Riccardo Montolivo

In Italy it seems it takes a decade for a new number ten playmaker to come on the scene. This year a number of them have come onto the scene, but the one who has been able to flex his muscle the most in the senior Italian squad has been Riccardo Montolivo.

The Fiorentina playmaker has been putting in great performances with his club and lately has caught the attention of Marcelo Lippi.

Montolivo’s style cannot really be compared to any other playmaker in the Italian history books. He has molded himself into a player whose reaction is quick and on point. His passing is superb and he also has a keen eye for the goal.

Watch any Fiorentina game where he has appeared and you will notice the incredible talent and bag of tricks this young man has. He is highly coveted by a lot of teams, but seems content with staying with Fiorentina. If he stays with the club the way Alex Del Piero has stayed with Juventus, he could help Fiorentina reach the heights they haven’t achieved since Rui Costa and Batistuta last played for them. He could also find his way to one of the bigger Italian clubs such as AC Milan. The Milan club is a little crowded right now, but he can still add something to the club especially since Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf are getting close to their retirement years.

Riccardo has a great future ahead of him with the Italian national team and it would be a fool who doubts this young man.

Neven Subotic chooses Serbia and US fans are pissed

I don't understand US fans sometimes. Somehow these people who sit behind their computers and whine about the game, think that players of foreign origin owe something to the United States' men's national team just because they lived a day in the US. Players will often pick a team that wants them and where their hearts lie.

When Rossi chose to play for Italy instead of the United States, fans went crazy and spread as much hate as they could. And now fans are spreading their hate for Subotic, especially on www.soccerbyives.net, just because he decided his heart was in Serbia. The kid did not really grow up in America. He gave the US a chance until he was scorned by Thomas Rongen at the U-20 world cup in Canada.

Now that the player has decided to play for the far superior Serbian team, fans are wailing against him and wishing that his legs get broken. These bitter fans need to grow up and realize that a player of Subotic's talents will only play for a team that wants him the most, not simply one that needs him. He is a fantastic defender for Dortmund and will grow to become an even better one in the years to come, and his ambitions will drive him to succeed with his chosen national team. People once said that Rossi will never make it into the Italian national team and we all know what happened in that well documented case. Best of luck to Subotic.

Profile: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

There’s very little to say about Ibrahimovic that hasn’t already been said. He may not be the most popular player in the world, and he may not be collecting the accolades this year as Mr. Ronaldo is doing, but there is no denying the talent of Ibrahimovic. The tall Swede has some of the best tricks in any book of tricks. Since his days with Malmo, he has been mesmerizing fans and players alike.

Ibrahimovic is a player that enjoys playing the game, the way Ronaldinho used to enjoy the game. He threatens to score every time he touches the ball. In a recent game he pulled a tricky pass out of his bag that urged the fans and players on the field to applaud him. No other player has his type of charisma. To add to the charisma, he has the technical skills to do anything with the ball he pleases. He may not always score when he should, but Ibrahimovic is a player that is at the top of his technical best and threatens to get better with each passing year.

That Boy Is Something Special: Sebastian Giovinco

It has long been rumored that Giovinco is the second coming of Alex Del Piero. But then Del Piero decided to have a stellar year and is scoring goals left and right.

Making it in the starting lineup at Juventus is not an easy fit, but Giovinco has been able to get games under his belt due to his technical ability. No other young player in Italy has as much work to do in order to break into the starting team at a club team such as Juventus. Giovinco’s technique is so smooth that he doesn't resemble an Italian player with the ball at his feet.

Not since Cassano came unto the scene has an Italian player been able to dazzle defenders like Giovinco has. From his days playing in the youth teams and the Olympics to now, Giovinco has played the game his way and has delivered when he needed to. He wears the number ten when playing for Italy, and it won’t be long before he grabs the shirt off Del Piero’s back.

Top Seven Current Performers

In No Particular Order:

Yoann Gourcuff

Lionel Messi

Alex Del Piero

Frank Ribery

Robinho

David Villa

Robin Van Persie