20 Young Footballers Poised to Rule the Game in the Next 5 Years
When you think of promising young footballers, you could think of Marquinhos, Mateo Kovacic and Raheem Sterling. Here are 20 young footballers who could become stars in the next five years.
Please note this important point:
- Only footballers 20 years or younger playing for a European club have been included.
The 20 footballers are subjectively ranked via:
- Current playing ability.
- Potential playing ability.
Honourable Mentions
Portuguese central attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva, 20, Monaco.
English left-back Luke Shaw, 19, Manchester United.
English right/centre-back Calum Chambers, 20, Arsenal.
Spanish right-back Hector Bellerin, 20, Arsenal.
French goalkeeper Mouez Hassen, 20, Nice.
French left-back Benjamin Mendy, 20, Marseille.
Dutch centre-back Sven van Beek, 20, Feyenoord.
Algerian defensive midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, 20, Tottenham Hotspur.
Belgian centre/right-forward Divock Origi, 19, Liverpool.
Slovakian central/left attacking midfielder Albert Rusnak, 20, Groningen.
20. John Stones (Everton)
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English centre-back John Stones, 20, has been elite in a mundane campaign for the Toffees.
Calm on the ball, Stones completes 91.1 percent of his 46.5 passes per 90 minutes. In addition, Stones can take the ball into midfield and function as a passing outlet.
Stones is a careful tackler and rarely gives up pointless free-kicks, as he only concedes 0.3 fouls per 90 minutes.
It clear when you watch Stones that he is a stylish defender with the maturity to elevate his status from a prospect to an elite footballer.
19. Davie Selke (RB Leipzig)
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RB Leipzig German centre-forward Davie Selke, 20, leaving Werder Bremen is a big talking point.
Werder Bremen extended Selke's contract last September but then sold him to RB Leipzig six months later for a fee of €8 million on a five-year contract.
When you look at Bundesliga footballers 20 years or younger, Selke leads the league in scoring (six goals).
Selke is smooth on the ball, he looks like a quality No. 9 and he has so much upside—hence why it was illogical for Werder Bremen to cut bait with him as soon as RB Leipzig lodged an offer.
If RB Leipzig fail to gain promotion to the Bundesliga, Selke could be playing in the 2. Bundesliga next season.
RB Leipzig are currently sixth in the 2. Bundesliga.
18. Mateo Kovacic (Inter Milan)
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Croatian central/central attacking midfielder Mateo Kovacic, 20, has the qualities to be a No. 10 but has only registered one assist in Serie A this season.
When deployed in midfield, Kovacic can run the show like Luka Modric.
There are questions, however, over Kovacic's defensive stoutness since he averages 1.3 tackles per 90 minutes.
Sure, Kovacic can be inconsistent, but Inter Milan should give him a free attacking role, where he can be the main creative outlet.
17. James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
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Southampton central/right attacking midfielder James Ward-Prowse, 20, is already a terrific set-piece taker.
The way the Englishman delivers the ball is aesthetically pleasing.
Ward-Prowse has registered six assists in 19 Premier League games this season.
16. Anthony Martial (Monaco)
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French centre-forward Anthony Martial, 19, is taking his chances, having scored five times in his last five Ligue 1 games.
Martial has higher upside than Dimitar Berbatov and is more productive than Lacina Traore (one goal) and Valere Germain (two goals).
There is still room for improvement, but you can envision Martial becoming Monaco's starting No. 9 and blooming in the role.
15. Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo)
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Italian right-forward Domenico Berardi, 20, is statistically great for someone of his age, having scored nine goals and providing six assists in 24 Serie A games.
Though, when you watch Berardi, you identify obvious flaws.
Aside from a tendency to pick up pointless yellow cards, Berardi is a zealous quasi-striker whose 33.8 shooting accuracy percentage is inefficient, and his goals tend to come from the penalty spot.
That said, what you like about Berardi is his ability to create goals for his teammates.
The fact that Berardi is productive in Serie A as a 20-year-old is a major positive.
Berardi is co-owned by Juventus.
14. Raheem Sterling (Liverpool)
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Liverpool's English deep-lying forward/left attacking midfielder, Raheem Sterling, 20, is pound-for-pound one of the toughest players in the Premier League.
He is balanced on the ball, possesses lightning-quick acceleration and is a tricky proposition for opposing defenders.
In terms of Premier League footballers 20 years or younger, Sterling leads the league in scoring (six).
The same applies when it comes to assists (seven).
Sterling needs to continue progressing, so staying at Liverpool is vital to his development.
