B/R's Top 25 Athletes Under 25 in 2025

Veterans such as Shohei Ohtani, Nikola Jokić and Matthew Stafford are currently dominating their respective sports. However, some up-and-coming players will soon be challenging to take their spots in their leagues' hierarchy.

Here, we've sought to highlight the best of the best across the sports world.

Comparing athletes across sports can be a tricky exercise. Our panel of voters considered both what these athletes have accomplished thus far and how that compares to their peers in their respective sports, as well as their potential going forward.

Anyone below the age of 25 as of Dec. 31, 2025 was eligible for inclusion here. Scroll through to see if your favorite young athlete made the cut.

25. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

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Age: 23 | League: NBA

It's terrifying to think where Chet Holmgren might've finished on this list had his NBA debut not been delayed a year and had he not also missed most of the 2024-25 campaign.

Justifiably touted as a floor-spacing rim protector, the 23-year-old is so much more. His offensive horizons continue to broaden. The downhill floor game is smooth, and between the threat of his three, pull-up mid-range jumper and finishing at the basket, also unpredictable.

This year's version of Holmgren is the most physical we've ever seen. Bumping him off course or dissuading him with the specter of contact has never been harder, and it's earned (slightly) more interior touches liable to make the old heads swoon.

Despite the offensive growth, Holmgren's defense is his calling card. The ground he's able to cover doesn't make sense. Someone who can wind up spending so much time on the perimeter shouldn't be able to contest roughly half of all shots attempted at the basket when he's in the game.

Chet does, because he moves like a standout wing with the limbs of a center. If there's anyone who can edge out a healthy Victor Wembanyama for Defensive Player of the Year honors in any given season, it's him.

—Dan Favale

24. Trinity Rodman, Washington Spirit

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Age: 23 | League: NWSL

At 23 years old, Trinity Rodman is pretty much the face of the National Women's Soccer League. In fact, the league is trying to implement a salary-cap loophole to try to ensure she stays in North America, according to NBS News.

Europe's soccer history and a notable boost in salary will surely be tempting for Rodman, whose 2025 campaign with the Washington Spirit ended with a devastating 1-0 loss to Gotham FC in the NWSL final. 

That's now two straight championship-round defeats for Rodman, who might be looking elsewhere to try to add to a trophy cabinet that features a 2021 NWSL title and a 2025 Challenge Cup winner's medal. 

Wherever she lands next year, Rodman will bring her aggressive, vertical playing style, as well as her ceaseless motor. Those traits have made her a dazzling watch, and it culminated in five goals and two assists across the NWSL regular season and a second-place finish for the Spirit this year.

Rodman could have been even more productive this year if not for a persistent back injury. A MCL sprain in her right knee further hampered her in the 2025 playoffs. The Spirit might have won it all this year had Rodman been at full strength. That's how important she is right now.

With a sky-high ceiling and the possibility of adding to her game in Europe next year, Rodman could eventually become the best USWNT player ever. 

—Leo Collis

23. Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings

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Age: 24 | League: WNBA

Apparently, all that's needed for a WNBA player to crack this list is an all-timer of a rookie season. Paige Bueckers is one of two to do just that.

The high point of the star point guard's first year with the Dallas Wings came on an August night in Los Angeles when she dropped 44 points on 80 percent shooting to set the single-game rookie scoring record.

While her full-season numbers didn't quite maintain that bonkers level of efficiency, she sported a top-10 PER (22.1) in 2025 and a top-20 mark among true rookies all-time.

The UConn product also posted top-10 per-game averages of 19.2 points, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 2025 while shooting 47.7 percent from the field. Those numbers landed her All-Star and All-WNBA second-team nods as well as the Rookie of the Year trophy.

At 24, she won't have a chance to climb this list next year, as a torn ACL knocked her out for the Huskies in 2022-23 and temporarily off her path to stardom. Lest we forget, she was the No. 1 recruit in a 2020 freshman class that included Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Cam Brink and Kamilla Cardoso.

Still, she oozed poise as a rookie, and her penchant for processing the game, high-level playmaking and electric scoring should put her into the W's MVP conversation as soon as this upcoming year.

—Jason Dunbar

22. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles

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Age: 24 | League: MLB

Gunnar Henderson set a high enough bar during his first two full seasons in the majors that his 2025 campaign registered as something of a letdown. That speaks volumes to the career trajectory he has put himself on right out of the gates.

