Spain has produced some of the world’s best players over the past two decades. Players like Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Iker Casillas and Fernando Torres were part of the Spanish dream team that won the World Cup and the European Championship.
The game in Spain is well documented and is improving and evolving with every passing year, producing some of the world’s most talented players consistently.
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We look at some of Spain’s emerging talents who are all under the age of 23 and gunning to become household names in a few years.
#1 Jose Luis Gaya – 21 (Left Back, Valencia)
Spain is blessed with a number of up and coming defenders, specifically wing backs and Jose Luis Gaya is one of Spain’s finest. The youngster has followed in the footsteps of past Valencia wing backs like Jordi Alba and Juan Bernat and is already a regular starter for the Spanish club.
The youngster is superb going forward and efficient enough in defence, specifically, his crossing ability has gained him wide recognition. He can accelerate well and has good ability in keeping the ball.
Gaya’s weaknesses are his reckless tackling, he tackles hard and concedes far too many free-kicks and also his lack of height causes him to lose aerial battles, but surely these can be ironed out as time progresses. He is one of Spain’s best young wing backs and is surely one to watch.
#2 Hector Bellerin – 21 (Right Back, Arsenal)
Hector Bellerin’s rise has been quite meteoric, to say the least. He has, in a short space of time, gained wide recognition in the world of football for his defensive prowess and his attacking ability coupled with his frightening pace.
A former La Masia product, Bellerin has quickly become a regular starter for Arsenal after his move to England and has impressed with his ability to close down the opposition, stay tight on his man and provide excellent recovery apart from supporting the attack.
With such gifted pace and ability, Bellerin is surely going to be a regular starter for the Spanish national side in the future after already getting the call-up and he has made the transition to English football with ease.
#3 Saul Niguez – 21 (Midfielder, Atletico Madrid)
Saul Niguez could be one of Spain’s most complete midfielders and one of Spain’s next top midfielders, if not one of the best u-23s in La Liga at his tender age.
The 21-year-old has broken into Diego Simeone’s Atletico side very quickly and is gunning for a starting berth in the Spanish national side after a call up already, with a number of stellar performances.
His breakthrough season as a regular starter was in 2015/16 at the age of 20 where he scored 7 goals and bagged 4 assists and this season, he has become an integral part of Diego Simeone’s set up. He has scored only 1 goal so far but expect some fireworks from the midfielder as he continues to develop.
He could go on to emulate the feats of some of the Spanish greats and certainly has time on his side.
#4 Marcos Llorente – 21 (Midfielder, Real Madrid on loan at Deportivo Alaves)
Marcos Llorente is an immense talent. The young Spanish midfielder has all the attributes to make it big at the top and has already showed his class at a young age. A Real Madrid player from their academy Castilla, Llorente has been loaned out to Deportivo Alaves where he has become one of the club’s best players.
He is gifted with a dynamic passing range, can dribble exceptionally well and believe it or not isn’t half bad in the tackle. He also has a good shot on him and is one of Spain’s most complete young midfielders.
Marcos Llorente has been pulling the strings in the heart of the Alaves midfield and has a WhoScored rating of 7.33 in 9 games so far, winning 3 Man Of The Match awards. He is more of a player in the mould of Xavi and hasn’t scored any goals but is the ball player in the center of the pitch, although he does have one assist to his name.
Things certainly look bright for the young midfielder, especially if he can break into the Real Madrid starting 11 in a few years. He is definitely one to watch.
#5 Inaki Williams – 22 ( Winger, Athletic Bilbao)
Inaki Williams has been in the news this season after being linked with a possible move to Premier League leaders Liverpool. The versatile winger has amazing balance and can play with both feet and is most notably known for his direct style of play and is, in essence, a forward who is playing out wide, but his shortcomings are his passing and ability to cross the ball.
He likes to cut inside and get into the box and is well known for giving defenders a torrid time with his blistering pace. If his final ball and passing are improved he will be a complete inside forward to be reckoned with in the future, and it does look promising for the youngster if he develops his game well.
