A look at the best young talents in the world. For the purposes of this list we constitute ‘young’ footballers to be those yet to celebrate their 22nd birthday.
20. Wilfried Zaha (Manchester United)
After a few years of impressing in the Championship, Wilfried Zaha was snapped up by Manchester United in January before being loaned back to Crystal Palace. The 20-year-old is an exciting attacking player who can play either out wide or upfront, and it will be interesting to see him in the Premier League next season with better players around him. He has already made his senior England debut and is undoubtedly one of the most exciting young players in the country at the moment, despite a disappointing show for the Under-21s in this summer’s European Championships.
19. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal)
The Arsenal teenager already has over 100 club appearances to his name, initially impressing at Southampton before becoming the latest St Mary’s talent to garner a move away from the South Coast. The 19 year old exploded onto the scene in his first season at the Emirates Stadium and perhaps went off the boil a tad last term.
The England man was predominantly used in a wide attacking role but has been increasingly become a very able player in a more central attacking midfield role which could perhaps his more likely future position. Has a dozen caps to his name and his latest strike, a quality finish against Brazil, proved that he is a more than capable finisher at the highest level.
18. Paul Pogba (Juventus)
This midfield powerhouse was inexplicably left out of first-team affairs during his time at Manchester United, which saw him leave the club on a free transfer last summer for Italian champions Juventus. Even in the Serie A side’s star-studded lineup, Pogba has looked very much the part and has been attracting interest from United’s Premier League rivals Manchester City and Arsenal. The 20-year-old is very much in the Yaya Toure mould, in his ability to both break up attacks and start them. He posseses great natural physique, as well as exceptional technique with some memorable long-range goals for Juve this year. Patrick Vieira rates him as France’s best young player at the moment, and that is some compliment from one of the finest midfielders the game has seen.
17. Marco Verratti (PSG)
Marco Verratti was catching the eye in Serie B with Pescara before making a big move to French giants PSG last summer. The 20-year-old Italian is a talented deep-lying midfield playmaker, and has been compared with Juventus and Italy legend Andrea Pirlo in his playing style and ability. Verratti already has three caps for the senior Italian national team and is one of the more exciting names on show at this summer’s European Under-21 Championships. This is a player with a great future, though he is also showing himself to be very much one for the present as well, already being a regular for a big club and for his country.
16. Adem Ljajic (Fiorentina)
Young Serbian Adem Ljajic already looks like one of the top attacking midfielders in Serie A, and is certainly up there with the best young players in the world at the moment. The 21-year-old nearly joined Manchester United a few years ago, though they inexplicably rejected him. He has since moved from Partizan Belgrade to current club Fiorentina, where he is a key player for their side. Ljajic scored 11 goals and provided 8 assists this season and can play in a variety of attacking midfield roles. He could still make it to the Premier League though, as both Chelsea and Manchester City have been strongly linked with big-money moves for him this summer.
15. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)
Young Brazilian was seemingly treading water at Inter Milan, undoubtedly a top talent but struggling to make an impact at a San Siro side that are definitely on the slide. However a move to Liverpool has got his career nicely back on track. The Rio born attacking midfielder is already an Anfield favourite and in the course of his first dozen Premier League starts the 21 year old has grabbed three goals and provided five assists and has shown he is very much a player with a bright future. His one only senior Brazilian cap came back in 2010 a second appearance, and many more, are surely just around the corner.
14. Julian Draxler (Schalke)
One of many fantastic prospects coming through in German football at the moment is Schalke’s Julian Draxler. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder has caught the eye this season with some cracking long range shots, scoring 13 goals and providing 3 assists. He already has six caps and one goal for the German national team, which is some achievement considering the competition ahead of him. Draxler has recently signed a new contract with Schalke, but that hasn’t put the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United from making bids for him, and he will surely find his way to a bigger club sooner or later.