After unanimously winning 2023 AL Rookie of the Year honors, Henderson was fourth in AL MVP voting the following year when he hit .281/.364/.529 with 31 doubles, 37 home runs, 92 RBI, 118 runs scored and 21 steals.

On the heels of that performance, Henderson's 2025 campaign represented a step backward, but zooming out and putting the last three years into perspective is important. With 6.1-WAR, 9.1-WAR and 5.3-WAR seasons to kick off his time in the majors, he joins Nomar Garciaparra as the only shortstops in MLB history with three consecutive 5-WAR campaigns to begin their careers.

Henderson is already the Orioles' best homegrown player since Manny Machado, and signing him to a long-term deal should be a priority for the front office in the near future. He is a face-of-the-franchise-caliber player who's capable of anchoring the Baltimore infield and lineup for the next decade. Few shortstops in recent memory have made a bigger immediate impact.

—Joel Reuter

21. Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

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Age: 23 | League: MLB

What makes Elly De La Cruz such an enticing player when others have proven to be more productive at a similar stage in their big league careers?

Consider the following advanced metrics from the 2025 season, courtesy of Baseball Savant:

• Max exit velocity: 98th percentile
• Sprint speed: 91st percentile
• Arm strength: 93rd percentile

De La Cruz's package of raw tools gives him limitless upside if he can continue to grow as a baseball player. While his 26 errors and 181 strikeouts this past season speak to the refinement his game still lacks, it's also important to remember he is only 23 years old.

De La Cruz hit .284/.359/.495 with 18 home runs, 25 steals and a palatable 24.3 percent strikeout rate during the first half last season, but his production dipped across the board after the All-Star break. The MLB season is a grueling, six-month grind, and figuring out how to navigate that without getting worn down could be all it takes to fully unlock his MVP potential.

Others are a safer bet to be superstars for the next decade, but De La Cruz's ceiling stacks up to anyone on this list.

—Joel Reuter

20. Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans

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Age: 24 | League: NFL

Houston Texans sack artist Will Anderson Jr. is the only NFL defender on our list. That speaks volumes about the perception that the NFL is an offensively driven league.

However, it also says a lot about how impactful the 24-year-old has already been.

Anderson is one of the biggest young stars in a league dominated by fantasy numbers and offensive highlights. The 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year has already amassed 29.5 sacks, 43 tackles for loss, and 91 quarterback pressures in less than three full seasons.

This year, the Alabama product has regularly taken over games, and he leads a defense that makes Houston a legitimate Super Bowl contender. While Anderson isn't on the level of Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons just yet, he's rapidly approaching it.

In a draft class that included the likes of Bijan Robnison, Jahmyr Gibbs, C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jalen Carter, Anderson was considered the top overall prospect by the Bleacher Report Scouting Department. While many draft prospects struggle to meet lofty NFL expectations, Anderson has exceeded his.

—Kris Knox

19. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder

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Age: 24 | League: NBA

The jury on whether Jalen Williams can be the alpha of his own team will remain out so long as both he and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even if the verdict thus far is a "no," it's hard to imagine him not flipping the script at some point.

Every-level scorers who can tilt defenses both on and away from the ball are scarce forces. The variable cadence at which he can attack is so often impossible to plan around. Williams has a coordinated abruptness that disarms even the most set defenses, yet he can shift to picking apart opponents at a more deliberate pace when the situation calls for it.

J-Dub's own defense earned him a second-team All-Defense nod in his third NBA season. His ability to take on brutal perimeter assignments straight up is absurd, and the moments in which he functions like a big man around the basket are tattooed to memory. 

Williams has been the second-most important player on a championship team and is second in the pecking order of a potentially budding dynasty by age 24. That says it all.

—Dan Favale

18. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

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Age: 24 | League: NBA

The end of 2025 has not been kind to Evan Mobley. So much brainpower is being spent on what he can't do—mainly run the offense from a dead stop and play with a consistent level of physicality. 

Still, the skepticism is itself a backhanded compliment. He isn't even five years into his career, and people are worried because, basically, he's not one of the half-dozen or so best players alive. 

Mobley is a victim of his own success in this way. He's already won Defensive Player of the Year, to go along with two All-Defense nods and an All-NBA second-team honor. Last year, he joined Michael Jordan, Sidney Moncrief and David Robinson as the only players to win DPOY and make All-Defense first team and All-NBA second team in the same campaign before their fifth season.

