Yevhen Konoplyanka
Now that the mighty Andriy Shevchenko is at the twilight of his career, the Ukrainians are searching for the next rising star to join players such as Artem Milevskyi and Oleksandr Aliev in leading the national team to major tournaments.
And in Yevhen Konoplyanka they appear to have hit the jackpot.
Konoplyanka, who plays for Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk , has already drawn comparisons with Lionel Messi - and not only due to his physical resemblance to the Argentine phenomenon.
Just like Messi, Konoplyanka is quick, has great technique and at times the ball appears to be glued to his feet.
With strength that belies his size, Konoplyanka is capable of shaking off strong defenders.
These similarities with Messi come as no surprise, with Konoplyanka himself saying that the Barcelona star is his role model, and that he tries to learn from him and incorporate the Argentine's moves into his own game.
Just like Messi, Konoplyanka is also a versatile, all-round forward who can play in every attacking role. Konoplyanka likes to operate mainly on the wings, where he has more space to take advantage of his speed and his dribbling skills, but he is also adept at playing behind the strikers or even as an out-and-out forward himself.
Even though he is naturally a right-footed player, Konoplyanka often plays on the left-wing for Dnipro, and with great success, too.
This great versatility is a direct outcome of his professional attitude towards the game.
Konoplyanka has stated his willingness to play in any role that he is entrusted with, even a defensive one, if it is beneficial to his team's success. This highly professional attitude reflects a mature personality and is likely to help him progress as a player.
Konoplyanka likes to join the attack whenever he can, though, and he is always a threat with his fine long-range shooting. In time, when he learns to be more purposeful and finds the confidence to dribble his way into the box more frequently, he will become a huge attacking force and is sure to score more goals.
Konoplyanka began his career in the youth team of Ukrainian local side Olympic (Kirovograd). At the age of 16 (in the winter of 2006) he was transferred to Dnipro, and a year later, in August 2007, he made his professional debut. Ever since that debut, Konoplyanka received more and more playing time, and in February 2010, he established himself as a first-team regular.
During the 2009/10 season, Konoplyanka showed glimpses of his talent every time he touched the ball and he ended the campaign with some terrific performances that gave the impression that 2010/11 is going to be his breakthrough season.
His tremendous form and potential caught the eye of Ukraine coach Myron Markevych, and Konoplyanka recently made his debut for the national team.
At the time of writing, Konoplyanka has played in three international friendly games, in which he performed well and scored a goal. His displays prompted plaudits from the media as well as rivals' coaches.
It seems that it won't be long before Konoplyanka joins a bigger club, probably in Ukraine or Russia.
But we at IMScouting won't be surprised in the slightest if he eventually joins an even more prestigious league and graces a top European side.
The future is extremely bright for this young starlet.
