Georgios Samaras

Just when I was ready to mention him, he got injured along with about half of the Manchester City team. Against Chelsea yesterday they desperately needed him and since he’s emerged into a starting role, Greek international Georgios Samaras has been the suprise of the squad.

I’d never seen him before but the first time I did I thought ‘Oh look, Samaras, another Argentine prodigy’. Then I checked him out and realized, wait a minute, he’s Greek. Why wasn’t he at the European Cup? It’s because he’s only 21. Georgios Samaras only made his debut for Greece this year, in fact only last month, in style too, by scoring the only goal in their 1-0 win over Belarus.

He signed for City over the summer for 6m pounds, fighting off Arsenal who’d been rumored to have offered in the range of 4m pounds. The young striker had been playing in The Netherlands since the age of 16 for FC Heerenveen. In Holland he was not particularly prolific (25 goals in 88 starts) yet turned heads with his classy style of play.

Since his first substitution against Newcastle earlier this season he’s been nothing short of a revelation. He’s tall at 6’3” (193 cm) so he causes central defenders problems with crosses. Samaras’s best attribute has nothing to do with heading though: he moves brilliantly with and without the ball, sort of a bigger version of Barcelona starlet Lionel Messi, but a bit more direct.