What Mobley lacks in offensive heliocentrism and raw force, he makes up for with panoramic versatility. There is no position he can't defend, and his offensive armory includes a bankable three-point shot and resourceful decision-making on the move.

If he can't be the absolute best player on a title team, he's already shown he's capable of being a No. 2.

—Dan Favale

17. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

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Age: 23 | League: NFL

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris recently apologized to NFL fans for not giving them a chance to see running back Bijan Robinson in the postseason.

"He's the best player in the NFL. Sorry you guys won't get a chance to watch him in the postseason," Morris told reporters in December. "He's carrying everybody's livelihood on his back."

While calling Robinson the best player in the NFL might be a bit hyperbolic, the Texas product has shown an ability to take over games like few players can. He's an elite ball-carrier who catches the ball with ease and can either rip through arm tackles with a 5'11", 215-pound frame or leave defenders grasping at air.

Robinson can pick up yards in so many ways that it sometimes feels as if the rest of the league is trying to play catch-up.

Despite having a non-contending team around him, Robinson has already topped 1,400 scrimmage yards for the third straight season. It's fair to wonder how the 23-year-old's numbers might look with a better supporting cast or without Tyler Allgeier stealing 150 backfield touches per year.

—Kris Knox

16. Iga Świątek

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Age: 24 | Tour: WTA

Neither athletic parents nor success in the junior ranks are guarantees for sports preeminence once someone graduates into adulthood.

But it's working out well for Iga Świątek.

The Polish-born ace's father was an Olympic rower, and she was already a known commodity in amateur tennis with both a junior doubles title at the French Open and a junior singles championship at Wimbledon in 2018.

Professional kudos began arriving soon after, including a stunning first major singles title in Paris in 2020 when she was ranked 54th in the world. It was hardly shocking, though, when she added a second French Open two years later amid a 35-match win streak, becoming the youngest two-time major champion in more than a decade.

Świątek won the U.S. Open as the top seed three months later in 2022 and has since added more majors at the French in 2023 and 2024 and Wimbledon in 2025. She's reached the semifinals twice in seven appearances at the Australian Open and could become the 11th women's player to complete the career grand slam with a win there.  

—Lyle Fitzsimmons

15. Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets

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Age: 23 | League: NBA

On a team with Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün is the Houston Rockets player most likely to crack the middle and back ends of this season's MVP ballot. 

Munch on that for however long it takes for the bonkersness of it to take hold.

Şengün's bandwidth for running the offense like a 6'11" point guard has prompted comparisons to Nikola Jokić. In truth, he plays with more of a blunt-object force that's more similar to Domantas Sabonis. 

That is not meant to take away from Şengün. His peak is itching to climb higher than that of Sabonis', thanks in large part to his defensive utility. If his three-point volume and efficiency continue to climb, Şengün's place in the overall star ranks will foment some uncomfortable discussions.

—Dan Favale

14. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

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Age: 23 | League: NFL

An argument could easily be made that Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba deserves to be ranked ahead of Puka Nacua. Nacua did get his NFL career off to a faster start and has more receptions and receiving yards on his resume, although Smith-Njigba has started to flash a potentially higher ceiling.

In his third NFL season, Smith-Njigba has a case for being considered the best receiver in the league. He showed a ton of potential as a sophomore but has really flourished with Sam Darnold at quarterback in Klint Kubiak's offense this year.

Smith-Njigba's 1,637 receiving yards this season already put him 22nd on the all-time single-season receiving list with two games to go.

While the Ohio State product won't wow with his size (6'0", 197 lbs), he's a superb route-runner who just seems to find holes in the defense while regularly winning contested balls and breaking runs after the catch. Smith-Njigba also possesses the sort of inside-outside versatility that makes it practically impossible for a defense to contain him for an entire game.

He's about to earn his second Pro Bowl nod, and he won't even turn 24 until February.

—Kris Knox

13. Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks

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Age: 20 | League: NHL

It's one thing to be deemed a generational superstar as a teen. It's another thing to justify the hype. Connor Bedard has managed both.

