Carlos Gruezo

Carlos Gruezo grew up into a footballing family. His father, with the same name, appeared one time for Ecuador in the 90's. Now, this 19 year old is ready to take the world by storm as the young defensive midfielder expects to play some part in this summer's World Cup for South American side Ecuador.

Carlos Gruezo started his young career playing in his homeland for famous side LDU Quito, before making a move abroad to Uruguay with Defensor Sporting. One year later he was back in his homeland playing for Independiente. Eventually, in 2011, the defensive midfielder finally earned his first call up to the first team of his club.

From there, he made a move to legendary Ecuadorian side Barcelona SC where he played in 77 games for his club. Last summer, German side VfB Stuttgart flew the youngster in for a trial. He impressed during his three week spell in Germany, and later penned a permanent deal with the Bundesliga side in January 2014. Then, this season, Gruezo finally made the breakthrough into VfB's first team.

Playing regularly in the German top flight has helped his international prospects and in May 2014 he played his first game for Ecuador at the Amsterdam Arena against Netherlands in a World Cup warm up. Gruezo put in an impressive performance, holding the midfield together from deep and bursting forward with the occasional upfield run. He has now proved he is ready for the major stage, with some in Ecuador calling for the youngster to play in the first team now.

One of the most impressive things about this young Ecuadorian is that, despite having a small frame at just 171cm, the Santo Domingo born youngster is very powerful and a tough tackler. He shields his defence well and is not afraid to throw in a solid tackle when required. In his 8 Bundesliga games so far, Gruezo has shown that he is able to compete at the top level even at the tender age of 19.

With the ball at his feet he is very comfortable. In the middle of VfB Stuttgart's midfield Gruezo has been playing alongside Christian Gentner and Martin Harnik impressively. Under the tuition of coach Huub Stevens, Gruezo is sure to grow into a magnificent young player.Numerous teams in Europe are sure to be keeping a look out for this youngster - there is plenty more to come.

Eyefootball Rating:

Current Rating: 31/50

Potential Rating: 47/50