Little Diego's Big European Adventure

         Standing at 1.61m Diego Buonanotte isn't the tallest of players but the diminutive winger has an extraordinary amount of talent that he'll be hoping to use to set La LIga alight as he starts his first foray into European football. Having signed for Malaga CF for around €5million on the 14th January it will be the first time that Buonanotte has moved from the club, River Plate, that nurtured his talent through a tumuluous couple of years that has seen little Diego nearly die, go to prison and receive a premature end to his football career.

       Making his debut at the age of 17, Diego became a pivotal part of the River team that won the Apertura in 2008 and saw him recognised by World Soccer Magazine as one of the '50 most exciting teenagers in world football'. His ability was not overlooked by the big European teams who were constantly linked with moves for Diego. It all seems as though the world was at young Buonanotte's feet, however it all nearly came crashing down on one unfortunate night in December 2009.

      Driving back to his home town of Teodelina with 3 childhood friends, Diego's car swerved off the road amidst a heavy downpour and hit a tree killing his three friends and leaving himself severely injured. After being rushed to intensive care it was found that Diego had a broken collar bone, broken arm and a bruised lung, however, it was the mental scars that everybody involved with Diego were worried about. Having thought to be out for around 7 months or so Diego made a speedy recovery and was back playing for River in April 2010. So his career would return back to normal, right?

       Not quite, there was yet another thing marring Diego's career. Due to the deaths of his friends and him being at the wheel when he car swerved off the road Diego was charged with the triple involuntary manslaughter of this three friends after the prosecutors said he was 'driving negligently'. Facing up to 5 years in prison it was an uncertain period for Diego who continued to play for River. Finally, after such misfortune Diego receive a bit of good luck! Judge Marisa Munoz Saggese dismissed the charges the charges against Diego. With his new club the future looks bright for Diego Buonanotte, who is still only 22, and it is now up to him to show Europe what he's got...

Klopp has Borussia on top.

     With Bayern dominating German football by winning the Bundesliga and the Pokal last season as well as reaching the final of the Champions League, many thought that the Bundesliga would be a walk in the park for Die Bayern. However, as the Bundesliga resumes after its winter break it is Borussia Dortmund who are at the zenith of Germany's top league.

Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa 

      Jürgen Klopp has cultivated a squad littered with good young talent from defence to attack. One surprise is summer signing and Japanese sensation Shinji Kagawa. The attacking midfielder has already notched up 8 goals this season making him the clubs joint top scorer since joining from Cerezo Osaka. His goal return has already make him a shrewd bit of business having signed for the megre amount of €350,000. His signing could yet be more lucrative for Borussia as many of the gossip columns have linked the 21 year old to Manchester United for a figure of around €10million. However this move is higly doubtful as the pint-sized playmaker has become an integral of die Schwarzgelben's success this season and could be if they want to maintain it for the foreseeable future.

    Another player who has been intergal for Borussia is midfield maestro Nuri Sahin. Tipped as a future star at such a young age having made his debut at just 17, Sahin seems to have matured within the last season and a half into a consummate playmaker and passer of the ball. Having started all of Borussia's 17 games this season weighing in with 6 assists and 4 goals, Sahin has been instrumental in Borussia's rise to the top which will be pleasing to everyone involved at Signal Iduna Park as they have nurtured Nuri Sahin's talent through the youth teams.
    The final player I'm going to mention, even though there are many more that deserve to be, is also a product of the Borussia Dortmund youth system. 18 year old Mario Götze has been a revelation in midfield this season. Having been at the club since the age of 8, Götze made his debut last season against FSV Mainz 05 and featured spodically throughout the season however this year he has had more first team action featuring 16 times, including 12 times in the starting eleven. Götze's performances this season, including 2 goals and 6 assists, have earned him a call up to the German national side, in which he is one of many in an astonishingly good crop of new German talent, . 
    With their first game after the winter break coming on the 14th January against Bayer Leverkusen it remains to be seen whether these three players along with Lucas Barrios, Kevin Großkreutz and Robert Lewandowski can continue with their great run of form and gain Borussia their first Bundeliga title since the 01/02 season.