YouTube is, in many ways, a tragically demystifying invention. One of the joys of watching a World Cup was encountering a great player from an obscure league for the first time. But now highlight reels abound. Still, there are players that I can’t wait to see in action--if only to gauge if they can live up to the moments edited together by some adoring fan. One such player is the Portugese full back, and dribbler extraordinaire, Fábio Coentrão. His skills remind me of Denilson, who could make dazzling runs, filled with step-overs and other circus moves. Unfortunately, Denilson never knew what to do after he performed his tricks and frequently found himself penned in corners. I hope Coentrão is something more than that.
Tom Williams has more about him here. And Daniel has an excellent riff on how YouTube has devalued goals in his piece.