13. Kevin De Bruyne (Chelsea)
We may be seeing more of Kevin De Bruyne next season as Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has said he will be given a chance to be part of his first team plans. The 21-year-old is one of many talented young Belgians coming through at the moment, and is arguably the best of the lot. He has just spent the season on loan in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen, impressing greatly with 10 goals and 10 assists, leading to much speculation that he could be signed by the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. Dortmund were keen for him to be their replacement for the departing Mario Goetze, but it seems he has done enough to convince Mourinho that he could challenge the likes of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar for a place in Chelsea’s attacking midfield next season.
12. Christian Eriksen (Ajax)
Still only 21, Christian Eriksen’s talent has been obvious ever since he broke onto the scene for Ajax four years ago. The Danish attacker is a highly skillful attacking midfielder and has long been linked with moves to bigger clubs. He has chosen to continue his development with the Amsterdam club, but could finally be set for his big move this summer as his contract runs down. Manchester United and Arsenal have been linked with him in the past, but the main contenders for his signature now seem to be either Liverpool or Borussia Dortmund, the latter of whom could see him as another potential replacement for Mario Goetze after missing out on Chelsea’s Kevin De Bruyne. Eriksen scored 13 goals for Ajax this season, and is already a well-established and experienced international with 35 caps for Denmark.
11. Erik Lamela (Roma)
It took some time for this talented young Argentine to settle in Serie A, but Erik Lamela has been one of the finest players in Italy this season with his displays for Roma. The former River Plate starlet can play either as a striker or as a more deep-lying forward and contributed 15 goals and 6 assists for the Stadio Olimpico side this season. He has two caps for Argentina and will surely add to them, despite some tough competition from the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain. His performances have also attracted interest from Manchester City and Tottenham, who could sign him for big money this summer, though he himself has stated he would be happy to continue his development with Roma.
10. Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)
Signed for over £8million from Lens when he was just a teenager, Real Madrid have got themselves a bargain for possibly the best young defender in the world in Raphael Varane. The Frenchman broke into the first-team this season with some memorable displays against Barcelona, showing great maturity and defensive awareness to shut out Barca star Lionel Messi. Varane is a superb prospect and could attract a big-money offer from Chelsea this summer, as Jose Mourinho is keen to bring the youngster with him to his new club. He already has two caps for France at the age of just 20 and could star for them at next summer’s World Cup, as he quickly establishes himself as first choice for club and country.
9. Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea)
Belgian keeper has been an absolutely marvelous loan addition to Atletico Madrid’s ranks, so much so that Vicente Calderon boss Diego Simeone will look to persuade returning Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho to allow his side to bring in the 21 year old keeper in for a third spell. Courtois helped the La Liga side to a Europa League success in his first season at the club and then a Copa Del Rey triumph and a Champions League berth in his second.
The international keeper is a regular in Marc Wilmots Belgian set-up and his display against Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey final was one of the best of the entire 2012/13 season. A player with a very bright future.
8. Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Another excellent prospect in Belgian football at the moment is Romelu Lukaku, who really announced himself in the Premier League this season in a loan spell from Chelsea at West Brom. The talented striker showed bags of ability in scoring 17 goals for Steve Clarke’s side, and attracted interest from a long queue of clubs as it looked like he might not be given a chance at Chelsea next season. Borussia Dortmund were the biggest name interested in him, but many Premier League sides such as West Ham, Fulham and Swansea fancied their chances of taking him on loan, though it now seems Jose Mourinho will give him the chance to live up to his tag of being ‘the next Didier Drogba’.
7. Lucas Moura (PSG)
Lucas Moura may only be 20, but he has already moved for a massive £38million from Sao Paulo to PSG. Manchester United were also interested in the Brazilian, but were unwilling to pay so much for such a young player. This may prove to be the wrong decision, as Lucas is showing himself to be a superb young player, slotting in seamlessly at PSG in his first taste of top level European football. The winger scored 33 goals in 128 games for Sao Paulo, and already has 26 senior caps and four goals for the Brazilian national team. It’s clear that this is no ordinary young player, and United may regret not forking out that bit extra for someone who looks like being a star of the game for many years to come.
