The 25 best young players in world football ranked | OneFootball

Highlights

Sometimes it's obvious which young players are destined for greatness. Lionel Messi is the one example that immediately springs to mind, although there are many others. It was patently clear that the Argentine had the potential to become a world-class footballer just a few years after he joined Barcelona aged 13.

Similarly, there are a handful of youngsters aged 21 or under in 2024 who appear to possess all the tools to become truly great footballers. We're unlikely to see another Messi emerge any time soon, but that doesn't mean they won't become outstanding players in their own right.

We've ranked the world's current best young footballers based on the following criteria:

Note: only players aged 21 or under at the time of writing (January 2024) qualify for the list. This means there's no longer a place on the list for the likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Vinicius Jr, Bukayo Saka and so on.

25 James Trafford | England, Age 21

Position: Goalkeeper. Club: Burnley.

It's fair to say that James Trafford's debut campaign in the Premier League with Burnley has been a baptism of fire, but there's no doubt this is a top young goalkeeper with the potential to become England's number one. Trafford became the Clarets' record signing in the summer of 2023 after completing a move from Manchester City which could eventually be worth £19 million with add-ons.

The 21-year-old, who stands at 6ft 6in (1.98m) tall, made headlines for his heroics during the 2023 European Under-21 Championship final, saving a last-minute penalty against Spain to help England win the tournament for the first time in nearly 40 years.

24 Lewis Miley | England, Age 17

Position: Midfielder. Club: Newcastle United.

Lewis Miley became one of the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history this season, finding the net against Fulham aged 17 years and 229 days. Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has shown huge faith in the young midfielder, who has represented England at Under-17 and Under-19 level.

As well as the club's coaching staff, Miley has also made a big impression on his teammates. Bruno Guimaraes told Chronicle Live in November 2023: "Lewis Miley is a star - he is massive. When I was 17, sorry to use the word but I was s**t. Lewis is really great and is a fantastic talent. It was an unbelievable performance from him. He gave an assist and played very, very well. I am very happy for him."

23 Valentin Barco | Argentina, Age 19

Position: Winger. Club: Boca Juniors.

Brighton have won the battle for the signature of highly-rated Boca Juniors midfielder Valentin Barco, who'd caught the eye of Europe's top clubs thanks to his performances in Argentina. The versatile teenager, who can play as a left-back or a more conventional left-sided winger, will be keen to prove himself in the Premier League once his £7.8 million move is finalised.

“He is a cheeky lad," Argentina legend Juan Roman Riquelme told reporters in August 2023. "Barco is a technically very good player and we are very happy to have him with us.” Not for much longer, Juan, sadly for Boca Juniors and their fans.

22 Levi Colwill | England, Age 20

Position: Defender. Club: Chelsea.

One player firmly on England manager Gareth Southgate's radar ahead of Euro 2024 is Chelsea's Levi Colwill. Speaking in September 2023, after Colwill earned his first senior international call-up, Southgate told reporters: "He showed a really good temperament in the league last year, and in the summer with the Under-21s he was outstanding.

The England boss added: "Levi has a real maturity about his calmness with the ball. He’s got good physical attributes. He’s got speed and the ability to defend the box well." Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has been equally impressed by the 20-year-old, who has the potential to blossom into one of the Premier League's best defenders.

21 Ansu Fati | Spain, Age 21

Position: Winger. Club: Brighton (on loan from Barcelona)

Ansu Fati became the second-youngest debutant in Barcelona's history and the club's youngest ever goalscorer, aged just 16, during his remarkable debut season at Barcelona after emerging from the club's youth ranks. Then, in 2021, the talented winger was handed Lionel Messi's iconic No. 10 shirt - a huge show of faith from the Catalan club.

Fati was widely regarded as one of the best young talents in world football at the time, but currently finds himself trying to rebuild his career with Brighton in the Premier League following an injury-hit spell. Still, there's every chance that he will still end up fulfilling his huge potential.

20 Rasmus Hojlund | Denmark, Age 20

Position: Striker. Club: Manchester United.

It's been a strange start to life at Manchester United for Rasmus Hojlund, who joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2023 for an eye-watering £72 million from Italian outfit Atalanta. No player scored more goals than the young Dane during the 2023-24 Champions League group stages, despite the fact Man Utd finished rock bottom of Group A.

However, the 20-year-old has found scoring goals much tougher in the Premier League. It took him 15 appearances in England's top division before he finally got himself on the scoresheet. Nevertheless, it's clear that Hojlund is a rough diamond, with all the attributes you'd want to see in a promising young centre-forward: pace, power, intelligence, sharp movement, and so on. Don't be surprised if Man Utd's current No. 11 eventually blossoms into one of Europe's best strikers.

