Pele at the age of 17 in 1958, Franz Beckenbauer at the age of 20 in 1966, Michael Owen At the age of 18 in 1998 or Lukas Podolski At the age of 21 in 2006, when the best young player of the World Cup tournament was officially selected for the first time.
The current World Cup has seen a lot of top performances from young players.
Many others deserve honorable mentions, but we took a closer look at five players who are still in the quarterfinals.
Goncalo Ramos, 21, striker – what an entry!
The other names mentioned in the story can be found on several sites, which before the start of the tournament listed star prospects worth keeping an eye on. Goncalo Ramos the name was not found in the list.
– He made a big impression and he knew how to surprise me too. He only played his first national A match on November 17. In many assessments, it was said that you wouldn’t even fit in the team. You got on the field a bit in two group matches and then a really massive show, says Urheilu’s expert Erkka V. Lehtola.
So before the World Cup, Ramos had played only one game for the A national team, a training match against Nigeria. There was also a goal and an assist. In the starting group of the World Cup, he played ten minutes until he got Cristiano Ronaldo in the opening of the place in the quarter-final against Switzerland – and scored a hat-trick.
Read more: Who is the 21-year-old unknown who has replaced Cristiano Ronaldo? The coach’s firing turned the career into a wild union just a year ago
What draws attention to him?
– For versatility. To how he took long passes, how he was able to operate in a small space, how he pulled an explosive checkered drive into the top corner, and how he is able to operate with both feet. He is a 9-position player, but has also played a lot lower in the 10-position, Lehtola answers.
Ramos, who leads the Portuguese League’s goalscoring team in Benfica’s shirt, is in the sights of big clubs. Benfica has set a €120 million buyout clause on a contract that runs until 2025.
What kind of future do you predict?
– I think that the other year in Benfica he played for Uruguay By Darwin Nunez behind in the 10 spot, was able to feed him and make some hits. Now he has been his team’s top scorer and has had a strong start in the national team. Able to predict a bright future.
Born: 20.6.2001.
Junior clubs: Olhanense and Loulé, moved to Benfica at the age of 12.
In the national team: 4 games, 4 goals, 2 assists.
In the 2022 World Cup: 84 minutes, 3 goals, 1 assist.
Jude Bellingham, 19, Midfield – In England, all the similes already invented?
Jude Bellingham19, played himself into the hearts of English fans in the quarter-finals at the latest, when England, largely under his leadership, beat Senegal 3–0.
Bellingham made a brave decision and went to Borussia Dortmund at the age of 17. Now he is the only non-Premier League player in England’s World Cup squad.
What is his number one weapon and what do you like about him?
– Like many others said, can he only be 19. There are so many mature things to do. Once again, versatility is the word. He is able to defend well and does it without any fuss. He can control the ball, go for hard passes, finish. Quite a package, Lehtola marvels.
– In England, the media has speculated that he concentrates as David Beckhamis creative like Paul Gascoignehard as Paul Ince and wants to score goals like Frank Lampard. The list is endless.
Is there some kind of “ceiling” for the development of his skills?
– I don’t know if there is a “ceiling” when you can play at this level in a tournament like this at the age of 19. He also plays a great role in Dortmund. It will be interesting to see what his next move is.
Bellingham’s contract with Dortmund lasts until the end of the 2024-2025 season, but offers are pouring in for Dortmund. During the World Cup, practically every major club in England has been rumored to be after him.
Are there any chances to be the best in the world or even among the best, in the top 5?
– On the whole, yes. He has that flashy side to his game, but if I just think about the result and what he brings down the line, for his own team, then it definitely is.
Born: 29/06/2003.
Junior clubs: Stourbridge and Birmingham City.
Representative teams: Birmingham City 2019–2020, Borussia Dortmund 2020–
In the national team: 21 games, 1 goal, 2 assists.
In the 2022 World Cup: Every game in the opener, 324 minutes, 1 goal, 1 assist.
Cody Gakpo, 23, striker – hard-working and cool-headed
Cody Gakpo is the oldest player on this list. Even before the games, the PSV striker was one of the players that the big European clubs were known to be after.
Technically skilled and athletic, Gakpo has played in a different role in the national team than in the club team, but used his opportunities to the fullest. He became the fourth Dutch player in history to score in three consecutive World Cup matches. Gakpo joined in with his performance Johan Neeskens (1974), By Dennis Bergkamp (1994) and by Wesley Sneijder (2010) into the group.
