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Who will star in South Africa?

Author: John Harris
Date: 02/02/2010
Football betting

The World Cup is less than 130 days away but which as yet unknown players are set to take South Africa by storm?

We all expect the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Kaka to shine but take a look at these potential stars of the tournament.

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Alexandre Pato (Brazil) - Pato has been knocking in the goals for AC Milan for two Serie A seasons but is yet to make a major impact on the international stage.

The 20-year-old has won just eight full caps to date and scored only one goal but his record for the Rossoneri hints at greatness.

Anybody who can score a goal every other game in Serie A must be taken seriously and Pato might just be the attacking spark a rather workmanlike but sportsbook second favourite Brazil side is currently lacking.

Marek Hamsik (Slovakia) - Hamsik is an attacking midfielder with a serious eye for goal. The 22-year-old has finished the last two seasons as Napoli's leading scorer and is regarded as the brightest talents to have emerged from Slovakia since Pavel Nedved.

Mesut Ozil (Germany) - Ozil was the star of the show when Germany won last summer's European Under-21 Championship.

The winger put England to the sword in a 4-0 final win and is already one of the most feared widemen in the Bundesliga for club side Werder Bremen.

Luis Suarez (Uruguay) - Uruguay's hopes of a successful World Cup rest on the shoulders of Diego Forlan's burgeoning strike partnership with Suarez.

The 23-year-old forward has been prolific in Dutch football with Ajax during the last two seasons and already has nine international goals to his name.

Angel Di Maria (Argentina) - Argentina coach Diego Maradona has described the 21-year-old winger as the country's next genuine superstar and he is a fairly good judge of potential.

Di Maria currently plays his club football in Benfica but a successful World Cup would hasten his arrival in one of Europe's major leagues.

Neven Subotic (Serbia) - Defenders don't usually register on the radar of potential stardom but Subotic has all the attributes to be one of the world's best. The 21-year-old is tall, quick, skilful and strong in the tackle.

Borussia Dortmund spotted his talent as a teenager and Serbia nipped in to claim him as theirs despite the possibility of him also representing the United States.

Moussa Sissoko (France) - If Patrick Vieira is to force his way into France's World Cup squad then he might just have to oust a rising star labelled 'the new Patrick Vieira'.

Sissoko is a 20-year-old destructive defensive midfielder who has broken into the international reckoning in recent months.

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