James Balagizi
Country: England/DR Congo
Date of birth: 20/09/2003 (17 years old)
Place of birth: Manchester (England)
Height: —
Youth career: Manchester City, Liverpool
Current club: Liverpool
Squad number: —
Current national team: England U-18
Position: defensive midfielder, central midfielder, attacking midfielder
Preferred foot: right
Market value (by transfermarkt.de): —
Tournaments participated in: —
Contract until: unknown
Player’s agent: unknown
Transfer rumours: —
Similar type of player: Yaya Touré
Strengths:
– pace 
– passing
– athleticism
– vision
– technique
– ball control
– dribbling 
– versatility
Weaknesses:
– not very dominant in the air despite being tall/can improve his heading ability
Style of play:
– powerful, skillful & creative box-to-box midfielder/advanced playmaker
– player with very good body mass ratio, physical strength, power, stamina and natural fitness who feels comfortable in contact situations
– all-round midfielder
– midfielder who can perform at all of midfield positions, linking up the team’s midfield and attack with ease and effectiveness
– intelligent player, who finds the space well between the lines
– great coordination, agility and footwork for a player of his size
– midfielder that imposes himself on the pitch with his physicality, work rate, energy and determination
– extremely difficult to knock off the ball thanks to his size, technique and good close control
– possesses high stamina, energy and the ability to go on lung-bursting runs through the middle of the park
– elegant and composed under pressure/press-resistant player
– great creativity and composure to make some good assist/through/killer passes into the box
– above-average decision making
– great tactical and spatial awareness
– very good in combination play
– able to play line-breaking passes thanks to his technique, vision, and timing
– impacts the game at both the ends of the pitch
– his stamina, determination and pace enables him to cover a lot of ground ground
– hard-working and determined in defensive phase with many important tackles and interceptions for his team
– very accomplished for his age
Balagizi wins the ball back, enters the penalty area and provides an assist.
Balagizi with a great run and brilliant through ball to assist his teammate.
He is best suited to playing as:
Central midfielder in 4-3-3.
Video:
Achievements:
—
League summary (as for 7 May 2021):
No senior team appearances yet.
Description:
James Balagizi moved to Liverpool youth academy from Manchester City at the age of 11. Currently, he is one of the leaders of Liverpool U18s along with two other very talented players Mateusz Musiałowski and Layton Stewart. James is also a part of an extremely talented generation of English players born in 2003 which includes, among others Harvey Elliott, Liam Delap, Jude Bellingham, Carney Chukwuemeka, Louie Barry, Karamoko Dembélé and Aaron Ramsey.
Quotes:
“My parents didn’t think that being at City was the best for me at the time. I’m a Manchester lad and I didn’t like the idea of moving, but when I looked at it in perspective, it was good for my career.”
(James Balagizi)
Football Talent Scout potential rating:
Player has the potential to become a key player in a top European club.
Links: