There are many wonderkids like Lamine Yamal, Cole Palmer, and Jeremy Doku who are lighting up the world. Youngsters around the world are developing at a pace faster than ever before. This list consists of some of the biggest upcoming wonderkids in the world.
1. Lamine Yamal
Lamine Yamal is a La Masia product. He is just 16 years of age but is already creating ripples on the biggest stage of football. Lamine Yamal has been with Barcelona since 2013. He made his senior debut for Barcelona in the 32nd game week of La Liga of the 2022-23 season. He was just 15 years and 290 days when he made his debut. This made Lamine Yamal the youngest ever Barcelona player in league history and the fifth youngest of all time.
The Barcelona youngster has shown a tremendous amount of skill and potential. Lamine Yamal has already managed to score for Barcelona in La Liga. He became La Liga’s youngest goal scorer after managing to score for Barcelona against Granada. He was just 16 years and 87 days old when he scored. Lamine Yamal will surely develop into a fantastic player in the coming years. La Masia is known for its La Masia is known for its player development and Lamine Yamal is surely one of the top players to watch out for.
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2. Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer currently plays for Chelsea. He played with Manchester City from 2010 to 2023. He progressed in Manchester City’s youth academy and moved to their first team in 2020. On 30th September 2020, Cole Palmer made his first senior appearance for Manchester City in a 3-0 win against Burnley in the EFL Cup. He scored his first goal for the club in 2021. While Cole Palmer was developing and advancing well in Manchester City, the amount of game time he was getting was an issue. Palmer wanted to start games and get proper game time in order to develop further. Therefore, in 2023 he decided to part ways with Manchester City.
Cole Palmer joined Chelsea in the 2023 summer transfer window. He has been starting regularly for the club and his potential is quite visible. He has 4 goals and 2 assists in 10 appearances in the Premier League this season. Cole Palmer also scored a penalty against his former team Manchester City to salvage a draw for Chelsea. Cole Palmer has the potential to become one of the best players in the world and if Chelsea can successfully tap into this potential, he can develop into a really key player for the club.
3. Endrick
Endrick currently plays for Brazilian club Palmeiras. He started his football career in Palmeiras’ youth academy. Endrick joined the youth academy in 2016. He managed to break into the first team and performed unbelievably for them. His performances caught the attention of many clubs across the world but most importantly Real Madrid’s. Real Madrid decided to sign Endrick on a pre-contract for the club. On 15th December 2022, Real Madrid announced that they had reached an agreement with Palmeiras to sign Endrick.
Endrick, however, will be able to officially join Real Madrid in July 2024, when he turns 18. The official signing fee was undisclosed by the club. Endrick has been spectacular and will soon be joining one of the best clubs in the world. Real Madrid will probably spend a little extra time developing him before putting him straight into action. While Endrick has already shown a lot of talent, he is still just 17 years old. If Real Madrid can develop him properly, he will surely turn into one of the most lethal strikers in the world.
4. Rasmus Hojlund
Rasmus Hojlund currently plays for Premier League team Manchester United. He spent time in FC Copenhagen’s youth squad before breaking into their first team. He played from FC Copenhagen and Sturm Graz, but his first real break came when he played for Serie A side Atalanta. Hojlund managed to score 9 goals for Atalanta while being just 19 years of age. With the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo along with Anthony Martial’s troubles with injury, Manchester United needed a new number nine. Rasmus Hojlund managed to get on their radar after a good season with Atalanta.
Manchester United decided to sign the 20-year-old in the summer of 2023. A deal was agreed between Atalanta and Manchester United on 29th July 2023 which saw the Danish striker join the Red Devils. While Hojlund has not had the most impressive of starts to his career at Manchester United, he has already showcased his brilliance. Hojlund has 5 goals in the UEFA Champions League this seasonHojlund has 5 goals in the UEFA Champions League this season.
Hojlund has displayed pace, strength, and finishing, which are all marks of a great striker. Manchester United will be confident that they can help Hojlund develop into one of the most lethal strikers in the world. Rasmus Hojlund has also impressed with his international side Denmark. He is their top scorer in the 2024 EUROs Qualifications and showing that despite his young age, he is ready to prove himself on the biggest stage.
5. Antonio Silva
Antonio Silva plays for Portuguese side Benfica. Benfica are known for developing world class players. He joined Benfica’s youth squad in 2016. He spent time from 2016 to 2022 developing with Benfica’s youth squad. Antonio Silva managed to impress coach Roger Schmidt and started to train with the first team. He was given his first start on 27th August and has been impressing ever since. Antonio Silva managed to get into Portugal’s World Cup team after impressive performances for both club and country.
