10 Most Exciting Young Attackers in World Football

There are fewer greater joys in being a football fan than watching the next great star come through the ranks and take the game by storm. The ever-changing nature of the sport means that every few years a new generation appears on the scene ready to upset the old guard and make their names. 

Generally speaking, the forwards and flair players of the sport are the ones who make an impact at the youngest age. The higher media profile afforded to these wunderkinds helps, but it is also undeniable that coaches are far happier to test new blood up front than in the center of the defense, or in goal. 

Confining the selection to players who are 24 years old or younger, here are 10 of the most exciting stars who could delight crowds for many seasons to come.

Who are your favorite wunderkinds? Let us know in the comments section!

10. Mauro Icardi

The life story of this outrageously talented young striker bears a striking similarity to that of countryman and Barcelona wizard Lionel Messi. Both were born in Rosario before moving to Spain in their formative years, then signed by Barcelona. 

Icardi did not quite make the grade in Catalonia, but his explosive debut season in 2012-13 led to Sampdoria closing one of the deals of the century. Having purchased the Argentine for just €400,000 in 2011, the Italians sold their prized asset to Inter for €13 million during the ongoing transfer window, a healthy profit for a club looking to find their feet back in Serie A.

The 20-year-old is nimble, skillful and has an unerring eye for goal. He earned that fee with 10 goals over the season, in a club that fought against relegation. Calls have even emerged demanding Alejandro Sabella include him in the Argentina squad, and the idea of Icardi being paired with Messi is a tantalizing prospect.

9. Lucas Moura

A product of Sao Paulo's youth system, Lucas Moura burst into the public eye in 2011 when, alongside a young slip of a forward named Neymar, the winger was unstoppable in Brazil's march to that year's South American Youth Championship.

The rumours over his next destination started there and only grew stronger as the diminutive star with lightning feet tortured defences across Brazil.

After leading Sao Paulo to the Copa Sudamericana title in 2012, Lucas opted for a multi-million-Euro transfer to French club Paris Saint-Germain. Fourteen matches since January without scoring for the Parisians has been an inauspicious start, but the talent is there, and he will only improve with further first-team experience.

8. Julian Draxler

With over 100 games racked up for Schalke, it is hard to believe that Julian Draxler is still a month shy of his 20th birthday. The teenage winger and attacking midfielder is one of Germany's most exciting young prospects, and alongside Mario Gotze he will be the figurehead of the national team for years to come. 

Draxler was the fourth-youngest Bundesliga player in history when he debuted in 2011 aged 17, and since then he has become an indispensable part of Schalke's first team. 

The youngster already has six caps with Germany and revealed to Bild (via Goal.com) that this summer he turned down offers from both Real Madrid and Manchester City to stay with his first club. Here's hoping that his special mix of talent and loyalty pays dividends for player and club in the coming campaign.

7. Erik Lamela

One of the most poignant images so far from Erik Lamela's career was during the historic relegation of the youngster's first club, River Plate. Having lost a playoff against Belgrano, the then-teenager was reduced to tears in the middle of the pitch. After a brilliant debut season with Los Millonarios, however, Lamela did more than most to try to lead the giants to safety. 

His exit equally played a big part in River's renaissance in 2011-12. Roma paid out a deal worth €14 million for the kid with just one season of Primera football under his belt, going a long way to easing River Plate's mammoth debts and aiding the acquisitions of stars such as Fernando Cavenaghi and David Trezeguet. 

In the Italian capital, Lamela has formed a potent attacking trident with countryman (nationalised Italian) Pablo Osvaldo and veteran maestro Francesco Totti. The No. 10's influence has been heavily noticeable on the player; formerly raw and inexperienced, Lamela has quickly developed a maturity alongside his talent that belies his 21 years. 

6. James Rodriguez

Like Lamela, James Rodriguez is another graduate of the school of hard knocks that is the Argentine Primera Division. The Colombian left his own country as a teenager and debuted at age 17 in Banfield, but immediately made headlines when he played a key part in a maiden league title for the southern Buenos Aires club in his first year as a starter. 

