Italy?s top clubs ? and Real Madrid ? watched as the Argentinian overshadowed Kenan Yildiz in battle of playmaking prodigies
The pre-game buzz had this as a showdown between two of world football?s most intriguing young No 10s, Como?s Nico Paz v Juventus?s Kenan Yildiz. A 21-year-old Argentina international whose dazzling debut campaign in Serie A persuaded Tottenham to make an unsuccessful ?70m bid to buy him in the summer, taking on the 20-year-old trequartista with 25 appearances already for Turkey?s national team.
Fabio Capello could not pick between them, ranking Paz and Yildiz alongside Roma?s Mat?as Soul? as the finest ?fantasisti? ? artistic playmakers ? in Serie A today. The newspaper Il Giornale played on the players? shirt number and young age as they billed it as a battle ?da ?10? (e lode)?. In the Italian academic system, a grade of 110 e lode (with honours) is the highest one can achieve.
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