Bedard was only a few weeks away from his 18th birthday when the Chicago Blackhawks selected him with the top overall pick in the 2023 draft. He earned Rookie of the Year plaudits by the time he turned 19, ticked up six points in his second season, and took a quantum leap in the first 31 games of 2025-26, climbing to third in the league's point-scoring race before he was shelved by a shoulder injury.

Bedard is one of the league's fastest skaters, reaches the 91st percentile in shot speed, and uses his hockey IQ to get to the positions on the ice that produce high-danger scoring opportunities despite his smallish 5'10", 190-pound stature.

In a league sopped with young stars, none shine any brighter than Bedard. It's no wonder why the Blackhawks, despite being the league's third-youngest team, are immersed in optimism that a prolonged playoff drought might end sooner than later.

—Lyle Fitzsimmons

12. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams

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Age: 24 | League: NFL

Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua entered the league in 2023 as a fifth-round pick out of Brigham Young. Despite carrying modest NFL expectations, he quickly showed that he's more than just a good story.

Nacua exploded on the scene almost immediately. Partnered with quarterback Matthew Stafford in Sean McVay's offense, Nacua set rookie records for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) while helping put L.A. back in the postseason after a one-year absence.

While Nacua's production dipped a bit in 2024 because of injuries, he's back on an All-Pro pace this season. He's already recorded career-highs in receptions (114), receiving yards (1,592) and receiving touchdowns (eight) with two games to go.

Nacua also just became the second player in NFL history to record 150 or more receiving yards in three consecutive games—a feat Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb accomplished during Nacua's rookie campaign.

A strong route-runner with the speed to separate and the size (6'2", 216 lbs) to out-position most defenders, Nacua has established himself as one of the game's best—and he won't turn 25 until May.

—Kris Knox

11. Jannik Sinner

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Age: 24 | Tour: ATP

Sinner is behind one other men's tennis player on this list. But if momentum counts for anything, he may not be No. 2 for too long.

The lanky Italian rallied from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev for the Australian Open and later added the U.S. Open for his first two majors in 2024. He then swiped another pair in 2025 with wins at the Australian and then over Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon.

Sinner and Alcaraz met at three of four Grand Slam finals this year. The Spaniard won the French and U.S. Opens to reassume the year-end world No. 1 position that Sinner had claimed in 2024, when he became the first Italian man to do so.

Sinner is a French Open away from completing a career grand slam and has drawn comparisons to 20-time major winner Roger Federer for his consistent calmness.

"He is serious, very professional, behaves well on court and does not do stupid things off it," Tony Godsick, Federer's former agent, told the Daily Express. "In this, he reminds me of Roger."

—Lyle Fitzsimmons

10. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

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Age: 23 | League: NFL

Modern NFL logic suggests that it doesn't pay to take a running back early in the first round of the draft. However, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is the sort of all-around playmaker who doesn't mesh with conventional wisdom.

Gibbs is one of the league's most explosive ball-carriers, and he's equally efficient as a pass-catcher. His rare combination of size (5'9", 202 lbs), acceleration, agility and breakaway speed have made him arguably the biggest mismatch in the game.

The two-time Pro Bowler has already surpassed 1,200 scrimmage yards for the third time in his career. He just made NFL history by surpassing the great Barry Sanders for the most scrimmage touchdowns before turning 24, which Gibbs will do in March.

With postseason touchdowns included, Gibbs has also passed Randy Moss for the most career scores before turning 24. What's truly remarkable is that Gibbs probably hasn't maxed out his potential as a receiver.

"The pass game stuff, he just continues to grow," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said, per NFL.com's Grant Gordon. "The more we give him, and the more we work with him in practice, we just continue to try to open his horizons and give him a little bit more."

Gibbs is likely to set many more records in his NFL career.

—Kris Knox

9. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

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Age: 24 | League: NBA

This past year marked both a functional and anecdotal whirlwind for Cade Cunningham.

Entire narratives shifted on the back of his improvement. He has ratcheted up his defense and rebounding, toned down on turnovers amid imperfect spacing, dazzled with his live-dribble playmaking reads and turned into a more complete scoring threat.

Most impressive of all, Cunningham has spearheaded the reinvention of the Detroit Pistons. They have surged from NBA laughingstock riding the coattails of a bygone era to upending the short- and long-term Eastern Conference hierarchy.

