Lucas Ocampos

[King Binny]

Riding on dmishra's post in the 'Goalscorer' thread.

[quote author=dmishra link=topic=47726.msg1437218#msg1437218 date=1322913527]
Saw a couple of stories linking us with this guy. 17 year old Lucas Ocampos. Broken into River Plate's first team - supposedly the next big thing in Argentina.

Clip: Not much go to go by, but the lad looks the part physically

Lucas Ocampos - River Plate - 2011
[/quote]

Nationality: Argentinian
Date of Birth: 11/07/94
Place of Birth: Quilmes
Height: 187cms
Weight: 80kgs

A step-over king with an eye for goal, Lucas Ocampos may only be 17 but the young Argentine has a bright future ahead of him. Liverpool are the latest club to be linked with him and would be wise to snap up the new CR7.

River Plate may be suffering the ignominy of playing in Argentina’s second division for the first time in 102 years but the club’s famed youth system continues to uncover exciting talent. Having recently sold Erik Lamela to Roma and loaned Manuel Lanzini to Fluminense, River already have a new wunderkind making waves in the first team in Lucas Ocampos. The 17-year-old has recently been linked with Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Milan, Inter, Manchester United and Liverpool after a blazing start to his River career. Chelsea are considered the frontrunners to sign the youngster at this stage, having indicated they may be willing to pay upwards of £15 million for his services.

Ocampos is a professed admirer of Cristiano Ronaldo and cites the Real Madrid star as a major influence on his footballing style. The similarities between the two are hard to ignore. The young Argentinian is physically imposing at 1.87m and 80kg. He is also a prodigious dribbler who enjoys taking on his marker. Most notable is his pace. Fast as a jackrabbit, Ocampos can burst past defenders on the left wing before cutting inside or laying passes in to teammates. He favours his right side when dribbling, though like any Argentinian attacking player worth his salt he possesses a powerful, accurate shot with either foot.

Having started kicking a ball about at the age of four and played as a youngster in five-a-side and seven-a-side football, Ocampos was scouted by his local team, Quilmes Atlético Club. As he had never played on a full-sized pitch before, Ocampos was unable to tell coaching staff at Quilmes what position he favoured, and was originally tried as a right-sided fullback for two years. Later he was used as a box-to-box midfielder before his eye for goal saw him moved to the number 9 position where he proved an adept marksman. He scored at underage levels against both Boca and River and earned himself a transfer to the latter, as well as a call up to Argentina’s Under 15 national team and later to the Under 17 squad, where he shone at the World Championships in February of this year, playing as a forward. Upon his return to River, Ocampos was integrated into the first team for pre-season training by new manager Matias Almeyda.

The recently-retired Almeyda was highly impressed with what he saw and selected the starlet for River’s first match of the season against Chacarita, where he performed superbly playing as a left-sided attacking midfielder. Ocampos’ place in the first team is now secure as he has been one of River’s standout players during the club’s first ever Nacional B campaign. He scored with a towering header in his second match and has added two more goals and a handful of assists since. It was only a matter of time before the big European clubs took notice.

The obvious question is whether a kid who has played less than a dozen games in Argentina’s second division is capable of making the switch to one of Europe’s big-name clubs in what would be one of the most expensive transfers ever for a teenager if the figures being bandied about are to be believed. The short answer, of course, is that it is too early to tell. Nobody can claim to have seen enough of Ocampos to confidently assert he will flourish in Europe, but the signs are positive. The main point of uncertainty whenever an Argentinian talent moves to the Old Continent is how the player will cope with the amplified physicality and pace of European football. Ocampos should not have any problems in those areas – as has been mentioned he excels in those facets of the game.

There are slight question marks over his decision-making abilities at this early stage of his career, which is understandable for one so young who only knows how to play at one speed, Fast Forward. Like an early-version Cristiano, Ocampos will occasionally attempt a dazzling stepover when a simple sideways pass would be more effective. He is not an overly selfish player, however, and one would assume he will learn better how to apply his talents as he gains precious experience, whether it is in Argentinian or European football.

Should a European giant sign him in the near future, they may consider loaning him out for a year or so in order for the player to get more games under his belt, though he could conceivably be used as an impact substitute at even the highest level. In terms of the potential that he offers, a multimillion dollar investment in Ocampos does not seem a ludicrous move at this stage. There is a reason such figures are being mentioned, and a reason that River Plate fans are debating whether he should even be let go at such a price. That a rare talent has been revealed in recent months is undeniable. That a luminous future lies ahead for Lucas Ocampos is all but inevitable.

