SOCCER

While old school football fans may bemoan the lack of a new Pele or Maradona coming through in every generation of young footballers, we feel that the current crop of young football geniuses strutting their skilful stuff on the world's biggest footballing stages deserve a little praise and recognition. We present About.com's Top Young World Soccer Players for 2008.

1. Lionel Messi
Phil Cole / Getty ImagesLionel Messi's growth from the ranks of "prodigious young talent" to "probably the best footballer in the world" has been nothing short of meteoric over the past twelve months or so. Still only twenty years old, Messi has had the extraordinary pressure of being dubbed the latest "new Maradona" but none have so far came as close to deserving the title. Messi, on current form, comes close, damn close.

He may still have to bring World Cup glory back to his native Argentina for the first time since the aforementioned Maradona captained them to victory in Mexico 1986 but his displays for Barcelona where he has taken the mantle of attacking favourite from Ronaldinho and shot himself into top goalscorer position is enough for now.




2. Bojan Krkic
Jasper Juinen / Getty ImagesOne would think that 961 goals in seven seasons for Barcelona's youth teams would prove to be an unbearable millstone around a young player's neck but not so for the recently capped 17 year old Spanish international Bojan Krkic.

His slight frame gave the Barcelona powers-that-be concern that he may not make the transition to the more physcial aspect of first team professional football but, given his head by Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard this season, Bojan has delivered emphatically and has shown that the goals in first team football are placed in exactly the same spot as he found them 961 times for the youth teams.

3. Giovani Dos Santos
Jasper Juinen / Getty ImagesAnother young star plucked from his native country at a young age by the eagle eyed scouts from Barcelona's youth academy (spotting a pattern here with the development of the world's best young players?), Giovani, like Bojan, also came from professional footballing stock with his father Zizinho having played professionally in North and South America.

Still only 18 years old himself, Giovani has made the breakthrough into Frank Rijkaard's multi million pound, star studded Barcelona side and been rewarded on the international stage by Mexican coach Hugo Sanchez with his first caps in 2007.

Confident in front of goal and possessing a fantastic left foot, Giovani has a bright future in front of him.

4. Cesc Fabregas
Denis Doyle / Getty ImagesHow Barcelona must curse Arsene Wenger and Arsenal for having poached the 16 year old Cesc Fabregas from under their noses when they had laid the groundwork for his football development at their world renowned youth academy (yes folks, the fourth player out of five to learn his trade at Barcelona!)

Whether Fabregas would have received so much gametime in the Barcelona centre midfield as he has over the past four years at Arsenal is debatable and Wenger's confidence in the young playmaker's abilities has seen him flourish into a seasoned Premier League and European campaigner while still only twenty years old.

In no hurry to rush back to Spain, Fabregas could be wowing English crowds for many years to come.

5. Alexandre Pato
New Press / Getty ImagesAC Milan could hardly wait for January 2008 when they were finally allowed, under Italian laws on non-EU young footballers, to elevate young Brazilian forward Pato into their first team as coach Carlo Ancelotti fought desperately to save his job.

A goal on his debut against Napoli was the exact response the Milan hierarchy were looking for and a new Brazilian star was born in Milan. His international team-mate Ronaldinho had already heaped on the pressure by pointing to Pato as the young Brazilian mostalents.t likely to make the grade at the very top level and with a $22m price tag on his head it would be understandable if the 18 year old faltered. He hasn't and already looks like one of world football's most exciting young