His only leverage is upside.
However, his contract deadlock could negatively affect his career if his ego spirals out of control.
Asking for £150,000 a week, per Henry Winter at The Telegraph, is absurd, considering Sterling's shooting is hit-and-miss, he is not world-class (yet) and has not led Liverpool to a Premier League title (yet).
13. Morgan Sanson (Montpellier)
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Montpellier utility player Morgan Sanson, 20, routinely puts in a great shift.
He is the French James Milner, as Sanson is a solid tackler, is productive in the attacking half, is a passing outlet and is willing to play in a variety of positions.
Sanson has scored six goals and provided three assists in 30 Ligue 1 games this season.
12. Marc Stendera (Eintracht Frankfurt)
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Eintracht Frankfurt central attacking/central midfielder Marc Stendera, 19, is aggressive and fiercely determined.
When the German is not zipping past opposing players and launching ambitious shots, he is expeditious in winning back the ball.
His 3.8 tackles per 90 minutes are alarming when you consider there is still a debate about whether he is a No. 10 or a No. 8.
His statistics, which reflect a No. 6, are a testament to his all-round ability.
11. Max Meyer (Schalke)
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Schalke central attacking midfielder Max Meyer, 19, is a technician and a marvellously gifted footballer.
Despite being very talented, the German has at times disappeared for portions of games. Meyer has to demand the ball more and improve his consistency.
He is currently ranked as Kicker's 92nd-best footballer in the Bundesliga this season.
10. Corentin Tolisso (Lyon)
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French central midfielder/left-back Corentin Tolisso, 20, is too talented to be a utility player.
While Tolisso can do a job as a left-back, his playing style resonates with a No. 8: He's tidy passer and has the endurance to be a box-to-box player.
He has scored six goals and provided two assists this season as Lyon are trying to topple Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1.
It seems Tolisso whiffing a defensive clearance in Lyon's 3-0 defeat to Saint-Etienne, which gifted Renaud Cohade a goal, was a one-off.
Generally speaking, Tolisso is a dependable contributor.
9. Niklas Sule (Hoffenheim)
12 of 20German centre-back Niklas Sule, 19, faces the first real test of his career—bouncing back from an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
Before the potentially career debilitating injury, Sule won the ball 87.2 percent of the time he attempted a tackle.
With a knack for blocking the ball and generally being in the right position, Sule demonstrated how reliable he is by only conceding 0.6 fouls per 90 minutes.
Despite not playing a league game since December, not many Bundesliga defenders have surpassed his form this season:
8. Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)
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Brazilian centre-back Marquinhos, 20, has had awkward moments in defence despite being immensely talented.
His situation has not been helped by him moving from centre- to right-back, and it seems his season was partially disrupted by ongoing contract talks.
He recently signed a one-year extension, which suggests his representatives spent most of this season negotiating for a better deal.
Sport Witness sarcastically tweeted: "Marquinhos would like to thank Manchester United for their help in his contract negotiations," a reference to a hypothetical scenario of him moving to Old Trafford, which led to an extension at Paris Saint-Germain.
Marquinhos has the potential to be to Brazil what Fabio Cannavaro was to Italy.
7. Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao)
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French centre-back Aymeric Laporte, 20, is at his best being proactive and cutting off a pass from an opposing footballer before it leads to a shot on target.
Having played 75 La Liga games since the 2013/13 season, Laporte has experience while still possessing significant upside as a 20-year-old.
The only concern is Laporte has been average against Barcelona and Real Madrid.
In three combined games against the big two, Laporte has been a member of a defence that conceded 12 goals.
6. Daley Sinkgraven (Ajax)
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Dutch central midfielder Daley Sinkgraven, 19, would still be at Heerenveen if Marco van Ginkel OK'd a move to Amsterdam.
Van Ginkel rebuffing the approach led Ajax manager Frank de Boer to commit to Sinkgraven.
"We asked Van Ginkel if he wanted to move [to us]," De Boer said in February, per Harry Sherlock at Goal.com. "After that we focussed on Sinkgraven for the future...and besides that, Van Ginkel didn't want to come."
The reason why Sinkgraven is headed for the top is his all-round playing style.
He is a complete footballer who is an orchestrator in midfield and also functions as a creative outlet.
Sinkgraven has upped his passes per 90 minutes from 38.4 to 56.5 since joining Ajax.
5. Jose Gaya (Valencia)
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Spanish left-back Jose Gaya, 19, is a polished full-back when you put in context that he is still a teenager and this is his first season as a regular starter.