None of this is possible without Cunningham. He continues to have his warts and will never be the most efficient or explosive player. But the list of stars who can ferry the combined offensive and defensive workload placed upon his shoulders is nanoscopically small. If it features more than four other names, we're probably lying to ourselves. 

—Dan Favale

8. Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid

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Age: 22 | League: La Liga

When Jude Bellingham left Birmingham City for Borussia Dortmund as a 17-year-old, the English club retired his No. 22 jersey. Onlookers were perplexed, as such an honor is rare in English football and certainly not expected for someone who played only 44 senior games for the Blues.

It's becoming clear that Birmingham understood something we didn't. In 2025, the now-22-year-old made 56 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and providing 13 assists.

While Bellingham is not contributing quite as much in counting stats as he did when he first signed for Los Blancos, it's still an impressive tally for someone who is arguably still developing—and doing so at perhaps the biggest club in world football.

Even as injuries impacted his 2025, Bellingham was still included in The Best FIFA Men's XI for the year, he landed 23rd in the Ballon d'Or standings for the 2024-25 campaign, and he was crowned England's Men's Player of the Year. 

The versatile, energetic, physical and technically gifted midfielder puts many of his more experienced colleagues to shame.

—Leo Collis

7. Drake Maye, New England Patriots

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Age: 23 | League: NFL

Though he's only in his second season, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is the top-ranked NFL player on our list, which isn't surprising. Maye plays the most important position in America's most popular sport and has experienced a second-year rise rarely seen in modern football.

Maye, who will only turn 24 in August, has spent most of his sophomore campaign playing like a viable MVP candidate. He's flashed a combination of size (6'4", 225 pounds), arm talent, athleticism and recognition skills that few other quarterbacks in the league possess, and he has already drawn apt comparisons to reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen.

"Josh has probably got a few lbs (pounds) on him, and can throw his shoulder in there a little more than I'd want Drake to, but I think they're both great competitors," Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said, per Karen Guregian of MassLive.

There's a reason why Maye was the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's top-ranked quarterback prospect in last year's draft. He has the traits and intangibles needed to be a perennial All-Pro, and he's about to get his first taste of postseason competition.

—Kris Knox

6. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

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Age: 23 | League: WNBA

Even in a group with Victor Wembanyama, Lamine Yamal, et al., Caitlin Clark might have the brightest future. Yes, the hype is immense, as she's reached rare air in terms of popularity for any athlete and is the flashpoint for the unprecedented interest in women's basketball. But she lassoed that spotlight through sheer talent and a history-making rookie season in 2024.

The most head-turning of those first-year accomplishments included the WNBA's single-season assists record (since broken by Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas). She also nabbed the rookie points and assists records on her way to an All-Star selection, a First-Team All-WNBA nod, the Rookie of the Year award and a fourth-place MVP finish. 

While she had to watch her Indiana Fever make a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals as a civilian in 2025, her injury-plagued sophomore campaign didn't dull her shine—and she told reporters in December that she's back to full health.

Depending on how the Fever's roster shakes out after the mass free-agent frenzy that's about to hit the WNBA, she could have as clear a path to a championship as any of the team-sport athletes above her.

It's asking a lot given the roster and health uncertainty, but there's a timeline where she rises to No. 1 on this list next December. 

Either way, the fastest player to reach 100 three-pointers has the logo range, playmaking chops and playful swagger that will continue to appeal to the masses and keep her in MVP conversations for years.

—Jason Dunbar

5. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

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Age: 24 | League: NBA

Remember when people weren't sure that Anthony Edwards liked basketball enough to warrant being drafted first overall? Good times.

Edwards still doesn't receive enough credit for what he's become on the basketball court. The 2025 calendar year perfectly encapsulated his career to date. His is an arc punctuated by metamorphosis. 

From turning into a high-volume three-point sniper to becoming more of a central playmaker for the Minnesota Timberwolves offense to working on his mid-range shot selection and efficiency, Edwards continues to evolve as if he has no limits. When you consider how far he's come in such a short amount of time, he might not.

As a teammate, he just gets it. He has said and done things off the court worth further scrutiny. On the hardwood, inside the locker room, his leadership belies the date stamped on his birth certificate. The results speak for themselves.

Minnesota is working off consecutive Western Conference Finals appearances largely because of Edwards. He now quietly ranks sixth all-time in conference finals points scored before turning 24, trailing only Kobe Bryant, Jaylen Brown, Kevin Durant, Magic Johnson and Jayson Tatum.

