25 Best Young Players in World Football (Ranked)

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Summary

• We’ve ranked the top 25 players in world football, aged 21 or under, based on their achievements and potential.
• Several Premier League stars feature, with Estevao Willian seeing a major leap in his standings.
• Any player over the age of 21 does not qualify for the list.

Sometimes it’s obvious in football 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 2025 who appear to possess all the tools to become truly great footballers. We’re unlikely to see another Messi-esque talent emerge any time soon, but that doesn’t mean they won’t become outstanding players in their own right.

Ranking factors

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

• Achievements so far at club / international level
• Expected potential

Only players aged 21 or under at the time of writing qualify for the list.

25 Claudio Echeverri | Argentina, Age 20

Position: Midfielder. Club: Man City (on loan at Girona). DOB: 02/01/2006.

Claudio Echeverri is expected to have a huge future in the game, which is exactly why Manchester City moved early to secure his signature as a teenager. The attacking midfielder was snapped up by the Citizens in 2024 before returning to River Plate on loan.

He’s only featured for Pep Guardiola’s men three times, but Echeverri did find the back of the net in one of his FIFA Club World Cup appearances. The youngster is still developing and has been sent out to fellow City Group outfit Girona for more regular game time.

24 Yan Diomande | Ivory Coast, Age 19

Position: Winger. Club: RB Leipzig. DOB: 14/11/2006.

Signed from Spanish side CD Leganes in the summer of 2025, Yan Diomande has quickly gone about becoming one of the Bundesliga’s brightest prospects. Still only 19-years-old, the left-winger has offered dynamism on the flank for RB Leipzig, scoring six goals and registering five assists in the German top flight at the time of writing.

Along with a further two assists in the DFB-Pokal, Diomande was called up by Ivory Coast for their Africa Cup of Nations campaign and registered a memorable goal against Burkina Faso in the Round of 16. Having earned nine caps already, he is likely to be the future of Les Elephants, and he could be Premier League-bound if Liverpool decide to act on their reported interest.

Yan Diomande – Senior Career So Far

2022 – 2025

Yulee Hornets

2025

CD Leganes

2025 – Present

RB Leipzig

23 Dro Fernandez | Spain, Age 18

Position: Midfielder. Club: PSG. DOB: 12/01/2008.

Barcelona’s academy – and for good reason, too – is widely recognised as one of the best in world football. It has produced all manner of world-beating stars over the years and next up could be Dro Fernandez. With him being just 18, it may be too early to predict what the future holds for the attacking midfielder, but he’s already won over the Camp Nou faithful, despite his very small number of appearances.

Primarily used in the Catalan side’s reverse team, Flick didn’t hesitate to call him up on several occasions. But his future lies elsewhere, with PSG reaching an agreementwith Barcelona to sign Dro in January.

Dro Fernandez – Senior career so far

2025 – 2026

Barcelona

2026 – Present

Paris Saint-Germain

22 Franco Mastantuono | Argentina, Age 18

Position: Winger. Club: Real Madrid. DOB: 14/08/2007.

It takes something special for Real Madrid to shell out £38.5m on a player who had not even turned 18 yet, but Los Blancos were completely convinced by Franco Mastantuono. Shining in River Plate’s first team as a young prodigy, the winger is widely regarded as the future of Argentinian football, becoming their youngest-ever debutant in June 2025.

It’s been a fairly modest start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu, but the 18-year-old did manage to notch his first goal in the Champions League during a 6-1 rout against Monaco. That should be a sign of things to come from Mastantuono, as he continues to develop while learning from the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.

Franco Mastantuono – Senior Career So Far

2024 – 2025

River Plate

2025 – Present

Real Madrid

21 Ethan Nwaneri | England, Age 19

Position: Striker/winger. Club: Arsenal (On loan at Marseille). DOB: 21/03/2007.

Ethan Nwaneri had no problems when stepping into the void that Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli’s long-term injuries had left like a phoenix rising from the ashes. Not in his wildest dreams would the 18-year-old have believed anyone if they had told him he would play a crucial part in Arsenal’s 2024/25 season, but he did – and that’s a testament to his innate ability to dazzle and dance in the final third.

Equally capable on his right foot as he is on his left, the teenage sensation makes things happen, and while rivals for his position often lack something in their skillset – whether that be decision-making or the ability to consistently furnish his solo runs with goal contributions – Nwaneri proves he might just have it all. In 26 Premier League games last term, he hit the back of the net four times. Arsenal have since loaned him to Marseille, no doubt hoping that he can improve at the Ligue 1 giants.