Manchester United supporters should be concerned that Gaya is superior to Luke Shaw at this present moment.
- Gaya (2014/15): 2.9 tackles per 90 minutes, 1.4 tackles per foul, 85.4 tackle success percentage, 2.2 interceptions per 90 minutes, 1 goal/4 assists/28 league games, 79 pass success percentage.
- Shaw (2014/15): 1.8 tackles per 90 minutes, 1.8 tackles per foul, 85.7 tackle success percentage, 0.8 interceptions per 90 minutes, 0 goals/0 assists/13 league games, 85.5 pass success percentage.
Gaya has refused to extend his contract at Valencia, per Rik Sharma at Sport, and is being courted by Real Madrid, per Manu Sainz at AS.
4. Abdul Rahman Baba (Augsburg)
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Ghanaian left-back Abdul Rahman Baba, 20, has enjoyed a rapid rise.
He has gone from obscure defender to arguably the best left-back in the Bundesliga.
He has improved as drastically as Ricardo Rodriguez did when he transitioned from FC Zurich to Wolfsburg.
If you support Manchester United, you are hoping Luke Shaw also experiences a similar quantum leap.
Right now, Baba is a significantly better footballer than Shaw, who is one year younger.
- Baba (2014/15): 4.2 tackles per 90 minutes, 3.4 tackles per foul, 74.2 tackle success percentage, 3.0 interceptions per 90 minutes, 0 goals/4 assists/24 league games, 66.9 pass success percentage.
- Shaw (2014/15): 1.8 tackles per 90 minutes, 1.8 tackles per foul, 85.7 tackle success percentage, 0.8 interceptions per 90 minutes, 0 goals/0 assists/13 league games, 85.5 pass success percentage.
Aside from the vast statistical gap, when you watch Baba, he is dynamite and impactful, whereas Shaw is just OK.
3. Anwar El Ghazi (Ajax)
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Dutch right-forward Anwar El Ghazi, 19, has size at 6'2" and 168 pounds.
He is big, direct, skillful and a dual threat to score and/or create.
He combines his physical excellence with outstanding technique, thus having world-class potential.
He was the difference-maker in Ajax's 3-1 win over PSV Eindhoven, scoring and creating a goal.
In El Ghazi's debut season, he has scored nine goals and provided eight assists in 26 Eredivisie games, so you presume he will continue to develop.
2. Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid)
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Uruguayan centre-back Jose Gimenez, 20, is turning into one of the best defenders in the world.
"Competitive central defender, good in the air, excellent technique and good positional play" was the description the FIFA technical study group gave when they highlighted this Uruguayan defender for his performances at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
His name?
Gaston Silva.
The FIFA TSG selected Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Guillermo de Amores and Nicolas Lopez along with Silva as Uruguay's key players.
Since then, Gimenez has played at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and has broken into Atletico Madrid's starting XI, once again reminding you of the ambiguity in football development.
What makes Gimenez a special defender is he throws himself at the ball and makes freakish defensive plays, but he is also generally a risk-free footballer.
He has only received two yellow cards in 1,212 minutes of La Liga football this season.
If you had to select either Gimenez or Eliaquim Mangala, who would you choose?
Go with Gimenez.
- Gimenez (2014/15): 2.2 tackles per 90 minutes, 76.9 tackle success percentage, 3.8 tackles per foul, 2.3 interceptions per 90 minutes, 3.5 headers won per 90 minutes, 77 pass success percentage.
- Mangala (2014/15): 2.1 tackles per 90 minutes, 69.8 tackle success percentage, 1.9 tackles per foul, 1.3 interceptions per 90 minutes, 2.5 headers won per 90 minutes, 88.7 pass success percentage.
- Gimenez: Danubio → Atletico Madrid (2013): €900,000/£770,625.
- Mangala: Porto → Manchester City (2014): €40.1/£32 million.
Gimenez outperforming Mangala this season is one example that spending big does not guarantee instant success.
1. Bertrand Traore (Chelsea)
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Burkinabe centre/right-forward Bertrand Traore, 19, is the most exciting prospect in the Blues loan system.
On loan at Vitesse, Traore is a threat out wide where he can dribble past opposing footballers and shoot from distance.
However, Traore is demonstrating world-class potential as a No. 9, which contributed to Abiola Dauda losing his starting position.
When you watch Traore, you see a phenom, even though his statistics are not mind-blowingly great.
He needs to be more proficient in converting his chances, as scoring nine goals from 95 shots is wasteful.
When not specified, statistics courtesy WhoScored.com.
