European Players to Watch in 2012

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2012 promises to be a bumper year for international football, with the quadrennial European Championships in Poland and Ukraine and the London Olympics to look forward to. International competitions such as this often bring new footballing talent to the forefront, and a good performance in a major tournament can turn a promising young player into a superstar almost overnight. Here are some of the young stars set to make a major breakthrough in 2012.

Eden Hazard – Belgium

British football fans have had few chances to see this talented young winger in action, but if Belgium succeed in qualifying for the Euros, then they will not have to wait for too much longer. His silky skills and lightning-fast sprints down the wing have seen him compared to Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, and he was a key component of the Lille team that stormed to the French league title in 2011. His performances have attracted the attention of scouts from all over Europe, and it is expected that he will leave Lille for one of the giants of European football in the summer.

Gareth Bale – Wales

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp’s decision to convert Bale from a full-back into a winger last season proved to be something of a masterstroke. His bombing runs down the left flank, coupled with a keen eye for an incisive final ball, terrorised defences all over Europe in last season’s Champions League. He has already announced his intention to play for the controversial Great Britain team at the 2012 Olympics, and it is expected that he will prove to be one of the stars of the tournament.

Mario Balotelli – Italy

Up until fairly recently, the precociously talented Balotelli was better known for his off-field antics than his on-field prowess, but a string of stunning displays for Manchester City towards the end of 2011 have seen the forward begin to live up to his undoubted potential. If he can keep up the good work, he might well prove the talisman that Italy so badly need after their disappointing performance in South Africa.

With new television technologies such as HDTV and 3DTV allowing viewers to feel even closer to the action, and the impending switch to digital terrestrial television meaning that these technologies will finally have the bandwidth that they need to flourish, armchair football fans have never had it so good. For more information about 3DTV, HDTV, and the digital switchover, visit Sky.com.