Alan Ruiz

Date of Birth	Nationality	Current Club	Position	Strengths		Weaknesses	Transfer Rumours	Market Value (where applicable)	Similar Players
				Physical	Technical
19/8/1993	Argentina	San Lorenzo	AM/LF/RF	Pace, Strength	Dribbling, Passing, Ball Control, Composure, Long Shots, Technique, Vision	Experience	Udinese	2m Euros	Angel di Maria

Alan Ruiz is a 20-year-old Argentinian Attacking Midfielder who plays for San Lorenzo in the Argentinian Primera Division. He is a left footed player and can also play on either wing as an attacking forward. Ruiz is a player who has attacking great abilities. He is quick and strong which allows him to attack with great speed and can easily shrug off defenders with his strength. A fantastic dribbler of the ball, Ruiz is a very skilful player when he has the ball at his feet. Not afraid to take on defenders, he has been seen at times using his skill and trickery to take on 3 defenders at a time. Ruiz is a player who is not afraid of getting challenged, which allows him to draw several tackles from opponents and eventually winning free kicks in attacking areas. He started his playing career at Gimnasia LP a team who were in the Second Division when he broke into the first team during the 2011-2012 season. He was a standout performer in their team primarily playing in midfield and behind the striker. This is where he was able to show his skills and ability to take on defenders singlehandedly. Following a good season with the team he was transferred to San Lorenzo in the summer.

Ruiz is a player with a great turn of pace and great strength allowing him to hold the ball and quickly turn leaving defenders behind. However, what is most impressive about his play is his ability to keep the ball with his fine ball control and dribbling. A player who is not afraid to play with the ball, he enjoys keeping possession before passing to a teammate. Other great attributes of his are his vision and composure. Both these attributes combined can cause him to be a threat to many defences. He is not afraid of playing audacious long balls, often being able to pick out teammates, as well as playing quick pass and go moves with teammates. A very attack minded player he has a keen eye for goal and enjoys going forward. Recently for San Lorenzo we have seen the emergence of his great ability to take long shots with strong power having scored some good goals in the process. Although he is not a regular member of the first team, he is slowly getting more playing time and it is only a matter of time before he becomes a permanent fixture in the squad. He was a member of the Argentina U-20 Squad that had a dismal showing in the 2013 South American Youth Championship, although he scored a penalty in the group stages against eventual champions Columbia in a 3-2 win.

Ruiz is currently an unknown name in Europe; he had a little interest from Inter a few years ago and more recently Udinese, however none of it was concrete enough to merit a move from South America. It is a good opportunity for him in the next few years for him to break into the first team squad at San Lorenzo, and then put in some good performances for the Argentina Youth set up before finally making a move to Europe. He is a player that reminds me a lot like Angel Di Maria in the way he dribbles the ball and takes fierce long distance shots. Although he is nowhere near the level of Di Maria, there are similarities in his game that helped me identify his style as being similar to Di Marias. Ruiz definitely has the capability of playing in Europe one day, and maybe soon enough he will get this opportunity. In the meanwhile he will need to work hard, make the first team for his club before any move can come into fruition. He is a player I will be watching closely to see how he progresses further.