Supremely talented and with a strength that belied his fragile-looking frame, Rodriguez was destined for a move to Europe, and it came when Porto opened their chequebook in 2010. Still a teenager, he nevertheless wasted little time in making an impact and showed signs of a great understanding with Radamel Falcao that warmed the hearts of Colombia fanatics. 

Rodriguez and Falcao will be reunited for the coming season in Monaco, and while the focus will logically fall largely on the ex-Atletico Madrid hit man, don't be surprised if Rodriguez becomes one of the revelations of the Ligue 1 season. 

5. Isco

Christened Francisco Roman Alarcon Suarez but best known by the diminutive form of his first name, Isco is one of Real Madrid's big gambles for 2013-14 as they look to regain supremacy over Barcelona under Carlo Ancelotti. At 21, the attacking midfielder has shown more than enough to suggest he can be a star at the Bernabeu. 

Despite having just one cap for Spain, the former Malaga player is widely regarded as one of the brightest prospects currently possessed by the European and world champions. He earned his transfer to Madrid following two impeccable seasons in Andalucia, including last year's Champions League adventure, and will hope to make an instant impact in one of football's most demanding arenas. 

4. Stephan El Shaarawy

In what was an almost disastrous year for Milan fans—saved by a strong finish that saw the Rossoneri salvage Champions League football—the appearance of Stephan El Shaarawy and his scoring talents was most definitely a high point. 

The 20-year-old forward finished as the club's top Serie A scorer with a total of 16 goals, continuing the progress he has made since moving to the team directed by Massimiliano Allegri in 2011.

A combination of disappointing form and a series of niggling injuries stopped the youngster from making the most of a budding partnership with fellow hotshot Mario Balotelli. Possessed with fantastic dribbling and shooting skills, though, the pair are set to star for both Milan and Italy over the next decade or so. 

3. Mario Balotelli

You would be forgiven for thinking that the man they call Super Mario is already in his late 20s, given the number of times he manages to make the headlines. But despite fitting as much controversy into the last few years as most players can in a lifetime, Balotelli is still only 22 and has all the time in the world to keep delighting and infuriating. 

Having made his debut at 15 with lower-league club Lumezzane, it was not long before Inter snapped him up. While his well-documented off-field exploits have tended to grab attention whether at the Nerazzurri, Manchester City or Milan, this should take nothing away from the powerful centre-forward who enjoys an exquisite dominance over the ball. 

His arrival at Milan in January coincided with a remarkable transformation in the club's fortunes, and now firmly installed at San Siro, Balotelli will look to lead his boyhood idols to even greater heights in the coming season. 

2. Mario Gotze

The world is truly at the feet of this brilliant young German international. At just 21, Mario Gotze has won admirers from across football for his effective attacking play, and the former Dortmund star now strikes up an intriguing partnership with a man who knows a little about nurturing creative talent. 

Pep Guardiola is credited with helping Lionel Messi develop from a talented teenager to the best player in the world, and the new Bayern Munich coach will strive to do the same with the player who was Die Roten's flagship signing after winning everything on offer in 2012-13. 

In a year that begins with a fresh start and ends with the World Cup, Gotze has got everything to prove; he also has all the tools necessary to live up to his obvious promise. 

1. Neymar

One of the things that stands out across this list is the partnerships our wunderkinds hope to forge as they continue their careers—Rodriguez and Falcao; El Shaarawy and Balotelli; Lamela and Totti, Lucas and Ibrahimovic, to name just a few. 

But do any of those duos raise pulses quite as much as the prospect of Lionel Messi and Neymar taking on all-comers for Barcelona? 

After five brilliant years with Santos, which included winning the 2011 Copa Libertadores to break a 48-year drought since Pele's era, the Brazilian signed with Barca this summer not just as the undoubted star of the Selecao. The 21-year-old arrives in Europe already a global star, something unheard of for a player who is yet to play on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. 

Equally comfortable on the wing or in the middle, scoring wonder goals or poking home in the box, Neymar is a far more complete player than many observers would have you believe. He will be Brazil's great hope in the 2014 World Cup and will have the expectations of an entire nation on his back as the hosts go for a sixth win.