—Dan Favale

4. Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

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Age: 23 | League: MLB

The idea of an athlete being a generational talent is frequently overused across today's sports landscape, but Paul Skenes is truly a once-in-a-generation pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With an electric fastball that averaged 98.2 mph in 2025, a vast arsenal of swing-and-miss offspeed pitches, an imposing 6'6", 260-pound frame and excellent command for a pitcher with his size and stuff, Skenes checks all the boxes to be one of the game's elite pitchers for the foreseeable future.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft already has 55 big league starts under his belt, with a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 386 strikeouts in 320.2 innings. His list of career accolades includes two All-Star selections, 2024 NL Rookie of the Year and 2025 NL Cy Young honors.

Unless something drastically changes at the top of the organization, the time will come when the small-market Pirates will need to seriously consider trading Skenes before he hits the open market after the 2029 season. When that time comes, it will kick off a flurry of trade speculation that dwarfs anything we've seen since Alex Rodriguez was put on the block and eventually traded to the New York Yankees more than two decades ago.

—Joel Reuter

3. Carlos Alcaraz

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Age: 22 | Tour: ATP

If you feel like this isn't the first time you've seen Carlos Alcaraz on a list like this, you're not wrong. It's unlikely to end for at least a few more years, too.

The sublimely skilled Spaniard is still just 22 and is already a six-time major winner. He began his run and snatched the world's No. 1 ranking for the first time with a four-set defeat of Casper Ruud at the 2022 U.S. Open.

That made him the youngest player ever to reach No. 1 in the ATP rankings. He's won at least one major in each year since, outlasting Novak Djokovic in a five-setter at Wimbledon in 2023, then taking both Wimbledon and the French Open in 2024 and the French and U.S. Opens in 2025.

Alcaraz has reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in each of the last two years. A win in Melbourne is the only thing keeping him from joining Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Fred Perry and Don Budge as the only men to complete a career grand slam.

The intrigue going forward? Whether Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner—who only needs the French—will reach that exclusive club first.

—Lyle Fitzsimmons

2. Lamine Yamal, Barcelona

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Age: 18 | League: La Liga

Lamine Yamal is only 18 years old. The Barcelona winger is the youngest person on this list and the only one who is still a teenager. Prior to July, he wasn't allowed to legally buy alcohol in his home country of Spain.

The phenom truly burst onto the world football scene at the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament, where his vim and vigor on the right flank left opponents completely flummoxed. He provided four assists and a goal as La Furia Roja took the title.

In 2025, he continued his remarkable ascent.  He made 53 appearances for La Blaugrana across all contests, notching 21 goals and 26 assists.

During the calendar year, Yamal won a La Liga trophy, the Copa del Rey, and the Kopa award for the best young footballer on the planet—marking the second year running that he claimed the latter gong.

But that's not all. He narrowly missed out on being named the world's best player, coming second to 28-year-old Ousmane Dembélé in the Ballon d'Or voting. 

Youthful exuberance can count for a lot in football, and while Lamal certainly has that, he marries it to a maturity that belongs to players twice his age. He also boasts boatloads of tricks, a lightning-fast pace, and a clinical edge that few in his age group can match in the senior ranks.

With the World Cup approaching in the summer of 2026, don't be surprised if Yamal truly conquers the planet next year. 

—Leo Collis

1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

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Age: 21 | League: NBA

Who is the last athlete, across any sport, who looked ready to rule the galaxy before their 21st birthday?

From the moment Victor Wembanyama entered his first NBA game at 19, domination has felt like his birthright. Though there has been a stop-and-start vibe to his availability, nothing has changed as he approaches his 22nd birthday.

Highlight reels tell a lion's share of the story. Wembanyama is a 7'4" human who can handle the ball, score at every level, throw some audacious passes and auto-punch his team's ticket to an elite defense during his minutes. 

In every season that he plays at least 65 games, Wembanyama will likely be favored to win the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award. Rudy Gobert, Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace hold the league's record with four apiece. Clearing four DPOYs could end up being child's play for Wemby.

Yet the more you watch him, the more it becomes clear that Wembanyama isn't destined only to go down as one of the best defenders in history. He is an all-time anomaly who's just getting his feet wet in a sport and league that he's poised to change forever.

—Dan Favale