The hottest prospects to watch in South Africa 2010

The World Cup is always a great stage for players to go out and make a real name for themselves. Remember an 18-year-old Michael Owen bursting onto the scene with a fantastic solo goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup? Or how about Sunday Oliseh and Jay Jay Okocha bursting into prominence in the 1994 tournament in America. With that in mind I’ve picked out a couple of youngsters who could really catapult themselves to prominence with a decent performance at the 2010 tournament in South Africa. This is a rather small list and I’ve obviously missed a few people off. However, from my point of view, the following candidates should set the world of football on fire when they line up for the World Cup in 2010. Here are my top football predictions:

Sergio Agüero, Argentina

20-year-old Aguero is already a big name in his home country and in Spain, where he plays for Atletico Madrid. When he was 15 he became the youngest player to play in the top-flight of Argentinean football, breaking a record held previously by current Argentina boss Diego Maradona. He has pace, skill, a decent shot and shows maturity beyond his years in some aspects of his play. Aguero is often overshadowed by Lionel Messi when playing for the national side but the World Cup in 2010 represents an excellent opportunity for this youngster to truly establish himself as one of the world’s best.

Theo Walcott, England

Ok, so Walcott did travel with the England squad to the last tournament in 2006 when he was 16 but he didn’t get a game and if anything that experience was detrimental to his career. At 20 he is starting to look like the player he showed signs of becoming and his performances for Arsenal have been steadily improving over the course of this season. He has pace to burn and knows where the goal is as well as being able to set up his team-mates when the opportunity arises. Hailed by some as the next Thierry Henry, I’m not so sure myself and I think the comparison is a little lazy but Walcott is decent down the wing or up-front and should be one to watch at the next World Cup. Indeed, he may be a good player to back with regards to World Cup football betting.

Samir Nasri, France

Nasri is another of Arsenal’s youngsters and a player who has really impressed me this season. Signed at the start of the season from French side Marseille Nasri immediately worked his way into the first team and has been one of the Gunners' most consistent players this season. The 21-year-old midfielder has excellent control, fantastic vision and passing ability and he can hit a decent shot. Nasri has been likened to French ace Zinedine Zidane by some pundits, personally he reminds me more of former Arsenal winger Robert Pires but that is unimportant, what is important is that Nasri is a man to watch.