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Ah, potential - that duplicitous, seductive mistress. Potential is what gets plenty of people interested in football - when you can see a brilliant youngster that no else can identify as such. There's still time for him to go either way - towards dominating the world of football or falling by the wayside as a wasted talent.
Note that the criteria for 'youngsters' is if they are under 23 years of age, so there are some notable 23-year-olds missing from this list.
Without further ado, here are the best youngsters in football right now:
#10 Leon Goretzka - 22-years-old
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain, Juventus - when pretty much every top club in the world is chasing your signature, you better be good. Leon Goretzka is better than good, and what's best is that he comes for free.
How Schalke allowed one of the most promising youngsters to come out of Germany this generation to run down his contract remains a mystery, but here is where we are.
Goretzka may only have the 4 goals and a solitary assist for his side this season, but the youngster is a large part of the reason why Schalke lie 2nd in the Bundesliga table during the winter break. It's only a matter of time before the midfielder makes a move to a 'bigger' club, and his presence in the German midfield of the future is pretty much assured.
#9 Leroy Sane - 22-years-old
The German midfielder has always had plenty of hype surrounding him ever since he came through the ranks at Schalke, but few would have predicted the impact Leroy Sane has made with Manchester City in the 2017/18 season.
In just 29 appearances so far, Sane has been involved in 21 goals, racking up 12 assists alongside his 9 goals for the Sky Blues this season. His speed and control with the ball has proven to be the perfect outlet for Pep Guardiola's side, as the German has dovetailed beautifully with Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva to make City the most exciting side to watch this season.
Sane is well on his way to repaying the £45 million City parted with for his services, and in the coming decade could very well be the lynchpin for Germany's national team.
#8 Thomas Lemar - 22-years-old
August 31st, 2017 was rather a strange day for Thomas Lemar. He was fresh from hammering in a stunning brace for France and was then informed that AS Monaco had accepted a bid of €100 million for him from Arsenal. However, there wasn't enough time for the Gunners and Lemar to agree personal terms and the move fell through.
Perhaps it was providence, given Arsenal's current woes, but the Frenchman has regressed in terms of end-product compared to last season. Lemar is quite integral to AS Monaco, especially after the summer firesale that left him as the main creative option for Leonardo Jardim's side.
The increased responsibility has clearly had an effect, and with only 3 goals and 4 assists to his name, perhaps it is time Lemar made his desired move to the Premier League or La Liga. The midfielder plays with a calm assurance that belies his age, and perhaps it is time he proved himself in a more challenging league.
#7 Anthony Martial - 22-years-old
There was plenty of criticism when Manchester United smashed the world record fee for a teenager when they parted with £36 million (rising to £58 million) for Anthony Martial. Despite the youngster proving his mettle under Louis van Gaal, Martial has had a stop-start time under Jose Mourinho, with the Portuguese manager making his lack of trust in Martial as the Red Devil's leading striker quite clear with the acquisitions of Romelu Lukaka and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Despite being played on the wings, and not being offered a consistent time in Manchester United's first team, Martial has still managed to rack up 9 goals this season.
Given Olivier Giroud's lack of game-time with Arsenal and Alexandre Lacazette's lack of suitability alongside Antoine Griezmann, we could very well see Anthony Martial leading the line for an immensely talented France side in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Russia will be a litmus test for Martial - pass it with flying colours and Jose Mourinho can ignore him no longer.
#6 Gabriel Jesus - 20-years-old
£27 million does not get you much these days - but when Manchester City paid Palmeiras that amount in January 2017, the move was met with plenty of derision. Fast forward one year, and Jesus was keeping out Sergio Aguero and leading the line for arguably the best team in Europe.
The Brazilian still has room to improve, but when Pep Guardiola is your manager, that seems pretty much a foregone conclusion for a youngster who has his head screwed on straight, and is immensely hungry to succeed for club and country.
