Five reasons why Ben Woodburn has the world at his feet

#2 Speed and strength

Wales v Austria - FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier — Ben Woodburn scores the only goal of the game for Wales against Austria

Goals win games, and while Woodburn failed to match his headline-making winner, he showed another side to his game when he took to the field against Moldova, by the way he assisted in the opening goal from Hal Robson-Kanu in the 2-0 win.

Picking up the ball on the left, Woodburn began to run at the Moldova defence from a deep position with pace, and then found some more pace, and while remaining in control of the ball, continued to monitor the situation in the area. This was a man in complete control despite being under-pressure from his marker.

He pin-pointed the perfect cross for Robson-Kanu, and while the finish wasn't the tidiest from the West Bromwich Albion striker, it was enough to cause wild celebrations in the away end of the tiny Eastern European stadium. Still maturing physically, Woodburn already has deceptive pace and strength on his list of impressive qualities, and it is this physical and technical potential that has already resulted in comparisons being made with some of the very best players in the world.

About the author

As a freelance football writer, I have extensive experience of covering the European game for a wide range of top level digital platforms and printed publications.

I have performed a number of exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the football world, and have reported live from the finals of UEFA EURO, Champions League fixtures, Europa League fixtures, Women's Champions League fixtures as well as top international and club fixtures during the course of my career.

My role has enabled me to sit down exclusively with the likes of Thierry Henry, Edgar Davids, Gareth Bale, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ryan Giggs, Aaron Ramsey and many others to discuss their experiences of competing at the very highest-level.

For Sportskeeda, I will be taking a closer look at the stories behind the stories from across the European game, with regular exclusive features on the players, clubs and managers making the headlines.

Know More

Edited by Arvind Sriram