Player profile

The immensely talented winger is probably the best-known of Mexico’s ‘golden generation’. A product of the Barcelona academy, he currently plays for Tottenham but has struggled to adapt to the Premier League and spent the second half of the 2009/10 season on loan at Galatasaray.

The 21-year-old normally plays on the right of Mexico’s attack and is blessed with great speed and technique, although he has been criticised for lacking physical presence. He threatened to withdraw from the World Cup squad following the omission of his brother Jonathan.

‘Gio’ was the star performer in the Mexico side that won the Under-17 World Cup in 2005 and was voted the tournament’s second-best player (behind Brazil and Manchester United midfielder Anderson).

His senior debut came in September 2007 in a friendly against Panama, but the match was abandoned at half-time because of heavy rain. Last year he was named player of the tournament as Mexico won the 2009 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Dos Santos came through the ranks at Barcelona after joining the club aged 13. He was granted Spanish citizenship in August 2007 and a few weeks later made his senior debut. He ended his first season at the Nou Camp with 28 league appearances and three goals courtesy of a final-day hat-trick.

Tottenham paid £4.7m to bring him to the Premier League in July 2008 but after only 12 first-team appearances he finished the season on loan at Ipswich, where he scored four goals in eight appearances.

This season he made two League Cup outings and faced Wolves in the Premier League before another loan spell, this time at Turkish club Galatasaray, where he linked up with former Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard. He made 14 league appearances as the Istanbul side finished third.