Talents Calendar
Midfielder Cher Ndour is among the talents that chose to go abroad at a young age. In 2020, aged just 16, the native of Italy left Atalanta to join Benfica, where he is currently playing for the reserve team and has played in nine games. On the club channels of the Portuguese record titleholders, he explained his decision to make the move: “I had the desire to have a new experience, and Benfica is one of the clubs that increasingly relies on young players. Knowing that there is this opportunity, I want to try to get into the first team quickly.”
Last September, Ndour scored his first and only goal for Benfica’s second team. Aged 17, one month, and 23 days, he became the youngest goalscorer in the history of Portugal’s second division. Ndour is now ranked ahead of João Félix, who has dropped to third place. But Ndour’s main task is not to score goals but instead to break down opponents. The 17-year-old mostly defines his game through his defensive strengths, his physicality, and working hard in the press. He does all that with love for detail. In other words, Ndour is not a midfielder with a typical rhythm but instead likes to hunt the ball in the opponent’s defensive zones, always looking for the quickest path forward.
Ndour acts like a holding midfielder who does not give his opponent any room to breathe. He uses his long legs like harpoons, always targeted towards the ball, and just a small touch is often enough to steal the ball from his opponent. Another strength is his positional play, which also helps him in aerial duels—where his height of 190cm is also a major advantage, even if he often uses it to paint over mistakes.
Talents Calendar 2020: Here is how the players have developed
Juan Cabrera | Germany | Market value: –
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Schalke’s Juan Cabrera was listed as Uruguayan in last year’s Talents Calendar. Since then he has opted for Germany.
Pipi Nakai | Japan | Market value: –
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Pipi Nakai has made the next step at Real Madrid and is now part of the reserve team. But he is still awaiting his debut in Spain’s third division.
Bradley Fink | Switzerland | Market value: –
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Youssoufa Moukoko’s footsteps were not too big: Bradley Fink has been scoring consistently for Dortmund’s U19 side.
Alejandro Iturbe | Spain | Market value: –
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Alejandro Iturbe is slowly being integrated into Atlético Madrid’s first team and has already made the bench once.
Ramen Cepele | Albania | Market value: –
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Ramen Cepele has struggled with some smaller injuries but nonetheless has already featured for Hannover 96 II in the Regionalliga.
Turan Calhanoglu | Germany | Market value: –
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2021 has been a year to forget for Turan Calhanoglu. Hakan Calhanoglu’s cousin struggled with injuries all seasons long.
Kelvin John | Tanzania | Market value: €100,000
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“As soon as I turn 18, I will move to a big club“, said Kelvin John last year. Promise kept, the forward joined KRC Genk ahead of the season.
Bikash Yumnam | India | Market value: €100,000
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Bikash Yumnam continues his dream of moving to Europe. But it has been baby steps for the RoundGlass Punjab FC defender.
Simon Ngapandouetnbu | France | Market value: €150,000
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Born in Cameroon Simon Ngapandouetnbu has opted for France and is still awaiting his debut for Olympique Marseille’s senior team.
Seong-jin Kang | South Korea | Market value: €225,000
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Seong-jin Kang has not just become a regular starter for FC Seoul but an important first team player.
Kluiverth Aguilar | Peru | Market value: €300,000
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That Kluiverth Aguilar would move to Europe was already certain last year. Signed by Manchester City, the right-back is currently under contract at Lommel SK, which also is part of the City Group.
Xavi Simons | Netherlands | Market value: €500,000
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For Xavi Simons the last season was a mixed back. First close to the first team, the talented attacking midfielder has been ignored by Mauricio Pochettino and is currently considering a transfer to another club.
Tommaso Baldanzi | Italy | Market value: €600,000
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Tommaso Baldanzi led FC Empoli’s U19 to the championship in the Primavera and is now part of the first team.
Marcelo Flores | Mexico | Market value: €600,000
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Mexiko, Canada or England: For now Marcelo Flores the talented midfielder has opted for Mexico’s U20 but it is expected that Flores will await a final decision as Canada remains in the mix to secure the services of the 18-year-old.
Ömer Beyaz | Turkey | Market value: €1 million
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In Ömer Beyaz another talented player found the way to the Bundesliga. The 18-year-old Turkish talent has joined VfB Stuttgart.
Patryck | Brazil | Market value: €1 million
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U17 world championPatryck is part of FC São Paulo’s first team but for now still without a game.
Louie Barry | England | Market value: €1 million
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Former Barça talent Louie Barry has made his debut for Aston Villa but is currently on loan at Ipswich Town.
Loizos Loizou | Cyprus | Market value: €1.5 million
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Loizos Loizou has already won his first title with Omonia Nicosia but a transfer to a bigger league has yet to materialize.
Hannibal Mejbri | Tunisia | Market value: €3m
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Hannibal Mejbri is the third player in the calendar to switch national teams. Previously with France, the Man United talent has since made the switch to Tunisia.
Luca Oyen | Belgium | Market value: €3m
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Luca Oyen continues to collect playing time with the first team but has struggled to show the sort of consistency he displayed last season.
Caden Clark | USA | Market value: €3.5 million
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Not surprising Caden Clark will join RB Leipzig this winter. This year the 18-year-old played his first full season with New York Red Bulls with whom he was eliminated in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson | Iceland | Market value: €4.5 million
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Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson has made the next step in his career and has joined FC Copenhagen.
Arsen Zakharyan | Russia | Market value: €9 million
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Arsen Zakharyan has developed into a top talent under head coach Sandro Schwarz at Dinamo Moscow and is one of the most important players at the club.
Yusuf Demir | Austria | Market value: €12 million
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Yusuf Demir has fulfilled his wish and joined FC Barcelona where he has already made his debut for the first team.
Once Ndour has captured the ball, his hunger is not satisfied because the opponent’s goal is the ultimate target. When he has captured the ball, he uses the open space to move forward quickly. What follows is often a pass to a teammate, who is either supposed to execute the play with a shot or the killer pass. But Ndour’s play is not always perfect, which is why he is not quite a constant starter. Ndour has started just four of his nine games this season. Nonetheless, the goal to keep up with the big boys at Benfica is not far off. In order to reach the first team, Ndour has also featured in the UEFA Youth League where he has helped guide the Eagles to the knockout stage. He also plays for Italy’s youth national team. Those additional pathways should help the midfielder to reach his goal and become a star for Benfica.
From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2004. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.
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