The Next Maradona: Carlos Tevez

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Having watched Carlos Tevez all summer long--first in Copa Libertadores, then in Copa America, and finally in the Olympics--I am convinced that he is now on the level of the best football players in the world.

At a ripe age of 20, he has already won the South American under-20 championship, the Argentine Title, the Copa Libertadores, and the Intercontinental Cup. In 2003, he was named South American Player of the Year. This year alone he led his club team, Boca Juniors, to the finals of the Copa Libertadores, scoring three goals, he led the Argentina National team to the finals of the Copa America, scoring two goals and an assist, and as of this writing, he is the leading scorer in the Olympics with seven goals, positioning Argentina to win its first ever Olympic Gold in soccer. He also leads the Olympics in shots (20) and shots on goal (14).

Tevez has many similarities to the infamous Argentine player Diego Maradona. They both grew up in poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. Like Maradona, Tevez began playing professionally at a very early age (eight years old). Then, following in Maradona's footsteps, Tevez became a striker for Boca Junior's main squad at the age of 17. Like Maradona, Tevez wears the number 10.

It is not only these biographical characteristics that make Tevez similar to Maradona. When watching Tevez play, his superb dribbling skills and his danger to the goal at any spot give one reminders of Maradona. They are also of a similar physical stature, short and stalky. Lastly, Tevez's personality, while maybe not identical to Maradona's, is equally colorful. My favorite moment was when he ran onto the field as a substitute in the Copa America game against Colombia, tapped the referree on the ass, then 2 minutes later scored a goal. That's dominance of the pitch, if I ever saw it!

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