Footballer’s careers have changed and developed with the modern game and now span across a much greater amount of time than ever before. Not only are we now seeing players like Luka Modrić, Cristiano Ronaldo or Thiago Silva playing at the highest level even at the brink of 40, but the age in which young stars start to compete and become a force at the elite level keeps getting lower and lower as well.
So now it’s no wonder seeing players like Phil Foden amassing more than 170 Premier League appearances at the age of 24, Jude Bellingham being Real Madrid’s key player at 21 or Lamine Yamal taking the world by storm being barely 17.
Every season sees more and more youngster stepping up to show they’ve got what it takes to be among the ‘big boys’, so let’s see how they’ve been doing so far this season.
10 – Lamine Camara, Sofascore rating: 7.41
Age: 20
Club: AS Monaco
Position: DM, MC
Nationality: Cameroon
Preferred foot: Right
Value: €15.5M
Having broken through on the big stage with Metz in Ligue 1 last season, Monaco didn’t hesitate in signing the youngster after Les Grenats were relegated to Ligue 2.
Deployed as a part of a two-man holding midfield, Camara covers a lot of ground and makes himself very useful both in possession and out of it. He’s already bagged a couple of goals and added an assist, averaging 64 touches per game, recovering 5.5 balls and winning 5.7 duels each game. His biggest asset is his consistency and reliability, with his Sofascore rating not necessarily skyrocketing, but almost never falling below the 7.0 mark.
9 – Jude Bellingham, Sofascore rating: 7.41
Age: 21
Club: Real Madrid
Position: MC, AMC
Nationality: Real Madrid
Preferred foot: Right
Value: €170M
Jude‘s first season with Los Blancos was Hollywood movie material – having the world’s most demanding fan base bow at your feet while you spread your arms aloft… he quickly settled in and hasn’t looked back since.
Even though this season, especially with the arrival of Kylian Mbappé, his new role saw his goal threat reduced significantly (only scoring once in LaLiga so far), his influence on Real Madrid’s game is still very much present, and reflected on his Sofascore rating.
8 – Nico Paz, Sofascore rating: 8.42
Age: 20
Club: Como
Position: MC, AM
Nationality: Argentina
Preferred foot: Left
Value: €16.2M
Real Madrid’s academy graduate that had his first team debut last season decided to try his luck elsewhere this year, joining the exciting project of the Serie A newcomer Como.
And… it seems like a perfect decision so far, given that his decent performances in Serie A caught the attention of Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni who handed Paz his first international cap in October!
6 – Xavi Simons, Sofascore rating: 7.54
Age: 21
Club: RB Leipzig (on loan from Paris Saint-Germain)
Position: MC, AM, LW
Nationality: Netherlands
Preferred foot: Right
Value: €87M
When one of La Masia’s most promising taletns left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, many thought that he’d reach the shiny level that was predicted for him had he stayed with Barça.
It might have taken him a few years and a different route than usual, but it was clear once he joined PSV Eindhoven that Xavi Simons is a proper baller. And he keeps proving that week in, week out in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig. With 4 goal involvements in 7 games so far, Simons is enjoying a decent start to the new season, reminding us that he will be here for years to come.
5 – Savinho, Sofascore rating: 7.61
Age: 20
Club: Manchester City
Position: LW, RW
Nationality: Brazil
Preferred foot: Left
Value: €52M
After joining Troyes (a club owned by the City Football Group) in 2020, he spent time at loans in PSV Eindhoven and Girona FC (another club owned by the City Football Group). Having particularly impressed in Girona, Manchester City (another club owned by the City Football Group) paid €25 million to obtain his services.
Despite being used in Girona exclusively on the left, Savinho is excelling in his now role on the right wing of Guardiola’s side. With the number 26 on his back and silky, dazzling dribbles (2.6 successful with a rate of 64%), he reminds many Citizens of the great Riyad Mahrez.
4 – João Neves, Sofascore rating: 7.65
Age: 20
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Position: DM, MC
Nationality: Portugal
Preferred foot: Right
Value: €63M
When deciding to pay almost €60M to Benfica, Luis Enrique knew very well why he was doing it. João Neves proved to have an instant impact in PSG and seems to be doing everything right at the moment.
He’s already handed six assists in 11 appearances, and does as much with the ball as without it. Aside from having 77.5 touches and completing 58 passes each game, the Portuguese recovers 5.3 balls per game and wins just over 6 duels with a success rate of 64%.
3 – Jamal Musiala, Sofascore rating – 7.74
Age: 21
Club: Bayern München
Position: AM, LW
Nationality: Germany
Preferred foot: Right
Value: €126M
When you look at the way Jamal Musiala plays, his movements, his reading of the game, his effectiveness… you easily forget that he’s only 21.
He made his Bayern debut in 2020, aged 17, and hasn’t looked back since. He’s now on more than 120 Bundesliga appearances and another 38 more for Die Mannschaft, slowly taking over the reigns in Germany’s famous national team.
He’s found the net 5 times in 8 Bundesliga matches this season, adding another assist to his tally. His offensive contribution is a guarantee for Vincent Kompany, as Musiala takes three shots, completes 2.8 dribbles and records 1.6 key passes each game.
2 – Lamine Yamal, Sofascore rating – 7.85
Age: 17
Club: Barcelona
Position: RW
Nationality: Spain
Preferred foot: Left
Value: €161M
Everything said about Musiala’s game just hits another level when you talk about Lamine Yamal. The boy who turned 17 this July, in the middle of a Euro winning campaign, took over the world by storm in just a few months to become irreplaceable both for club and country.
Reports in Spain suggest that Barcelona president Joan Laporta refused a €250M offer from PSG for Yamal this summer and that’s really all you need to know about the kid. He is so exceptionally talented that people in his club are certain that the success he’ll guide them to in the future is worth much more than any transfer money they could get for him.
And when you look at the stats, it’s easy to understand why: he’s already hit double digits when it comes to goal involvements with 5G and 7A in 12 LaLiga matches. He’s created 12 big chances and completes 2.8 dribbles every game. Yes. He’s 17 years old…
1 – Florian Wirtz, Sofascore rating: 7.99
Age: 21
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: AM
Nationality: Germany
Preferred foot: Right
Value: €124M
Leverkusen’s gem. The boy who returned from a horrid knee injury to guide his club to their first Bundesliga title ever. Goals, assists, key passes… there is virtually no offensive statistic metrics in which Florian Wirtz does not excel.
He is so consistent, equally dangerous on either side of the final third as well as in the centre, using his movement, technique and understanding of the game to find a way to hurt the opposition time and time again. A new, modern breed of an attacking midfielder that will certainly leave a mark on the game’s future.
4 goals and 2 assists in the Bundesliga might not be that impressive, but his influence goes way beyond – 3.2 shots per game, 2.6 key passes settng his teammates up with a total of 6 big chances so far this season, adding another 3.3 successful dribbles per game. So, yes, when Wirtz is on the ball in the final third, it’s a good time to start panicking.
Conclusion
The future of the beautiful game is in very safe hands. 🙂