6. Oscar (Chelsea)
Oscar showed his tremendous talent with Internacional, becoming a regular at the age of just 19, and tempting Chelsea to pay nearly £20million for him last summer – big money for one so young, but it quickly looked worth it. The Brazilian announced himself at Stamford Bridge with a superb curling strike against Italian giants Juventus in the Champions League, beating Andrea Pirlo with a superb piece of skill in the build-up. Oscar has drawn comparisons with Brazilian great Kaka, and looks like he could become even better. The Blues star already has 18 caps and 6 goals for the senior Brazilian national team, and looks destined for big things at both club level and international level. He looks perfectly at home at Chelsea alongside fellow skillful attackers Juan Mata and Eden Hazard, forming part of an excellent attacking midfield three for the Blues this season.
5. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
Next season will incredibly be the Arsenal midfielders sixth in the Gunners first team and though long term injuries have taken the toll there is no denying that that the 21 year old England man is still a force for the future, a player Arsene Wenger will look to build his side around for years to come and more than likely will look to hand the battling youngster the Gunners captaincy next term. The box to box performer is tough and tenacious in the tackle and always on hand to spread the ball forwards. The Emirates Stadium hero cut his teeth during a loan spell at Bolton, has almost 100 Arsenal appearances to his name and is sure to be a pivotal player in the England national team set-up for years to come.
4. Stephan El Shaarawy (AC Milan)
AC Milan starlet Stephan El Shaarawy has really grown in stature this season as he has become a regular for the Italian giants. The 20-year-old winger scored 19 goals in all competitions for the club and many of them have been things of real beauty. He already has 8 caps and 1 goal for the senior national side, and will look to impress for them this summer at the Confederations Cup. On current form, he is certainly one of the most exciting young players in the world and he could take next summer’s World Cup by storm. He is also being linked with a £34million move to Manchester City, who could do with his goal-getting ability upfront. Arsenal have also been linked with him, though his reputation and price tag have surely both grown far too much with his recent displays, putting him out of their financial reach. He could stay and become one of Milan’s best-ever players, or he will only move for very big money to a top team.
3. Mario Goetze (Bayern Munich)
Mario Goetze has been the jewel in Borussia Dortmund’s crown in a fantastic couple of years for him, emerging as one of the brightest prospects in this superb generation of talented German youngsters. He will now become the most expensive German player of all time as he makes the controversial move to Dortmund’s rivals Bayern Munich for £33million. The attacking midfielder scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions and was wanted by the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Barcelona, though he will now make treble-winners Bayern Munich an even more frightening prospect next season as he finds the perfect stage for him to become one of the best players of his generation.
2. Neymar (Barcelona)
This incredible young player made a highly-anticipated move to Barcelona this summer for £48.6million after a tremendous start to his career with Brazilian side Santos. The 21-year-old has been a regular for his club and for the Brazilian national team since he was a teenager, and has scored 136 goals in 225 games at club level already, as well as 20 in 33 appearances for his country. It remains to be seen what he can do in Europe, but Barcelona looks like the perfect stage for him to express himself and his adventurous attacking game. If it works out, he and Lionel Messi could form one of the deadliest partnerships in the history of the game.
1. Isco (Malaga)
This Malaga starlet is surely on his way to a bigger club this summer after a fantastic season. Isco is currently earning rave reviews for the Spain Under-21 team at this summer’s European Championships, with some breathtaking all-round midfield displays. The 21-year-old can play in a variety of attacking positions, either upfront, out wide or as a playmaker, and will continue Spain’s current trend of producing the best players in the world. Isco notched up 12 goals and 4 assists for Malaga this season, and will only improve with a move to a bigger club. Manchester City are the favourites to land him after they managed to lure away his manager Manuel Pellegrini, though they will face competition from the likes of Chelsea and PSG, who will all happily pay his minimum release fee clause of £28million. Isco has only won one cap for the senior Spanish national team, though there is plenty of time for him to become a legend for his country, as well as throughout world football.