age of 20 and missed out the Copa America in the final cut.
Franco is a graduate of the IDV academy, arguably the best in Ecuador, where many talented players grew up in the last decade. It is not a surprise then, that he has a complete set of skills.
A defensive midfielder who can win the ball easily and distribute it forward quickly, with a good technique and a wide range of passing, Franco is an asset for IDV and a strong candidate for the national team squad in the near future.
However, if he wishes to play in the top leagues, he will have to get stronger and play quicker, which I believe he can.