Reviving The Beautiful Game: How the 2000s Kids are Saving Football | OneFootball

In an era defined by system players and tactically-minded managers, two young footballers are challenging the status quo through brilliant individual play and creative freedom — Lamine Yamal and Désiré Doué.

While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were dominating football in the 2010s, we all watched in awe as we debated who was the greater player. But for some, that argument wasn’t enough, and soon the conversation shifted to who was next up. Who would take the throne once the two monoliths’ reign came to an end?

The ’90s-born generation of footballers had the toughest task ahead of them: Replace the irreplaceable. Inevitably, they failed, leading to the moniker of the “Lost Generation.”

Who Defined the Lost Generation?

The player perhaps most associated with this generation was the prince who never became king, Neymar Jr.

From his days at Santos, to his move to Barcelona and official come out party at the 2014 World Cup, Neymar was destined to take the mantle once Ronaldo and Messi’s alien abilities declined. In 2015, Neymar was sitting alongside the two legends on the Ballon d’Or podium, somewhere we expected to see him for years to come. However, he’d only finish in the top three once more in 2017, where he also finished third to Messi and Ronaldo.

A mix of injuries and the unprecedented extension of Messi and Ronaldo’s dominance prevented Neymar from ascending the throne, and while there is still hope for one final run from the Brazilian star, as the days pass, the hope fades into the football abyss.

While Neymar defined the generation, he is far from the only player in this category. Paul Pogba, who had joined Neymar in the FIFPRO World XI in 2015, was touted as the next midfield great. The French international made the controversial decision to leave Manchester United for Juventus as a teenager, and his time in Italy helped him develop into one of the best players in the world.

Having mentors like Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal allowed Pogba to display his unicorn abilities — a mix of grace, strength, and creativity that the game rarely sees. So where did it all go wrong?

Pogba made the decision to return to Manchester in 2016. A move that made him go from a generational midfield talent, to someone who has been used as the face of inconsistency. He’d still put together virtuosic performances, especially with the French national team, but a mix of mismangement, unrelenting scrutiny, and off-the-field incidents prevented him from maxing out his potential.

Another Lost Generation star is Eden Hazard, who like Neymar and Pogba, burst onto the scene as a brilliant young playmaker with all the talent in the world. A move to his dream club Real Madrid in 2019 had the football world thinking it would give him the chance to cement himself in the next tier. But all that followed was injury, disappointment, and an early retirement.

New Kids On The Block

While the ’90s born generation had the task of replacing greatness, the 2000s generation has a bigger, yet more manageable task ahead: Restore the love of the game.

Football has evolved in the past 25 years, and a huge chunk of the change has been in coaching and the importance of tactics. And while that is viewed in more of a positive light, the evolution of footballers over the past quarter century is viewed in more of a negative light.

A sport that once showcased individualism now focuses on tactics and systems. Geniuses have become phased out of the game in favor of plug-and-play workhorses. But in football hope is never lost, and Barcelona have decided to grace the footballing world with another savior: Lamine Yamal.

There is no shortage of adjectives to describe Yamal, and the final few weeks of the 2024-25 season were the epitome of that. All eyes were on the 17-year-old phenom during the UEFA Champions League semifinals, and while Barcelona eventually fell to Inter Milan, Yamal put on a dazzling display of his capabilities.

Four days later in the biggest game in club football, he netted a beautiful curler to inspire another El Clasico comeback. Any thoughts about football dying become void when watching this kid. His freedom of playing in an era of robotic football is refreshing, and so is his attitude. There’s nothing better in sports than a guy who knows he’s better than everyone and lets them know it. No risk is too big for him on the pitch, and no stage is too bright. From the goal against France in the EURO 2024 semifinals, to the latest goal in El Clasico, when the lights shine, he is there to deliver.

While Yamal leads the brigade, he has some strong compatriots alongside him, most notably PSG’s Désiré Doué. Like Yamal, Doué is a young, preternaturally gifted offensive player that has led his team to a deep European run and a league title. This weekend, Doué will try to earn PSG their first ever Champions League title, something neither Messi, Neymar, or Kylian Mbappe could do.

Doué and Yamal have fans screaming Joga Bonito, a phrase that once defined beautiful football, but is now rarely spoken.

The Task Ahead

In all of sport, the evolution we have seen is that the average player has gotten better, but the quality at the top has decreased. The likes of Yamal, Doué, Michael Olise, Jude Bellingham, and the rest of this new crop of players have the chance to rewrite that theory. And they have the chance to do it the right way.

That is the task: Restore the beautiful game and showcase individuality. So far, the new generation has it in abundance. Whether it be Yamal or Doué scoring worldies on the UCL stage, the great EURO ’24 run of Arda Güler, or watching the one-man-midfield-wrecking crew that is João Neves. The quality of U21s has never been better and they’re playing the game the way we want to see it played. The Joga Bonito way.

The ’90s gen had their chance and it ultimately failed, but one thing they can boast, especially Neymar, is that they are the inspiration for this young generation. Maybe that is the legacy they leave behind.