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.
And today, off we go to Argentina:
Hector David MartInez
Age: 21
Club: Defensa y Justicia (Argentina)
Position: Center Back
Nationality: Argentinian
Market Value: €1,500,000 (Transfermarkt)
Why follow him? In his first season playing for a senior team, on loan from River Plate, Martinez is one of the more consistent players in Defensa y Justicia's inconsistent performance. He is getting better with every game and is already one of the top interceptors in the league.
With over a dozen first team games in his resume, it's still difficult to be certain how good Martinez can be, especially playing for a side opting for a more steady performance, but I have faith in his development. He is quicker than most central defenders, plays aggressively and anticipates the opponents quite impressively by winning possession often. Although not too flashy, he is comfortable with the ball at his feet, rarely gives possession away, and will probably do well as a full back too. His height might be an issue, at 180 cm, but he will try to follow the footsteps of Lisandro Martinez, another former DyJ defender who was told he is too small to play as a center back. While he is not as good as Ajax's versatile Argentinian just yet, there are a few similarities in their qualities and style of play. I believe that Martinez, with his strong character, has the capability to achiever similar feats in his career.