Son of Slovakia coach Vladimir and grandson of Czechoslovakia international Vladimir, the latest Vladimir Weiss has a ready-made panel of experts to turn to in matters of football guidance. He no doubt made his namesakes proud by gaining a place in his country’s FIFA World Cup™ squad. Sent out on loan to Bolton Wanderers for the season just past, the 20-year-old is seen as a potential star of the future by his national coach as well as by his club, Manchester City. He now has the chance to elevate his career to the next level in South Africa.

An extremely gifted footballer, with great speed and dribbling skills, Weiss left Inter Bratislava in 2006, tempted by the chance to prove himself in the English Premier League. He got down to some hard work for The Citizens straight away, making good progress in City’s youth team. An FA Youth Cup triumph in April 2008, against a Chelsea team that included his compatriot Miroslav Stoch, was a highlight of Weiss’ fledgling period in his adopted country. He made his league debut for Manchester City in a 1-0 defeat of Bolton a year later, and when he was subsequently called up by his father to the national team, the future looked very bright for the precocious Slovak. Unfortunately, his good fortune was not to last.

The series of high-profile transfers made by City prior to the 2009/10 season did not augur well for the young international, desperate for playing time so that he could begin to be looked upon as a first-team regular. His club, supportive of his situation, decided that both parties would benefit from Weiss playing more frequently, and loaned him to Bolton in the 2010 January transfer window. This turned out to be an excellent move for Wanderers and Slovakia alike. The diminutive Weiss did not disappoint, and neither is he likely to at South Africa 2010 either; after all, he will be following in some illustrious footsteps.