Ethan Nwaneri – Senior career so far

2022 – Present

Arsenal

20 Senny Mayulu | France, Age 19

Position: Midfielder. Club: Paris Saint-Germain. DOB: 17/05/2006.

A technically-gifted, ambidextrous midfielder with all the early hallmarks of a great middle man for PSG in the years ahead, Senny Mayulu has nine goal contributions across 28 matches in Ligue 1 and the Champions League this season. And while his efforts may be overshadowed by other teammates higher up in this list, he’s making good headway in the French giants’ pecking order.

Luis Enrique is absolutely blessed with youthful options in his squad, but Mayulu stands out as one of the very best. It just remains to be seen if Les Parisiens have the room for him, given they have last year’s Ballon d’Or nominees Joao Neves and Vitinha operating in the engine room.

Senny Mayulu – Senior career so far

2024 – Present

Paris Saint-Germain

19 Leny Yoro | France, Age 20

Position: Defender. Club: Manchester United. DOB: 13/11/2005.

Leny Yoro was linked with some of the biggest clubs in world football, including Real Madrid and Liverpool, but it was Manchester United who won the race to sign the young French defender. The 20-year-old impressed during his first two seasons in Ligue 1 for Lille, catching the eye of Europe’s elite in the process.

With the inflation of the transfer market, the price of the centre-backs has exploded in the last few years.Posts

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Yoro played 44 games in all competitions during the 2023/24 season and showed his versatility by playing as a centre-back and even as a defensive midfielder.

His 6ft 2in frame helps the gifted Frenchman dominate in the air, but his ability with the ball at his feet is also brilliant for such a tall player. While 2024/25 was a disastrous campaign for the Red Devils, one of the few shining lights was Yoro’s performances and while Rio Ferdinand may not like the comparisons to him, it is easy to see where they come from.

Leny Yoro – Senior career so far

2022 – 2024

LOSC Lille

2024 – Present

Manchester United

18 Rio Ngumoha | England, Age 17

Position: Winger. Club: Liverpool. DOB: 29/08/2008.

The biggest compliment anyone can give Rio Ngumoha is the fact that he genuinely gives Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo a run for their money. While he showed some evidence of that with a last-minute winner against Newcastle United at the start of the campaign, his 15-minute cameo in a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest confirmed those murmurs should have been shouted from the rooftops.

He caused all sorts of chaos in the Forest backline with his looping cross into the box, which ended with Alexis Mac Allister smashing home yet another late winner. At the time of writing, Ngumoha’s career – for club and country – is very young, with the 17-year-old getting very limited minutes in senior positions, but it’s not unfair to say that the sky’s the limit for the all-action winger, who is already regarded as one of the best English teenagers in the sport.

Rio Ngumoha – Senior career so far

2024 – Present

Liverpool

17 Max Dowman | England, Age 16

Position: Winger. Club: Arsenal. DOB: 31/12/2009.

Where to start with one of the most exciting talents of the last decade? Come rain or shine, you can bet your bottom dollar that Max Dowman, a 16-year-old prodigy fresh out of Arsenal’s academy ranks, will make defenders look foolish in a 90-minute match. His close control is one thing, but the intangible willingness to drive at a defender is second to none. He’s destined to achieve great things in the beautiful game, and we all have front row seats to watch it unfold.

Given that he is still so young, 2025/26 will not be the season where he becomes indispensable under Mikel Arteta – but that’s not to say he won’t become utterly undroppable in years to come. In fact, should he stay on the red half of north London, there is every chance that he will become one of the best players in the Premier League. Watch this space after he became the youngest scorer in the competition’s history!

Max Dowman – Senior career so far

2025 – Present

Arsenal

16 Kobbie Mainoo | England, 20

Position: Midfielder. Club: Manchester United. DOB: 19/04/2005.

Kobbie Mainoo burst onto the scene with Manchester United during the 2023/24 season and impressed fans and pundits alike with his remarkably mature performances. Many young players struggle when they’re thrust into a team that isn’t firing on all cylinders, but Manchester-born Mainoo saw this as his opportunity to shine and took it with both hands. Under the stewardship of Ruben Amorim, things weren’t as fruitful, but he’s now back in the team under Michael Carrick.

The central midfielder – who turns 21 in April – had forced his way into the England first-team, starting several knockout games for the Three Lions at Euro 2024 and looking comfortable. He may not be in contention for a spot under Thomas Tuchel right now, but that’s not to say he isn’t talented enough. If Mainoo continues to play well under United’s now-interim boss, he might yet throw his hat into the ring for the 2026 World Cup.

Kobbie Mainoo – Senior career so far

2022 – Present

Manchester United