There is never a lack of talent in the world of football. Every year, there appears to be dozens more of youngsters coming through the ranks and impressing the world. For some, they may even be lucky (or unlucky) enough to be labelled as the next Messi or Ronaldo.
With the world at a standstill, here are the 20 young players who have been earmarked for greatness in no particular order.
Rodrygo
The youngest player to have scored a hat-trick in the Champions League. Real Madrid acquired him for 40 million pounds.
Ansu Fati
Exploded onto the scene with Barcelona and has already been labelled as the next Messi.
Erling Haaland
Is there anything else to say about him? He has already scored 12 goals in 11 appearances for Dortmund.
Sandro Tonali
Labelled the next Pirlo, Tonali has starred for Brescia with his vision and elegance.
Mason Greenwood
The Manchester United youngster has proven himself a lethal finisher with both feet.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
He has won all the plaudits while becoming one of the best right backs in the world. He has notched 12 assists this season, second only behind Kevin De Bruyne.
Xavi Simons
At only 16 years old, he already has Mino Raiola representing him and is playing for PSG.
Eduardo Camavinga
He is only 18 and already has a 84 million pound price tag on his head. It will not be long before he moves from Rennes to a bigger club.
Alphonso Davies
At only 18, he has already established himself as a regular at Bayern Munich.
Mason Mount
He has been tipped by Lionel Messi to become “one of the best” in the game. Is there anything else we can add?
Kylian Mbappe
The world’s most expensive teenage signing has been fulfilling his potential at PSG. Could Real Madrid break the transfer record for him?
Gabriel Martinelli
Arsenal have not missed Aubamayeng with Martinelli firing on all cylinders this season.
Troy Parrott
Hoping to follow Harry Kane, he has shown great potential in the Spurs academy and has already featured for the Republic of Ireland.
Matthijs de Ligt
Although he has not had the best starts to his career at Juventus, there is no doubting his ability.
Gianluigi Donnarumma
He is only 21 but he has already earned 14 caps for Italy and over 170 appearances for AC Milan.
Phil Foden
Pep Guardiola, who has managed Messi, has labelled him as the “most talented player” he has ever seen. He should frame that up!
Kai Havertz
Labelled as a “complete player” by Maurizio Sarri, he has attracted immense interest during his past 4 seasons at Bayer Leverkusen.
Joao Felix
The second most expensive teenager in history hasn’t had the best of starts to life at Atletico Madrid but at 20, time is on his side.
Jadon Sancho
Sancho will most definitely be leaving Dortmund this summer but to where? The world is his oyster if he keeps on performing at the same level.
Vinicius Junior
Dani Alves believes he is the best young talent in the game. He has shown glimpses of that talent at the Bernabeu with his limited opportunities.