19 Evan Ferguson | Ireland, Age 19

Position: Striker. Club: Brighton & Hove Albion.

Evan Ferguson looks primed to be the next big-money sale at Brighton with the Republic of Ireland international already being linked with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal. Roberto De Zerbi has really got the best out of the striker during his 12 months with the club. Ferguson appears to have everything in his locker, including a dominant presence in the penalty area and an ability to comfortably play with the ball at his feet.

The 19-year-old managed to find the net on four occasions in his first eight league games, with three coming in a home win over Newcastle as the Irishman went home with the match ball. More strong performances for the Seagulls could see another bidding war in similar fashion to the Moises Caicedo saga from last summer.

18 Kobbie Mainoo | England, Age 18

Position: Midfielder. Club: Manchester United.

Kobbie Mainoo has burst onto the scene with Manchester United this season and has impressed fans and pundits alike with his remarkably mature performances. Many youngsters struggle when they're thrust into a struggling team, but Mainoo has seen this as his opportunity to shine and taken it with both hands.

There's even been talk that the defensive midfielder, who turns 19 in April, could force himself into the reckoning for England's Euro 2024 squad. But in order for that to become a reality, Mainoo will need to continue producing the goods in the Premier League week in, week out between now and May.

17 Xavi Simons | Netherlands, Age 20

Position: Midfielder. Club: RB Leipzig (On loan from PSG)

By the time Xavi Simons was 13 years old, he'd already amassed 300,000 followers on Instagram. When he turned 17, in 2020, that number has rocketed to 2.4 million. The son of footballer Regillio Simons, Xavi - who was named after the midfield legend - caught the eye as a gifted youngster at Barcelona and appeared destined to break through into the first team at Camp Nou.

But after failing to agree terms on a professional contract, Simons made the controversial switch to Paris Saint-Germain. He left the Parc des Princes in 2022 and spent a season with PSV Eindhoven, where he flourished and ultimately convinced PSG to activate their buy-back clause. Now on loan at RB Leipzig, the young midfielder will be keen to make a big impact with the Netherlands at Euro 2024.

16 Youssoufa Moukoko | Germany, Age 19

Position: Striker. Club: Borussia Dortmund.

At youth level, German youngster Youssoufa Moukoko scored a remarkable number of goals that even Cristiano Ronaldo would be proud of. One hundred and forty-three goals in only 90 games for the youth teams at Dortmund put him at an average of roughly 1.5 goals per game. While that has not quite translated to senior football so far, there's still plenty of time for the 18-year-old to find his feet.

Moukoko has 14 goals to his name for the first-team squad and is arguably in the best place for opportunities to grow and develop into the elite player he has the potential to be. He made his debut for the Bundesliga side only a day after turning 16, which shows the huge expectations placed upon the young man's shoulders.

15 Lamine Yamal | Spain, Age 16

Position: Winger. Club: Barcelona.

Aged just 15, Yamal became one of the youngest players in La Liga history after entering the fray during a 4-0 win over Real Betis in April 2023. He became Barcelona's youngest player to start a game in the competition after being handed his full debut earlier in the 2023-24 season. Barcelona legend Xavi has continued to show a huge amount of faith in the young winger.

As well as La Liga, Yamal also featured during the Champions League, meaning he's already gaining valuable experience on the European stage too. Yamal even made his debut for the senior Spanish squad and scored on his debut during a 7-1 win against Georgia. At 16 years old, many want to compare the Spaniard to a certain diminutive Argentine, who had an extraordinarily successful spell at Barcelona, but it's a little too soon for that conversation.

14 Karim Adeyemi | Germany, Age 21

Position: Winger. Club: Borussia Dortmund.

Karim Adeyemi had huge expectations placed on his young shoulders when playing for RB Salzburg and many of Europe's elite clubs were expected to be in the race to secure his signature. Borussia Dortmund were the destination of his choice, and few can blame the German with the Bundesliga outfit famous for developing young players into top-level stars.

After scoring 33 times in 94 games for his previous employers, the 21-year-old hasn't quite brought his shooting boots with him to Germany but has also been deployed on the left flank for the most part rather than through the middle. Despite his lack of goals so far, Adeyemi will be hoping to get game time for his country at the upcoming European Championships this summer.

13 Alejandro Garnacho | Argentina, Age 19

Position: Winger. Club: Manchester United.