 

[King Binny]

"In my neighborhood they called me 'Luquitas' (little Lucas), because I was always the smallest".

One could never imagine that this 17 year-old, trapped in such an enormous body, would ever be given such a diminutive nickname. 82 kg stretched over 187 cm, Lucas Ocampos is the new revelation of River Plate, already drawing comparisons to his idol Cristiano Ronaldo , due to his physique, role and style of play.

The fairy tale began some two years ago, in mid-2009. Ocampos, born and raised in Quilmes, a neighborhood in south Buenos Aires, scored a brace against River`s youth team, whose coach was so impressed that he told the team`s management: "You must sign the kid".

The deal was sealed when Ocampos returned from the South-American U-15 championship later this year, where the he caught the eye again delivering two goals for Argentina. His good performance at the U-17 world cup this summer, where he started all 4 matches, earned him a call for River`s senior team pre-season matches.

It was not long before club veteran and current first team coach, Matias Almeyda, decided that "this young bull" deserves a bigger stage to showcase his talent. "Lucas Ocampos is a real crack, quite unstoppable. He has a tremendous future", Almeida praised. Future? Ocampos became an instant hit in the Primera B Nacional. He found the net in his 2nd league match to become River`s second ever youngest scorer, after Javier Saviola, then adding another goal a week later. He started in all of River`s first seven league matches, also adding two assists.

Although Ocampos has been playing alongside club heroes such as Fernando Cavenaghi and Alvaro Dominguez, and fellow Argentinian Lionel Messi is regarded as the best footballer in the world, the young sensation eyes are set on someone else: "I always watch Cristiano Ronaldo , because he plays on the line and cuts inside to produce a shot on goal. And he's very fast in one on one situations. I try to imitate him. Everybody want to be like Messi, but Ronaldo is the one I like."

Arriving at River's youth team playing as second striker, Ocampos had been transformed into a left winger, the main position of his role model, where he can find more space to make use of his brilliant dribbling, great speed and superb physique. He can dribble his way through tough defenders found in the Argentinian second division, combining high class technique and pace with impressive physical strength. Ocampos knows how to make use of his physique in keeping hold of the ball and winning aerial duels, and has shown great heading ability, combining power and accuracy, when scoring his first two River goals. The 17-year old is a versatile player, natural striker who has accustomed brilliantly to playing the left line, showing great movement in cutting into central positions and shooting with his powerful right foot. Well, he watches the videos.

As part of Almeyda's project of turning the completely offensive minded Ocampos, who prefers playing just behind the strikers, into a left winger, the young jewel still needs to adjust himself tactically to defensive duties, as well improving his crosses with his left foot. Few weeks into his senior career, Ocampos said that he still has to get used to the pace and aggressiveness at this level.

The transition from youth leagues to the first team of one of the biggest clubs in Argentina, a country notoriously known for frequently crowning new Maradonas (or Messis), is a lot to take for a 17 year old boy, on and off the pitch, but the formerly known as 'Luquitas' seems to handle the pressure just fine ."It strikes me that the fans stop me on the street .And now I can`t go to McDonald`s or dance with my friends. I am a teenager like everyone else, but I will leave everything behind for River", says the new born star. "The most important thing is to stay united with my family, my friends and my team-mates. They all help me to keep both feet on the ground, they tell me 'enjoy what you do and always think that you haven`t achieved anything yet". Above all, it may be due to his mature attitude that Ocampos won a starting role in River's offensive line, but he is still being carefully guided by Almeyda and Cavenaghi, who try not to let his newly found success spin his head.

River signed Ocampos until 2015 and has an option, the team will exercise very soon, to purchase 50% of the ownership on the great talent for 350,000$. Lucas` childhood team, Quilmes, still owns 15% and the other 35% are in the hands of a business group. Some Italian and Spanish teams have already shown interest in the wizkid, with rumors that Inter Milan made an 18 million Euro offer that was rejected by River. For now, Ocampos just wants to keep on living the dream: "Playing for River is the best thing that happened to me. I try not to think about other clubs and offers, otherwise I will go crazy".

Well, the defenders who have to chase him already do.

 

[Buddha]

I'm sold. He sounds amazing.