Mr. Potential

AKA Yassine Chikhaoui AKA 2006 Tunisian Ballon D’or Winner AKA Youngest ever captain of L’Etoile Sportive du Sahel… For those who watched him grow up playing for ESS, the name brings back memories of winning the Tunisian domestic league and the 2006 CAF Cup (African equivalent to Europes UEFA Cup). After being scouted by none other than Marseille, Lens, and Le Mans, the boy wonder decided to pack his bags and take his skills to FC Zurich where he would be sure to get steady playing time at this sensitive point in his career. He is only 20 years old and already has a world cup cap under his belt as well as well as appearances and victories in the most important African club competitions. The man who they simply call Chi5a is treated like a king in the coastal town of Sousse and many Tunisians consider him our most talented offensive threat for the future. With a lanky yet powerful frame, a willingness to run at and through defenders, and a deft touch to boot, some have gone as far as to compare him to none other than Inter’s Zlatan.

Although he got into an argument recently with Issam Jemaa of CAEN that resulted in him getting booted from a National team practice session, it would be crazy of Roger Lemerre to make his exile permanent. He has already scored three goals in this young season for his new club and is taking the Swiss Super League by storm. I hope he continues to impress and makes the most of his time on the field to further polish his game and eventually moves to a club with a higher profile. For now it will be fun to watch him leaving confused expressions on the faces of defenders who fail to understand how his classy moves put them on their backsides (I’m talking to that guy in the picture, as well as the countless defenders who are humiliated in the following videos).

Chi5a skillz and goals (much of it is impressive footage of him picking apart Botswana’s Olympic Team)

Chikhaoui taking on the Dinho himself (While this comparison is far off the mark its still fun to watch, despite the fluctuating quality… of the resolution, not the soccer)

Second Goal For FC Zurich (He cuts this dude twice! Oh la la!)