Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal is an American born Malaysian who many are calling the new Lionel Messi. Born in September 1998, Wan is already being lined up as a potential star of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The youngster will be 20 by that time and if the YouTube videos and scout reports are anything to go by there seems to be no reason that he couldn’t take that particular tournament by the balls.
Playing against kids that are obviously old than himself and wearing his now trade mark number ten shirt Wan moves and looks so much like a young Maradona it’s scary. He seems to have been blessed with great balance and can set off from either foot. He can pass the ball, has great skill and scores goals. Of course these are all things that you would expect from a The New Messi, but the thing that impressed me most was his great work ethic. Even though the clips are short and are designed to show case his immense array of skills they also show that he is not scared of working hard and can often be seen tracking back on his own, and team mates, mistakes. He is not shy of a tackle and dispossessing the opposition to set his own side back off on the attack. This is something that is usually lacking from the all-around game of younger kids. More often than not they are only interested in the creative side of things and tend shun the hard running and defensive responsibilities that have to be learnt and drummed in to them at a later stage. The fact that Wan is already becoming more than a luxury player shows to me he is tactically aware of what it takes to win football matches, it is not all about free styling.
In fact the only negative thing that I could draw from what I saw was the fact that he seemed very very one footed. Often twisting and turning to get the ball on to his left foot and even choosing to use the outside of that boot rather than swing his right at it. It is probably a minor thing and is definitely something that he can work on. I am not saying that he will inherit David Beckham’s right foot for Christmas, or that he needs to, but just by practicing with it he will gain him more confidence to pass, cross or shoot with the right should the need arise. This will also make him less predictable and therefore ten times more dangerous.
What next for Wan Kuzain?
It seems that there is already a fight brewing on what to do with this precocious talent. On one hand he is an American citizen and the American football authorities want him to stay in the US under their guidance so that he may one day represent the national side. But, because of his father’s Malaysian background, it is thought that Wan himself would prefer to play for Malaysia and hopefully guide them to the 2018 World Cup in Russia

which would be the country’s first ever appearance at the biggest sporting event on earth. If this is the case then
many high ranking officials in the USA feel that throwing all of their money at him would simply be a waste as they would not receive anything in return.“Why should we spend money on creating a super star for Malaysia,” said one internet source.But there is no doubt that a move back to his father’s homeland could prove to be career suicide as there simply aren’t the structures in place to make sure that Wan gets the guidance he needs. There he would grow as the out and out star and with that could come arrogance, laziness and, as in the case of America’s Freddy Adu, he could stop learning the basics of the game as entire teams are built around him. He could lose that natural instinct to be a team player, which will only hinder his progression.
KEEP A GOOD EYE ON THIS ONE.