'Sensation of the Championship' - Foreign press deliver glowing verdict on 'unique' Sunderland star
Sunderland sensation Chris Rigg has come in for glowing praise from the continent.
In recent days, Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg has been at the centre of widespread speculation regarding his future at the Stadium of Light. First came the reports linking him with a flurry of lofty continental suitors - Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund amongst them - and then, as if not to be outdone by his foreign admirers, further whispers claiming that Premier League giants Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City are also keeping tabs on the teenager.
To an extent, this groundswell of apparent interest is no great shock. Rigg, having only turned 17 in June and penning his first professional contract a fortnight later, has been nothing short of magnificent for the Black Cats in recent weeks. Benched by Regis Le Bris in a Championship curtain-raiser against Cardiff City, the starlet was handed an opportunity to prove himself in last month’s 4-0 demolition of Sheffield Wednesday, and has remained in the Frenchman’s engine room ever since, vastly belying his relative inexperience with a run of head-turningly composed displays.
And it would appear that Rigg is attracting attention far beyond the confines of the North East and various elite level scouting departments’ spreadsheets. On Wednesday, Spanish national publication Diario AS put together a glowing profile on the midfielder - partly, it would seem, in response to those reports mentioning Real Madrid, and partly because they feel his is an ascent worth crowing about.
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When discussing Rigg, AS claim that he “unleashes madness in England”, and that he is being compared to Three Lions talisman Jude Bellingham on a regular basis. Certainly, if the Sunderland prodigy were to complete a high profile move to a European powerhouse at such an early stage in his career, there would be obvious parallels to draw.
AS then go on to state that Rigg is “the sensation of the Championship”, with “half of Europe hot on his trail”. Interestingly, the Spanish outlet also directly name-check Barcelona as suitors alongside the likes of the previously reported Real and Borussia Dortmund.
Elsewhere, it is suggested that Rigg has “long been considered one of the pearls” of England’s youth international setup, and that as a consequence, many onlookers in this country are eager to avoid a repeat of the series of events that led to Bellingham leaving Birmingham City to continue his development on the continent with Borussia Dortmund. It is this fear, AS claim, that has “put the main English clubs on alert”.
The Spanish publication then rounds out their piece on Rigg with a sparkling endorsement of what they consider to be his immense promise. “Rigg's potential is difficult to quantify, but he has been an undisputed starter in Sunderland's midfield since last season,” they write. “Few players in the world attract as much attention at 17 as Rigg, but his ability to draw the ball, his vision, and his finishing are almost unique at his age. Chris Rigg is the new name that is attracting attention in the future market in England.”