International Champions Cup 2015: Summer Transfers with Most to Prove

The biggest friendly tournament of the summer gets under way this weekend as the 2015 International Champions Cup sees some of football's highest powers duel in the name of pre-season success.

L.A. Galaxy play host to Club America on Saturday in the competition's opening fixture, but a busy three-week schedule features the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and titleholders Manchester United.

Not all those outfits will be present throughout the tournament as the ICC jets to some of the biggest venues in North America, Australia, China and Europe, providing a prime platform for some stars to show their credentials.

This summer has already been a busy one as clubs prepare for their 2015-16 campaigns, and we provide a look at which players have the most to prove at the 2015 International Champions Cup.

Radamel Falcao, Chelsea

Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press

It's been years since Radamel Falcao's renown was so humbled, and after a forgettable season at Manchester United, the once-exalted Colombian has set his course for redemption with Chelsea.

As noted by the Daily Mail's Matt Barlow, the Blues have ushered superstar forwards through their doors in the past only to see them fall short of expectations:

Manager Jose Mourinho will be hoping Falcao is no comparison, though, and a confident pre-season could allay such fears early on after he netted just four Premier League goals with the Red Devils.

The Independent's Jack Pitt-Brooke wonders if the anterior cruciate ligament injury Falcao suffered at the start of 2014 had something to do with his decline at Old Trafford, and whether we may see an improved figure in west London:

Compared with the prolific work undertaken with Porto and Atletico Madrid, Falcao's season-long loan with United was a dismal disappointment, leaving some to question whether he's up to the task any more.

Mourinho seems to believe so, and Falcao's quest to earn a permanent deal at Stamford Bridge will start with International Champions Cup meetings against Barcelona, PSG, New York Red Bulls and Fiorentina.

Adel Taarabt, Benfica

Tano Pecoraro/Associated Press

Queens Park Rangers bad boy turned Benfica hopeful Adel Taarabt has been handed a golden opportunity in Lisbon after the Eagles saw fit to invest in his considerable talent.

The Moroccan's apparent attitude issues have always been his downfall, but QPR manager Chris Ramsey was quoted by talkSPORT as saying the creative asset "could play for any team in Europe":

"

He is one of the best players that people would have worked with. I can’t talk highly enough about his talent, he is an outstanding player and probably could play for any team in Europe on his day.

He’s had his problems regarding his conditioning and his lifestyle but having said that, he’s on to a new start now, a new beginning and I hope that his talent shines through because it is something that we’ll all be astonished at, if he plays to the level that he can.

"

The Premier League has witnessed Taarabt's quality as a trickster and renowned dribbler who, if capable of curtailing a rebellious streak, could find himself starring in the Champions League this coming season.

Benfica are bound to offer their new acquisition his share of opportunities in the ICC pre-season fixtures, offering him the ideal chance to showcase a skill set that should go down a treat in Portugal.

Memphis Depay, Manchester United

Jon Super/Associated Press

Having just finished as the Eredivisie's top scorer with PSV, Memphis Depay doesn't have a great deal to prove, per se, but the step up to Manchester United is an audacious one, to say the least.

Hailed as one of Europe's most gifted attackers right now, he has earned comparisons to former Red Devil Cristiano Ronaldo but was keen to play down the likeness upon being unveiled this week, per the Irish Independent's Carl Markham:

"That is the best player in the world. I don't want to talk too much. I want to show it on the pitch. I am still young. I played two seasons for PSV. I want to let my feet speak. I don't want to compare myself with somebody like that."

It's a humble approach from a player who just cost one of the biggest clubs in the world a staggering fee of £31 million, but such is the hype Depay has created during his time in Holland.

Coming to England, the forward gets his chance to work with former Netherlands mentor Louis van Gaal, who is sure to give fans their first taste of his talent during the 2015 International Champions Cup.

With the Independent confirming Robin van Persie's move to Fenerbahce as "done," Depay will be expected to help out greatly in the scoring department, especially after netting 26 goals last term:

Audiences in Seattle, San Jose, Santa Clara and Chicago will have their chances to gaze upon Depay's mazy dribbling ability, not to mention a chance at glimpsing his first Manchester United goals.

Many European prospects have shone in the past, only to dim under the spotlight of Europe's elite leagues. Depay makes that upgrade this summer and the ICC will test as to how he's coping with the transition.