In just a few days starts in Brazil the Confederations Cup, a sort of test for the host country of the World Cup which takes place a year before the main event. In this Cup will compete the champions from continental tournaments of each confederation (Mexico, Uruguay, Italy, Japan, Nigeria and Tahiti), the world champion (Spain) and the host team (Brazil).
The website VOXXI made a list of five players to follow closely in this competition, beyond the great figures that everyone already knows. And among them there are three Latinos: Mexican midfielder Jesus Zavala, Uruguayan midfielder Gaston Ramirez and Spanish striker Juan Mata. The other two players that complete the list are the Italian striker Stephan El Shaarawy and Brazilian midfielder Oscar.
Zavala is 25 and plays for Monterrey in the Mexican league. His team has won the last three CONCACAF Champions League. He began playing as a striker but he adapted quickly to midfield and became indispensable for Monterrey and the Mexican national team. In the coming months, he will probably be transferred to an European club.
Ramirez is only 22 and already looks like one of the veterans among Uruguayans, next to important players such as Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez. He plays as an offensive midfielder in both sidelines at Southampton in the Premier League in England, where during this season he played 26 matches and scored 5 goals. Before that, he had two very good seasons in Bologna of Italy (60 games, 15 goals) and in Peñarol of Uruguay (33 games, 6 goals).
Spanish Juan Mata is 25, plays for the Chelsea in England and was chosen as one of the three most valuable players of the Premier League in the 2012-2013 season. With 12 goals he became the second scorer behind Frank Lampard and was an important part of the group that won the UEFA Europa League. He and his compatriot Fernando Torres are the only players to win World Cup, European Championship, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
These three Latinos are likely to be protagonists of the Confederations Cup. Zavala will debut with Mexico on June 16 against Italy in the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, while Mata and Ramirez will face in the opening round in the match between Uruguay and Spain on the same day in Recife.
The top two from each group of four will qualify to the semifinals, where direct elimination matches will begin in order to crown a champion.