Six of the Best: Top rated players uncapped at international level

This week’s ‘Six of the Best’ is an international special, as we reveal the highest rated players that, as yet, are yet to be capped at senior level.

Iago Falque (Torino / Spain)

In terms of youth careers, they don’t come a lot more glamorous than Iago Falque’s. Switching from the Real Madrid academy to Barcelona’s prior to a move to Italy with Juventus, the winger was a regular in the under age groups for Spain but his career failed to really take off until a move to Genoa in 2014.

The well-travelled 26-year old spent an unsuccessful three year stint at Tottenham in between said spells in Italy, with numerous loan spells throughout a career that hasn’t really allowed Falque to find his feet in any one place. His form in 2014/15 with Genoa looked as though that might change but when Roma came calling the following season the Spaniard couldn’t resist another bite at the big time. However, having made just 13 league starts for the capital club last season another loan move was deemed the best option for all parties and it’s Torino that have profited.

Indeed, Sinisa Mihaijlovic’s side owe no small amount of thanks for their solid start to the campaign to the versatile forward, whose 5 goals and 3 assists have helped ensure that only Falque’s parent club Roma have scored more goals this season (27). A WhoScored.com rating of 7.66 is enough to rank fifth in Serie A thus far but not to earn an admittedly unlikely first senior call-up for Spain.

Kerem Demirbay (Hoffenheim / Turkey or Germany)

The name Kerem Demirbay is in the headlines for all the right reasons this season having gained unwanted publicity when it emerged he made sexist remarks to a female referee whilst on loan with Fortuna Dusseldorf in the Bundesliga II last year. He was fined by the club and made to referee a girls’ game, apologising outright for his actions after the event.

The 23-year old is wisely letting his boots do the talking since a permanent move to Hoffenheim from Hamburg. The midfielder has been in fine form for the unbeaten Bundesliga outfit since forcing his way into the first team, scoring 3 goals and registering 2 assists in seven starts. His statistics in general play have been superb to boot, including impressive defensive figures of 1.9 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game, along with 2.1 shots, 2.3 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per game.

His excellent all round displays, however, have not been enough to secure a place in either the Turkey or Germany national sides - eligible for both - having represented the former at youth level. With a WhoScored.com rating of 7.75 the second highest in the Bundesliga, it’s baffling that he has been overlooked.

Alejandro Grimaldo (Benfica / Spain)

Sold to Benfica from Barcelona in the summer, left-back Grimaldo has already been linked to another move such have been the quality of his performances for the Liga NOS leaders. The 21-year old has represented Spain at all youth levels, and was the youngest member of the under-19 European champions in 2012 that just so happened to be managed by new senior team boss Julen Lopetegui.

With Jordi Alba out injured, Grimaldo may well have been optimistic of a call up but the experience of Nacho Monreal and new call-up Sergio Escudero was preferred this time around. His superb attacking output from the back has been evident already though, with 2 goals and 2 assists in 8 appearances, the youngster is always available on the overlap, averaging 1.5 key passes and 1.1 accurate crosses per game.

Moreover, solid defensive figures of 2.4 tackles and 2.6 interceptions per game have helped the full-back to a rating of 7.77 in Portugal’s top-flight, making him the highest rated player in the current campaign.

Sam Larsson (Heerenveen / Sweden)

One player whose performances have warranted recognition in this international break, and indeed the last before withdrawing from the Sweden squad through injury, is Sam Larsson. The 23-year old winger was a member of the surprise Euro U21 victors’ squad last year and has since become a key player for Heerenveen in the Eredivisie.

He’s certainly been the star of the show in their strong start to the current Eredivisie campaign, with 5 goals and 3 assists from solid all round figures in terms of shots (1.9), key passes (1.8) and dribbles (1.7) per game. With a rating of 7.78 he is second only to Hakim Ziyech in the Dutch league rankings and surely represents the future for a national side tasked with overcoming the loss of its greatest ever player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in attack. It’s fair to say new boss Janne Andersson needs the next generation of Swedish talent to step up after an underwhelming Euros campaign and Larsson may well be among those at the forefront of this new era.

Marcos Acuna (Racing Club / Argentina)

With the small matter of a double header with Brazil and Colombia in the coming days, it’s fair to say that Edgardo Bauza has put plenty of faith in Marcos Acuna. Deservedly so, after a superb start to the season with Racing Club the 25-year old has earned his place and as discussed in our article last month on the playmaker, he may have a significant role to play in the future for the national side with many star names threatening early retirement.

The winger’s form in the Primera Division has been nothing short of sensational so far, earning the WhoScored.com man of the match award in 4 of his 9 appearances. With 5 goals and 3 assists he is the highest rated player in Argentina’s top-flight (7.95), with figures of 2.1 shots, 2.3 key passes and 1.9 dribbles per game. Moreover, 2.4 tackles per game prove that he is more than willing to put in the hard yards, which will be crucial should he be given his chance against such impressive opposition during this international break.

Bruma (Galatasaray / Portugal)

Having been called up to the senior squad for the first time as a teenager three years ago, winger Bruma is still yet to make his senior international debut for Portugal having been something of a stalwart of the youth ranks. He has been overlooked by the European champions once more this time around despite a scintillating start to the Super Lig season with Galatasaray.

With 4 goals, 3 assists and five WhoScored.com man of the match awards in ten league appearances, the 22-year old is fulfilling his potential after an unconvincing season on loan at Real Sociedad. Averages of 2.2 shots and 2.5 key passes per game are both strong figures, though it’s his ability to beat a man - highlighted in our piece on Europe’s best dribblers - that has really set the youngster apart. With a massive 5.6 successful dribbles per game, he is well out in front in all of Europe in that regard, contributing to a rating of 7.99 for the season to outperform every other player in Turkey’s top tier.