Alejandro Garnacho is currently in the process of taking his game to the next level with Manchester United. The Madrid-born winger, who has represented Argentina's senior national team on three occasions, scored one of the greatest goals in Premier League history earlier this season: a mind-blowing overhead kick against Everton which deservedly earned him November's Goal of the Month award.

Garnacho's direct dribbling style and fearless nature has made him a firm fan favourite already at Old Trafford. There are a couple of areas of his game that require fine-tuning but the teenager clearly has the potential to become one of the world's best wingers if everything clicks.

12 Warren Zaire-Emery | France, Age 17

Position: Midfielder. Club: Paris Saint-Germain.

It says a lot that 17-year-old midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery has already broken into Paris Saint-Germain's senior team and has become one of the first names on the team-sheet during the 2023-24 campaign. With all the money that's been invested into building a team capable of competing for the Champions League, to trust such a young player to be a huge part of the club's plans is a huge show of faith from manager Luis Enrique.

Zaire-Emery looks like an experienced and cultured player in the middle of the park with the composure of a seasoned veteran and the running power of a peak athlete. His ability to bring the ball forward and dominate games from the middle of the park alongside Manuel Ugarte showcase exciting signs that are on the horizon for the years to come, in which the French midfielder could be the focal point of the PSG team for the next 15 years.

11 Arda Guler | Turkey, Age 18

Position: Midfielder. Club: Real Madrid.

The biggest compliment that can be paid to teenage wonderkid Arda Guler came when a former youth coach claimed the Real Madrid starlet has 'more potential than Messi', according to Football Espana. The coach in question was Erol Tokgozler, who worked with Guler at the age of 13 before his move to Fenerbahce. Tokgozler said: “Messi is the greatest I have ever seen and Arda has great abilities. Messi has already achieved everything and Arda still has to do it all, he is still a child. But if we talk about potential purely, Arda has more potential than Messi. Although he still has a long way to go.”

It's almost unfathomable that an 18-year-old who has only played one game for Real Madrid at the time of writing - mainly due to an injury sustained upon his arrival - could come anywhere near the level of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. Guler certainly did catch the eye of many during his time playing in Turkey by contributing 21 goals in only 51 games for Fenerbahce.

10 Endrick | Brazil, Age 17

Position: Striker. Club: Palmeiras.

Endrick may only be 17 years old, but he's been making waves for a couple of years now thanks to his eye-catching performances in Brazil with Palmeiras. It came as no surprise when Real Madrid announced that they'd secured the teenager's services back in December 2022. Los Blancos are expected to pay up to €60 million in total for the wonderkid.

From scoring potential Puskas Award contenders aged 15 to becoming the fourth-youngest player to represent Brazil's senior team, there's no doubt that Endrick has star quality and could become a major asset for Real Madrid when he completes his move to the Bernabeu this summer.

9 Florian Wirtz | Germany, Age 20

Position: Midfielder Club: Bayer Leverkusen.

A long-term injury in a young footballer's career can go in one of two ways. Either the player in question can use that setback to spur them on to return to the level they'd initially shown, or the body of the player can break down and become injury-prone due to the strain put upon them. Fortunately for Florian Wirtz, it appears that the latter is true as the German came back from a long spell on the sidelines and slotted seamlessly back into Xabi Alonso's plans.

The first half of the 2023-24 campaign has been strong for Bayer Leverkusen as they look to compete with Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title. Wirtz will no doubt come up in conversations when clubs such as Manchester City and Liverpool draw up their potential transfer targets for the summer of 2024 should he continue to perform.

8 Jeremy Doku | Belgium, Age 21

Position: Winger. Club: Manchester City.

Eyebrows were raised when Manchester City allowed Riyad Mahrez to leave the Etihad Stadium for Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023. But City fans needn't have worried: after all, their club's recruitment team almost always make the right decisions in the transfer market.

Jeremy Doku has hit the ground running in the Premier League following his move from Rennes. He became only the ninth player in Premier League history to register four assists in a single match during a 6-1 win against Bournemouth in November and will be aiming to further establish his status as an elite-level winger during the remaining months of the 2023-24 campaign.

7 Cole Palmer | England, Age 21

Position: Midfielder. Club: Chelsea.

Nicknamed 'Cold Palmer' by his Chelsea teammates because of his relaxed demeanor on and off the pitch, the England international made the brave decision to leave Manchester City in search of regular first-team football last summer and hasn't looked back since. Chelsea forked out an initial £40 million for his services - and so far that's proved to be money well spent.

