As a part of the Next Generation 2017 project, announced on 4 October 2017, The Guardian newspaper chosen 60 of probably the most talented young footballers from all over the world.
In most cases, any recognition from the British day by day The Guardian is an excellent thing, especially considering that nearly 43 million people all over the world read the publication online.
If The Guardian describes you as probably the most talented young footballers on this planet, you’d think it will be an accolade value taking to your grave.
This edition, the award was given to at least one player from Southeast Asia, Egy Maulana from Indonesia.
In its annual Next Generation project, The Guardian selects the 60 best young footballers on this planet who will in the future follow in Ronaldo’s footsteps, fulfil Messi’s dreams and wear the number 10 shirt.
The Guardian’s incredibly wide network of international football contributors select the 60 best young players based on their performances, ignoring domestic media hype or YouTube videos that rack up 1000’s of views.
This hugely popular project attracts tens of millions of readers all over the world yearly, which is why Next Generation has the potential and the importance to remodel the careers of those young men.
The Guardian writes about Egy Maulana, who was born in Medan (North Sumatera) on July 7, 2000;
The Indonesian has just finished as the highest scorer on the 2017 Southeast Asian Under-18 Championship, and his eight goals have excited the football-loving nation. His performances have earned him the nickname ‘Egy Messi’, and his dribbling, pace and ball control are truly impressive. The No. 10 was named the breakthrough player on the tournament in Toulon in July. He also performed well for the Indonesia Under-19s against Espanyol’s B team in a friendly in July, and was described as ‘outstanding’ by the Spanish team’s coach David Gallego, who told him that if he added a bit more defensive work to his game, he could go really far.. – John Durden
Big congratulations to Egy, we sit up for your successes!
Full list (source: The Guardian)
