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uefa.com's ones to watch in 2007

/noticias.info/ As 2006 drew to a close, we asked our network of correspondents covering the 41 smaller nations to choose the player who has most impressed them during the past year. Today our alphabetical journey begins with the nominations from Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Israel and Kazakhstan.

Czech Republic
Jan Blažek (FC Slovan Liberec)
The gifted striker entered the Czech Republic top flight and European competition with a bang this year, settling into the starting lineup with champions Liberec, with two league goals and another two in the UEFA Cup since the summer. He also won a bronze medal at UEFA Under-19 European Championship in July and was promoted to U21 side despite being just 18.

Denmark
Mikkel Thygesen (FC Midtjylland)
Tall and powerful, 22-year-old attacking midfielder Thygesen has made his name in the Superliga this autumn as Midtjylland ended the year in second place in the table. Having signed from BK Frem in the summer of 2004, he has come on in leaps and bounds, impressing for the U21s and making his first senior appearance for Denmark in a 1-1 friendly draw against the Czech Republic in Prague on 15 November.

Estonia
Nikita Andreev (FC Levadia Tallinn)
Skillful and fast, 18-year-old Russian forward Andreev coped extremely well with the speed and pressure of the Meistriliiga in his first season, scoring 17 goals for title-winning Levadia. The Narva-born player has opted to represent Russia rather than Estonia and impressed in UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification, scoring two goals and helping Russia to advance to the Elite round as group winners.

Faroe Islands
Símun Samuelsen (Keflavík)
A 21-year-old attacking midfielder and forward, Samuelsen made his international debut at the age of 18, and has become a regular for the Faroe Islands. With his technical skills and physical strength, he has the potential to develop even further. Currently playing his club football in Iceland with Keflavík, he scored his first goal in UEFA competition in this summer's UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Finland
Veli Lampi (HJK Helsinki)
The new year will see reliable defender Lampi leave Finland behind to start a three-and-a-half year contract at Swiss side FC Zürich, but few HJK fans will begrudge him success. After joining from VPS Vaasa two years ago, he made the right-back slot at HJK his own and earned international recognition with his first caps for Finland. A versatile player, his best years lie ahead of him.

Georgia
Nika Gelashvili (FC WIT Georgia)
After WIT's leading scorer Otar Martsvaladze left before the start of the season, 21-year-old Gelashvili took his place and became the key attacker in a centre-forward position. Strong in the air, Gelashvili has a powerful shot and is a real predator in the box. He is the league's top scorer with eight goals after the first half of the season and represents Georgia at U21 level.

Hungary
Krisztián Németh (MTK Budapest)
A strong but skilful centre forward, Németh made his debut in the blue and white of MTK last season at the age of 17, but has stepped up a gear in 2005/06, ending the autumn campaign with six goals. A key player for Hungary at the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Championships, he can score from anywhere and is adept at playing a short-passing game. Many see his talents as a throw-back to the time of Hungarian greats like Ferenc Puskás.

Iceland
Birkir Már Sćvarsson (Valur Reykjavík)
A 22-year-old full back, Sćvarsson has spent his entire career at Valur. He broke into the first team this year and swiftly proved a major find. The boy can run and is getting known for sprinting from one end of the pitch to the other tirelessly during games. His loyalty to Valur is well known - he sports a tattoo of the clubs logo.

Israel
Toto Tamuz (Beitar Jerusalem FC)
A Nigerian-born striker, Tamuz joined Beitar from Hapoel Petach-Tikva FC in the summer, and has been in excellent form ever since, scoing four goals in ten league appearances – eight of them as a substitute. Still just 18, he has been accelerated into the Israel senior national team, scoring in the 4-1 UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying win against Andorra.

Kazakhstan
Murat Suyumagambetov (FC Ordbasy Shymkent)
A move back into his favoured position at Ordabasy has seen striker Suyumagambetov emerge as an important player in Kazakhstan. Many believed that the 23-year-old had made a poor decision when he chose to leave FC Tobol Kostanay to return to Ordbasy at the start of the season. The lone striker in a 4-5-1 system at Ordbasy, he scored 13 goals and shone as the club's vice-captain, earning a first national team call-up in December. notas_de_prensa_archivo