The 8 best young players in Euro 2024 last 16 - ranked | OneFootball

The last 16 of Euro 2024 is in the books, and it'll go down as a round of games that were defined by the tournament's wonderkids.

From Arda Guler to Nico Williams, and overhead kick hero Jude Bellingham, young players stepped up in the big moments throughout the round of 16.

As part of our 24 for 24 series, we've ranked the eight best young players at Euro 2024 so far.

Made an impression / ANP/GettyImages

Nation: England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿England fans had been clamouring for Kobbie Mainoo to start in midfield throughout Euro 2024, and the Manchester United starlet was finally given his big chance in the last 16. And considering he completed 96% of his passes, 100% of his dribbles and won four duels, it's pretty fair to say that he delivered.

7. Pedri

Still going strong / Marco Canoniero/GettyImages

Nation: Spain 🇪🇸 Are we surprised that Pedri is still fit? Honestly, yeah. It's great news for Spain though, as their dynamic midfielder has been in wonderful form throughout the tournament thus far, regularly feeding his nation's pacy wide players with precise passes.

6. Jude Bellingham

Big game player / Richard Pelham/GettyImages

Nation: England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Sure, he's not been at his best and he rightfully came under criticism for that after the group stages. If he keeps popping up with last minute overhead kicks to keep England in Euro 2024 however, we expect those naysayers to quieten down quite soon.

5. Xavi Simons

Impressive outing / Dean Mouhtaropoulos/GettyImages

Nation: Netherlands 🇳🇱 After a few so-so outings, we finally witnessed the very best of Xavi Simons in the Netherlands' win over Romania in the round of 16. The diminutive attacking midfielder was an utter nuisance for the Romanian backline, popping up in dangerous areas throughout the 90 minutes. He bagged himself a pair of assists for his troubles too. Nice one.

4. Arda Guler

Game changer / Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/GettyImages

Nation: Turkey 🇹🇷 Yes, it is utterly ridiculous that Real Madrid, a team who have Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes and Endrick on the books also have a player as good as Arda Guler too. The 19-year-old showed off his big-game credentials in Turkey's shock win over Austria in the last 16, providing quality deliveries into the box which led to both of his side's goals.

3. Jamal Musiala

Germany's main man / Shaun Botterill/GettyImages

Nation: Germany 🇩🇪 A lot was expected of Jamal Musiala heading into Euro 2024, and so far he's more than living up to the hype. The Bayern star continued his ascent to superstardom with his third goal of the tournament in Germany's win over Denmark in the round of 16.

2. Lamine Yamal

Superstar in the marking / Dan Mullan/GettyImages

Nation: Spain 🇪🇸 [Insert comment about Lamine Yamal being 16 here] It's said every single time Yamal comes up in conversation, but it is genuinely ridiculous that he's this good at such a young age. The wide player was, once again, utterly brilliant in Spain's win over Georgia.

Top player / Alex Grimm/GettyImages

Nation: Spain 🇪🇸 There's a serious case to be made that Nico Williams has been not just the young player of the tournament so far, but the player of the tournament overall. His stunning goal in Spain's 4-1 win over Georgia was yet another example of his offensive prowess in the final third. Every single club in Europe should be after his signature this summer.