Every season there are promising new players that emerge from different corners of the world. Some of these are considered the best young players of their generation.
These sensational youths shine bright, make waves, and could possibly be the next in line to take the thrones of the current Premier League stars.
With the 2019-2020 football season coming to a close, fans and casual bettors with a penchant for football accumulators aren’t the only ones keeping their eyes peeled as the calendar draws closer to a new season. Even veteran punters, professional bookies, and football betting services are keen to know who are the top young football players this coming 2021.
- Erling Braut Haaland
Erling Braut Haaland is one of the most talked-about players among avid football fans as he burst into the football scene with confidence in his stride and an enormous smile on his face.
In 2017, he transferred to Molde FK under the nurturing management of Ole Gunner Solskjær. There Haaland progressed as a player, from an unspectacular season to a remarkable one in 2018.
His exceptional performance with Molde FK caught the eye of the Austrian club, Redbull Salzburg, and other top clubs around Europe. The Norwegian giant is the second teenager to score in each of his Champions League appearances.
- Mason Greenwood
Mason Greenwood is one of the top scorers for the Under-18 Premier League North in 2017-2018 season while still being eligible for the Under-16 level.
Although his start was not exceptional, he scored 10 goals in 31 appearances when he played for the English Premier League and 5 goals in 7 matches in UEFA Europa League. Through this, the English forward consistently improved through grit and effort.
In 2019, he became one of the youngest-ever goalscorers in the European competition, going against FC Astana in the Europa League days before his 18th birthday. Some experts say that the English forward has the makings to be one of the greatest football players.
- Dejan Kulusevski
Dejan Kulusevski is one of the best surprises this 2019-2020 season. Initially, a loan to Parma from Atalanta Youth System, he won the title of the Best Young Player of Serie A Championship last August.
The young Swede is considered as one of the talented players of his generation. Similar to his impressive peers, he combines technical ability with intense physical prowess. With such a wide array of capabilities and holistic strengths, there is a certain level of ambiguity regarding which position best suits him.
Following his loan with Parma on the first half of this season, Dejan Kulusevski joined Juventus. While he still serves his loan with Parma for the remainder of this current season, he officially started his training session with Juventus last August.
- Mason Mount
Mason Mount just debuted for Chelsea’s senior team this 2019-2020 season. Right from the get-go, he is one of the regular starters beside Frank Lampard, football manager and head coach of Chelsea.
The young academy graduate started at the tender age of 6 years old and went on to be on loan to teams such as Vitesse and Derby Country, gaining experience and honing his skills in each season. After returning from loan to his home club, Mount started in the very first match of the season. He solidified his position as a favourite even with a 0-4 defeat against Manchester United.
With his impressive passing ability and helpful pacing, Mason Mount is the first Chelsea Academy graduate to debut and complete fifty appearances within the same season—an impressive feat that Premier clubs took note of.
- Federico Valverde
Federico Valverde is considered as one of the best midfielders of La Liga. He started his career with Peñarol and made his debut match against Cerro in the first half of the 2015-2016 season.
With his performance as Uruguay’s rising football players, he attracted the interest of Premier League clubs like Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, and Real Madrid. Soon after, he transferred from Peñarol to Real Madrid.
After returning from a loan to La Liga, the young Uruguayan made waves in the preseason of 2018-2019 and was promoted from team B to first-team. During his time with Real Madrid, Valverde earned a foul against a match with Atletico Madrid after tackling Alvaro Morata. That said, it was this move that earned him the Man of the Match award and widespread praise even from Atletico Madrid’s manager, Diego Simeone.
- Nicolo Zaniolo
Nicole Zaniolo is one of the young football players that made waves this 2019-20 season scoring three goals in Serie A as one of the midfielders for AS Roma.
While the young Italian still has a long way to go to match the likes of his distinguished predecessors, his talent for the game is unmistakable. Referring to his unbelievable scoring streak for Serie A, he’s the youngest player to achieve such a feat since Francesco Totti.
Even with Zaniolo’s high-level gameplay and recent enthused assessment from Roma’s sporting director, Monchi, he was greatly underestimated by known clubs such as Inter in 2018 and Fiorentina in 2016.
That said, despite the bad treatment from the two clubs and lingering bitterness on Zaniolo’s part, the Italian youth is able to fashion it in a way that is showing positive results, earning praise, and apparent raised brows.