Palmer's impressive performances have led many people to question whether Man City boss Pep Guardiola has made a big mistake allowing him to leave the Etihad Stadium. Blessed with incredible technical qualities, Palmer is undoubtedly one of the most promising young footballers on the planet right now.

6 Gavi | Spain, Age 19

Position: Midfielder. Club: Barcelona.

Gavi is seen as the future of Spanish football alongside a couple of other players to make this list. The young midfielder has all the skills required to make it to the very top and stay there for several years. Even with his smaller frame, his aggression is off the charts with the 19-year-old more than holding his own in midfield against much bigger players than him.

In August 2021, the midfielder made his La Liga debut at the age of 17 which is very impressive until it was overshadowed by Yamal two years later. There is a confidence within the youngster that borders on arrogance with the way he has opposing players chasing shadows in a desperate attempt to win possession from him. The Barcelona midfield will feature Gavi for the next decade at least with the club managing to get him tied down to a new contract.

5 Josko Gvardiol | Croatia, Age 21

Position: Defender. Club: Manchester City.

As if Manchester City didn't have enough of a dominant hold on English football, the treble winners decided to make their backline look even more formidable by signing Gvardiol in the summer. It comes after the centre-back had actually scored against the Citizens in the 2022/23 Champions League knockout stages. The defender was also a force to be reckoned with during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as he led his Croatia side to third place in the tournament with some rock-solid displays.

It is hard to believe that the defender is only 21 years old as his intelligence of the game is brilliant, with Gvardiol being an elite ball-playing defender who is just as comfortable at left-back as he is at centre-back. Partnering with Ruben Dias at the Etihad will make it an even more thankless task for Premier League strikers to come up against the Citizens.

4 Pedri | Spain, Age 20

Position: Midfielder. Club: Barcelona.

What better manager to harness the potential of a young Spanish midfield maestro than Xavi? Fortunately, we won't have to answer that question as the Barcelona boss will be loving every minute of seeing Pedri step into the shoes he once filled. Xavi claimed Pedri is 'at the same level' as legendary midfielder Andres Iniesta in an interview in early 2023, per the Daily Mail. The Spaniard said: "He is a player who is on another level, I have seen very few like him. He is talented, he is at the level of Iniesta, but Andres had continuity to the point that he is still playing."

It is extremely high praise to be given such a compliment from a man who experienced the brilliance of Iniesta first-hand. Pedri has been a prominent name in Spanish football for a few years now, despite only being 20 years old and he is the star of his national team alongside Gavi.

3 Jamal Musiala | Germany, Age 20

Position: Midfielder. Club: Bayern Munich.

The jewel in the crown of both Bayern Munich and Germany, Musiala was the only player who could leave the 2022 World Cup with his head held high from the German camp after putting on some dazzling displays in Qatar. His unique dribbling technique that sees the 20-year-old slalom through opposing players with ease is a joy for fans to watch and a nightmare for other teams to deal with.

Even when midfielders and defenders look to resort to kicking Musiala, his strength and power shine through as he just keeps going. Being one of the first names on the teamsheet at the Allianz Arena is a remarkable feat for such a young player as there is a vast array of talent capable of playing in the engine room for the German champions.

2 Eduardo Camavinga | France, Age 20

Position: Midfielder. Club: Real Madrid.

In a world of inverted full-backs, Camavinga could have proved himself to be the best in the entire business with his world-class displays in the role last season. While the long-term plan is for the Frenchman to be playing every week as a main part of the engine room for Real Madrid, it is always a good thing to have the versatility to start in the full-back role before moving into the centre of the pitch to dictate play.

At the moment, he appears to be the higher-rated young French midfielder in Carlo Ancelotti's side despite being three years younger than Tchouameni. The Italian manager trusts Camavinga to play in a multitude of positions even in the very biggest matches. It took a bit of time for the youngster to settle into life in Spain and get a regular starting spot, but now that everything has clicked, it is going extremely well.

1 Jude Bellingham | England, Age 20

Position: Midfielder. Club: Real Madrid.

It could be argued that Bellingham is the best-performing player on the planet at the moment as the former Borussia Dortmund man has been dominating for both club and country as of late. His move to Real Madrid in the summer came with massive expectations, and he has somehow managed to exceed them completely. Despite being surrounded by world-class players at the Bernabeu, the England international has been the star of the show in the 2023/24 season by scoring 10 goals in as many games, with three assists to his name.

It is not seen as a conventional path to the top for English players to play their football abroad without ever passing through the Premier League but Bellingham has done so to this point, already cementing himself as one of the greatest British players to ever play abroad.