Confederations Cup 2017: 10 Players To Watch

8. Alexander Golovin (Russia)

Confederations Cup Players
By Дмитрий Голубович (http://www.soccer.ru/galery/882686.shtml) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Comm

There's a sense of hope surrounding Alexander Golovin. Apart from the positive message espoused by his surname ("Go lovin', not fightin'"), the CSKA Moscow midfielder is pretty much the only exciting prospect emerging through Russian ranks ahead of the World Cup next year. With the event hosted in his home country, there is huge expectation that the 21 year-old will inspire the nation to outperform already tepid expectations. No pressure, then.

CSKA Moscow may have relinquished their Russian Premier League title to neighbours Spartak, but it's nevertheless been a personally successful season for the Siberian born playmaker. Golovin scooped the Russian young player of the year award whilst anchoring CSKA's midfield, and his performances have attracted the attention of Arsenal, who are reportedly close to sealing a £10m deal for the youngster.

Golovin should take note of the last player saddled with the weight of Russian expectations, CSKA teammate Alan Dzagoev. Back in 2008, Real Madrid were sniffing around the highly rated Ossetian, only for his form to drop considerably. If he can cope with such expectations, Dzagoev's 2017 equivalent could be the breakthrough star Russia have sought since Andrey Arshavin.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.