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Who On Earth Is… Germán Denis?

By Matthew Day ⋅ December 22, 2007 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

A late, but prodigious, bloomer from the shores of South America, Germán Denis finished on top of the scoring charts in the Argentine Apertura Championship with a colossal 18 goals in 19 matches for mid-table outfit Independiente.

Denis has taken his time to adapt to the difficulties of Argentine football, playing for an array of clubs in his ten-year career including Arsenal de Sarandí and Italian Serie B outfit Cesena, but after a sluggish beginning with his current employers the forward has, at 26 years of age, finally come good. His failure to be clinical in front of goal has plagued Denis’s career in the top-flight, but greater concentration and consistency has elevated his name onto the lips of some of Europe’s leading club sides.

Lazio head the list of interested parties but Spanish football could suit him equally well, while the success of Carlos Tévez in England - a player who shares similar attributes - might tempt the Argentinean to venture towards the Premier League, and joining the Latin connection at Liverpool would be a tempting prospect and a coup for Rafa Benítez.

At 1.83m and nearly 80kg, Denis is a bulky figure who makes up for a lack of pace with his vision and dexterity, along with a talent every striker must possess: always being able to anticipate in front of goal. Fantastic form in the Apertura Championship highlighted Denis’s exquisite goal-scoring capacity and earned him a first call up to the Albiceleste for the opening two matches of the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign. He made his debut as a substitute against Venezuela.

Consistency within the 19-game championship is one thing, but the number 19 must ensure he does not settle back into old habits and go missing for long periods in matches and be liable to miss guilt-edged opportunities.

Denis is keen to ensure these infuriating aspects vanish from his game, “While I feel very confident and pleased about my goalscoring, I’m not putting any limits on myself. My only goal is to continue in this vein.”

The success of Carlos Tévez might tempt Denis to venture towards the Premier League, and joining the Latin connection at Liverpool would be a tempting prospect and a coup for Rafa Benítez

If he can make it into double figures - never mind 18 - in the Clausura, his reputation as a leading Latin prodigy would be secured and a return to Europe likely. With transfer fees still relatively low for South American talent, risk would be slight for a striker about to enter his prime.

Competition is tough for a starting berth in the national side, however. Alongside the established forwards of Carlos Tévez, Julio Cruz and Hernán Crespo, Denis must deal with the younger generation who have already made big names for themselves, from the phenomena of Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero to other positional rivals such as Rodrigo Palacio and Javier Saviola. With the majority succeeding abroad in one of the globe’s three major leagues, Denis might need to switch continents in order to gain the attention of national coach Alfio Basile.

Moreover, Denis, with his distinctive shade of hair colour, is conscious of the need to move things along quickly after a slow start to his career, “I’m here now and have high expectations, but all I’m thinking about is maintaining my current form.” Those expectations include another stab at European football, where the geniuses of Martin Palermo and Juan Román Riquelme have failed to survive. A summer transfer looks eminently possible, giving Denis time to tie up his reputation as another star forward in the Argentine ranks and a year in Europe to suitably impress Basile and earn a place in the World Cup squad heading for South Africa.

Time is a factor, however, and Denis has let his watch run towards the midnight deadline before managing to halt, or at least slow, its inevitable movement, finally finding his feet at Independiente. It could be the start of a twilight climax to an always-promising career, culminating with a first appearance at the world cup and silverware with club and country.

With the clock stuck at a few minutes before a new day is ready to begin, Denis has arisen to great acclaim - and it is now down to him to make the most of his patent ability and ensure his name sticks in the minds of the fervent Albiceleste supporters long after the twelve chimes bring a close to his footballing life.

“Good things are happening to me now, things that even a short while ago I couldn’t have expected, but I don’t want to lose my head. Now is the time to be consistent,” attests the ambitious forward. Europe’s top clubs are licking their lips - but will they bite? The answer to the question is ultimately down to Germán Denis, a player who has risen from a no one to the hottest property in Argentinean football in a mere five months.

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