Every major football competition delivers intriguing storylines, exciting matchups, and breakout players. Inevitably, there is a player who scores a handful of goals and gets everybody excited -- announcers, fans, and scouts alike. It leads to a dramatic overreaction on that player's abilities, earning him the title "That Guy."
You know That Guy. Three things are almost always true about That Guy.
- You didn't know -- or barely knew -- him before the competition.
- He exceeds all expectations by scoring 3+ goals for his country in the competition.
- He gets paaaaid after the competition by an overreacting club.
2014:
After the 2014 World Cup, Divock Origi was That Guy. He scored a few goals for Belgium -- a country that also boasts Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke at forward. As a result, Liverpool snapped him up.
He no longer plays for Liverpool.
2016:
After the 2016 Euros, Hal Robson-Kanu was That Guy. He scored a few goals for Wales -- a country that also boasts Gareth Bale. As a result, West Brom snapped him up. He scored 2 goals in 21 Premier League appearances for the relegated Baggies.
He still plays for West Brom -- for now.
Honorable mention from the 2016 Euros goes to every Icelandic player who now plays for a non-Icelandic club. A number of Those Guys stood out enough to get signed. Few of them are household names. The one who still is -- Gylfi Sigurdsson -- is coming off of a terrible year.
2018:
It is going to happen again during the 2018 World Cup. Someone will stand out, everyone will notice, a club will overpay to sign him, and then That Guy will be...average. At best.
As a serious Fantasy Premier League owner, my job will be to identify That Guy and make sure he comes nowhere near my FPL squad.