Antonio Silva has been on the radar of many clubs around the world. He will most likely be snatched up by a big club in the summer transfer window of 2024. There will probably be a competition between multiple clubs who are interested in signing Antonio Silva. Silva has the potential to turn into one of the best centre-backs in the world. He is just 20 years of age but is surprisingly mature already. He will surely become even better in the future and is one to watch out.
6. Jeremy Doku
Jeremy Doku has played for multiple clubs like KVC Olympic Deurne, Tubantia Borgerhout, Beerschot, and Anderlecht, but it was Rennes where he caught the eyes of many clubs around the world. Doku impressed with his burst of pace, quick dribbling, and explosiveness. Manchester City recognised Jeremy Doku’s potential and decided to sign him. On 24th August 2023, Manchester City confirmed the signing of Jeremy Doku on a five year deal from Rennes.
Jeremy Doku has impressed at Manchester City with his dribbling and ability to take on defenders, but his stand out performance came in Manchester City’s 6-1 win against Bournemouth. Jeremy Doku managed to get 5 goal involvements against Bournemouth. He scored 1 goal and 4 assists in an extremely impressive performance. Doku showcased his skills to the utmost and showed the world why Manchester City decided to sign him. He is currently playing for one of the best teams in the world. If given the right opportunities, Jeremy Doku can develop into a world class winger.
7. Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz has already shown his talents at Bayer Leverkusen. He has impressed for both his club and country. He made his professional debut for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on 18th May 2020. This made him the youngest ever player to play for Leverkusen in the league at the age of 17 years and 15 days. On 13th March 2022, Wirtz tore his anterior cruciate ligament. He missed the rest of the season out with injury.
In January 2023, Wirtz recovered from his injury and returned for Bayer Leverkusen. Writz will hope he can avoid further injuries which may hamper his career. Bayer Leverkusen are doing exceptionally well this season. This will be the perfect time for Wirtz to both develop further and showcase his talents to the rest of the world. With his talents, Wirtz can become an exceptional player in the near future and is already on the watch list of some of the best clubs in the world.
8. Micky van de Ven
Micky van de Ven joined Tottenham Hotspur from VfL Wolfsburg in 2023. Van de Ven was very impressive at VfL Wolfsburg but he started to get attention after he joined Tottenham. Micky van de Ven has been colossal for Tottenham’s defence. He has formed a fantastic partnership with Cristian Romero in the heart of Tottenham’s defence. While he is just 22 years of age, he has shown unbelievable maturity and is already one of the best defenders in the Premier League this season.
Micky van de Ven got injured in Tottenham’s game against Chelsea. His injury is fairly serious and will keep him sidelined until the next year. Van de Ven will hope that he can recover from this injury as fast as possible and be available for Tottenham once again. Van de Ven will hope to regain his form at the club once he recovers from his injury. If he does gain back his form, it is of little doubt that he will once again become one of the best defenders in the league. The defensive awareness and technical skill displayed by Van de Ven is beyond his years and he can develop into one of the best defenders in the world.
9. Alejandro Garnacho
Alejandro Garnacho quickly became Manchester United’s star boy. He was signed by the club in 2020 and was a part of the youth team from 2020 to 2022. Garnacho made his first senior start for Manchester United on 27th October, 2022. Since his appearance, Garnacho has kept developing at the club. He finished the 2022-23 season on a strong note, with Erik Ten Hag giving Garnacho more and more game time to help him develop.
Alejandro Garnacho is just 19 years of age but has shown his talents to the world. He plays very direct and loves taking on defenders and dribbling past them. Garnacho is a very good winger and a goal scorer. He reminds certain fans of a young Cristiano Ronaldo playing at Manchester United. Garnacho is nowhere near Cristiano Ronaldo’s level or ability but he has a lot of time to better his skills and develop into an even better player. Garnacho can be a star for Manchester United in the future and is worth keeping an eye on.
10. Arda Guler
Arda Guler is a Turkish footballer who currently plays for Real Madrid. Guler joined Real Madrid in the summer transfer window of 2023. Guler impressed the world during his time at Fenerbahce. After the departure of Mesut Ozil from Fenerbahce, Arda Guler was given the number 10 shirt. Guler continued to impress at Fenerbahce, scoring important goals and helping create play.
The skills of the midfielder caught the eye of Real Madrid who are committed to creating a team for the future. With the likes of Kroos and Modric nearing the end of their careers, Madrid saw the opportunity to sign Guler and signed him. On 6th July 2023, Real Madrid announced the signing of Arda Guler from Fenerbahce. While we have not seen much of him at Madrid, we can expect great things from Guler in the future. He has already shown the world what he is capable of and Real Madrid will try their level best to help him achieve his potential.
Editors pick
