Name: Simon Kjaer
Age: 21
Country: Denmark
Club: Palermo
International Caps: 8
The Danish centre back started his career with FC Midtjylland in 2007, and impressed so much he secured a move to Serie A side Palermo just a year later.
Kjaer made his debut for the Sicilian club on 26 October 2008, and has won plaudits across the continent for his assured performances at the heart of their defence.
Champions League regulars Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid have all expressed an interest in buying the blond giant and Tottenham Hotspur failed with an £11million bid to land him in January.
He burst onto the international stage by making Zlatan Ibrahimovic look anonymous in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win for Denmark against Sweden. A solid World Cup performance against Netherlands, Japan and Cameroon could continue the player's rapid progress to one of Europe's elite clubs.
- Robbie Blakeley
50 PLAYERS TO WATCH ARCHIVE
No 40: Jong Tae-Se
No 41: Nadir Belhadj
No 42: Roque Santa Cruz
No 43: Park Ji-Sung
No 44: Nikola Zigic
No 45: Yaya Toure
Source: DSG