– All these young people are united by versatility. If you consider that at PSV he is a tall winger at over 190 centimeters who can pass, cut in, shoot with his right foot, score goals. In the Dutch team, he has played in the middle and has been effective from game to game, Lehtola reflects.
– Gakpo seems hard-working and cool-headed, who has been able to deal with the expectations he set himself. One of the big, young achievers of the Games.
Born: 7/5/1999.
Revival: PSV’s own grower.
In the national team: 13 games, 6 goals, 2 assists.
In the 2022 World Cup: In the opener in all four games, 338 minutes, 3 goals.
Julian Alvarez, 22, striker – surprisingly Argentina’s first choice
Julian Alvarez transferred from his native River Plate to Manchester City in the summer. That alone makes him special, that he was wanted in perhaps the best club in the world at the moment, says Lehtola.
The diminutive, 170-centimeter striker has somewhat surprisingly taken the place of Argentina’s number one striker at the World Cup from a few years older, representing Inter Lautaro from Martinez.
– In Argentina’s shirt, he is a different type than Martinez, who came to the games as a clear number one striker Lionel Messi’s alongside. Now the parts have changed. Alvarez is faster, more energetic, better at moving behind the lines. He brings a threat with his constant movement. He has also shown that he can finish, which is of course the most important attribute of a striker.
Born: 31.1.2000.
Junior clubs: Atlético Calchin, River Plate
Representative teams: River Plate 2018–2022, Manchester City 2022–
In the national team: 16 games, 5 goals.
In the 2022 World Cup: Played in four matches, including two substitutes. 208 minutes. Two goals.
Phil Foden, 22, Midfield/Winger – The magical driver
by Phil Foden the performances at the World Championships in themselves are not surprising. Already in December 2017, he became the youngest Englishman in history to be in the starting line-up in the Champions League. Bellingham has since broken the record.
Foden also debuted in the Premier League at the age of 17 during the same December. Foden is Manchester City’s own grown-up.
– He made a strong result at a very young age and made it to City’s representative team. He is a big option for England. Able to play on the right, come from there to the center, shoot sharply on the left. He has a magical ability to carry, move the game forward, dodge tackles and threaten the defensive line with them. He can also pass goals.
– Pep Guardiola (City’s head coach) has said that he is a midfielder type. Versatility is needed in Nykyfutis. The fact that you’re not just a flying winger, for example.
Born: 28/05/2000.
Revival: Manchester City’s own breeder.
In the national team: 21 matches, 3 goals, 8 assists.
In the 2022 World Cup: 3 matches, including two in the opening. 174 minutes. 1 goal, 2 assists.
Other young stars who have spoken
When taking into account the teams that were already eliminated from the games before the quarter-finals, Germany and Bayern Munich, among others, must be highlighted among the young Jamal Musiala. Only 19 years old, Musiala is a very powerful, skilful and hard-hitting attacking midfielder.
Musiala became the youngest player in Germany’s World Cup team. He was in the starting line-up for every match in Germany, when the footballing country’s season ended disastrously for the second time in a row in the first group.
The midfield duo of Spain and FC Barcelona Peter and Gavi cannot be ignored either. Against Costa Rica, 18-year-old Gavi became the second-youngest World Cup scorer in history. The youngest is 17 years old Pele 1958.
20-year-old Pedri already made his breakthrough in the previous year’s European Championships. Both Gavi and Pedri opened for Spain in every World Cup match as the tournament ended in the quarter-finals against Morocco.
21-year-old Benfica player Enzo Fernandez get, among other things Praise from ESPN (you will switch to another service) for his performances in Argentina’s midfield. He scored in the win over Mexico after coming on as a substitute, assisted a goal against Poland and played a full minute in the quarterfinals against Australia. Seamlessly and cleverly linking defense and attack, Fernandez made his debut in the national team only in training games before the games.
The 22-year-old from France and Real Madrid has also been successful in the midfield Aurelien Tchouameni.
The 22-year-old from Poland gets the praise from ESPN among defensive end players Jakub Kiwiora 20-year-old topper from Croatia If Cvardiol and a 20-year-old topper from Ecuador Piero Hincapie.
The World Cup has already seen a record number of nine teenage players in the starting line-up: Brandon Aguilera and Jewison Bennette (Costa Rica), Bellingham (England), Alejandro BaldeGavi and Pedri (Spain), Musiala (Germany), Antonio Silva (Portugal) as well as Yunus Musah (U.S).