Koke is it! Atletico Madrid’s ‘new Xavi’ taking Spanish football by storm

Spain dominated the world stage for four years with a star-studded midfield consisting of Xavi, Xabi Alonso and Andres Iniesta. But with the former duo nearing the twilight of their careers and the latter about to turn 30, La Roja are seeking the next generation of playmakers.

Step up Koke.

The Atletico Madrid star has been a vital cog in the Rojiblanco machine this season, which has swept all aside to win the first eight games of the campaign - including a first derby victory over Real Madrid since the 1990s.

Already an experienced campaigner at the age of just 21, Koke has notched up 118 appearances for his hometown club, netting nine goals along the way.

As a versatile midfielder, Koke has been deployed on the right of Atletico's midfield this season, balancing out the flamboyant Arda Turan on the left and tucking inside to form a midfield trio when necessary.

But Koke's future lies in central midfield as his industrious nature and range of passing has been likened by many to Barcelona star Xavi - and our colleagues at Squawka.com have taken an in-depth look at the attributes that could make him a superstar.

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Travelling with La Roja for their final two World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Georgia, Koke is faced with the prospect of potentially replacing Xavi one day alongside fellow youngsters Isco and Thiago Alcantara.

Koke has demonstrated exactly the kind of passing range that Xavi has made his trademark for so long for Barcelona and Spain, and his current pass completion rate of 82% doesn't do it justice as playing on the right forces him to make more riskier passes on a regular basis.