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Seeing U-23 players stepping up and capturing the world's attention with their incredible talents is not new in football. The likes of Pele, Ronaldo Nazario and Michael Owen are good examples of footballers who rose to stardom at a very tender age. Memories of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo running riot as teenagers are also still fresh in our heads.
It goes without saying that the football world continues to bless us with sensational young talents year after year. The last few seasons have seen many young players announce themselves to the world in fantastic fashion. They have captured everyone's attention with their brilliant performances for club and country.
It has taken another step further in 2021. From January to December, we've witnessed a number of fast-rising talents take center stage in the beautiful game. This has inspired us to compile a list of five U-23 stars who have stood out in the sport this year. Let's take a look at them:
#5 Dusan Vahlovic
Dusan Vahlovic has been one of the finest attackers in Europe since the beginning of the year. The Fiorentina striker had an outing to remember last season. He bagged an impressive 21 goals and two assists for the Serie A side in 37 league games.
The 21-year-old has taken his game to another level this season, becoming a huge tormentor for opposition defenses in the Italian top flight. The Serbian U-23 star has recorded 18 goals and three assists in 22 appearances for Fiorentina across all competitions so far.
That includes 16 goals in just 20 Serie A games and two goals in two matches in the Italian Cup.
Thanks to his brilliant exploits in front of goal, Dusan Vahlovic has become a top target for many big clubs across Europe. It surely won't be a surprise if he is snapped up by one of those clubs in the coming months.
#4 Pedri
The Spaniard established himself as a regular in Barcelona's midfield in his debut campaign in the Catalan capital. He made a whopping 52 appearances for Blaugrana last season, scoring four times and setting up another six.
Pedri followed it up with another string of brilliant displays for Spain both in the Euros and the Olympics. He featured in all of La Roja's games in both tournaments. He was recently honored with the Golden Boy award and the Kopa Trophy for the spectacular year he's had. Absolutely one of the best U-23 stars in world football right now.
#3 Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior is without doubt one of the best U-23 players in world football right now. The Brazilian was a joy to watch in La Liga last season. With his electrifying skills, tricks and dribbling, he kept opposition defenders on guard in the Spanish top flight.
Vinicius ended the campaign with six goals and seven assists in 49 matches across all competitions. However, he's improved his efforts significantly in front of goal since the 2021-22 campaign kicked off.
In fact, it wouldn't be far-fetched to say he's been one of the best Real Madrid players this season. The 21-year-old has bagged 12 goals and nine assists for Los Blancos in 25 games across all competitions so far. Only time will tell how many goals he'll end up scoring come the end of the term.
#2 Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland has already established himself as among the most prolific attackers in the football world, despite being a U-23 player. The Borussia Dortmund striker has been scoring goals for fun over the last couple of years.
Haaland finished as the top scorer in the Champions League last season with 10 goals to his name in just eight games. He ended the campaign with an impressive tally of 41 goals and 12 assists in 41 appearances for the BVB in all competitions.
The Norwegian continues firing on all cylinders this season. So far, he's found the back of the net an incredible 19 times in 16 games across all fronts.
#1 Kylian Mbappe
It is quite unbelievable what Kylian Mbappe has achieved in his career as a U-23 superstar. The French winger already has the World Cup in his cabinet as well as the UEFA Nations League. He has also won the Ligue 1 title and every domestic cup in France with Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe undoubtedly belongs in an exclusive class when it comes to rating the best U-23 players in world football in 2021. The 22-year-old had a brilliant outing last season, scoring 42 times and assisting another 11 in 47 games for PSG in all competitions.
He's been by far the standout performer for the Parisians so far this season. He has scored 15 goals and 15 assists in 24 games across all fronts. It is worth noting that the attacker recently inspired France to claim the UEFA Nations League contributing four goals and two assists.