Jesus has already proved himself in the Premier League and the group stages of the UEFA Champions League - and once he excels for Brazil in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, most of the world will acknowledge his status as one of the best centre-forwards in football at the moment. With 10 goals already this season, Jesus is well on his way to achieving that feat.
#5 Gianluigi Donnarumma - 18-years-old
Plenty of goalkeepers have been named the successor to Gianluigi Buffon over the last two decades, but few have even come close to matching the Italian legend's feats. The only keeper Gigi Buffon has ever spoken about as a successor in glowing terms is in fact, Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Like plenty of other youngsters in this list, Donnarumma has endured a rather difficult start to the 2017/18 season, with his agent Mino Raiola effectively causing the breakdown of his relationship with the Milan ultras. It was rather understandable to see the youngster breaking down in tears, but what was more impressive was his response.
Emboldened by Gennaro Gattuso, Donnarumma has come back into the Milan goal with typical bullishness, looking once more like the goalkeeper who finished the 2015/16 season with a staggering 100% claim success rate.
Real Madrid might be willing to part with world record fees for David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois, but perhaps they would be better off throwing the cash AC Milan's way, for Gianluigi Donnarumma is a sure thing.
#4 Ousmane Dembele - 20-years-old
Just under 2 years ago, Ousmane Dembele was finishing the 2015/16 season with an 8th-placed finish for Rennes in Ligue 1, narrowly missing out on the Europa League spots. In just two seasons, the 20-year-old is now the fourth most expensive player of all time, behind Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Phillipe Coutinho.
Donning the #11 shirt for Barcelona, Dembele has yet to show his best for the Blaugrana, due to a long-term injury. However, his performances for Borussia Dortmund in the 2016/17 season were truly something to remember, as the then 19-year-old put multiple Bundesliga defences to the sword.
Even if Dembele plays out only the rest of the season for Barcelona, it is likely that the Frenchman will top Barcelona's dribbling stats (as he was only second to Neymar in Europe in 2016/17) - such is the frequency with which he attempts take-ons and dribbles.
While Barcelona may have parted with a large sum for Dembele, it is pretty much a guarantee that in 5-10 years time, that fee will be viewed as entirely justified.
Honourable Mentions
Phil Foden - Manchester City - 17-years-old
The most promising English youngster to come out in recent years, and plenty of Three Lions fans are extremely glad that Pep Guardiola is overseeing his development. Despite his tender years, the maturity that Foden shows in the middle of the park is eerily reminiscent of a young Xavi.
Christian Pulisic - Borussia Dortmund - 19-years-old
The best thing to come out of the United States of America in the last decade, although that's not exactly a high bar. Pulisic copped plenty of criticism from his own country after USA's ignominious failure to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but his response has simply been to put his head down and shine for Dortmund.
Timo Werner - RB Leipzig - 21-years-old
When a club like Real Madrid are considering making you their long-term target for the central striker role, you have to be good. Werner's rise to fame under Ralf Hassenhutl has convinced every Bundesliga fan that he will be Germany's striker for the long-term. The only question surrounding him is his willingness to put in the long hours.
Dele Alli - Tottenham Hotspur - 21-years-old
Dele Alli was widely considered one of the best in the world last year, but the hype has justifiably died down. The Englishman has gone from a player with excellent end-product to mediocre contributions coupled with a predilection for bad tackles and dives. The raw materials are still there though, and Dele Alli could still rise to the top echelons of football.
#3 Marcus Rashford - 20-years-old
Given what he's managed to achieve with Raheem Sterling, one wonders what Pep Guardiola would have been able to do with Marcus Rashford, especially when one considers Jose Mourinho's record with promising youngsters. The Manchester United youngster has been at the end of a few less-than-generous comments from Mourinho, despite his impressive contribution so far.
9 goals and 8 assists with the season halfway gone is no mean feat for a 20-year-old making infrequent appearances for one of the world's biggest clubs in an unfavoured position.
One yearns to see Rashford play in the central striking role he so desires - perhaps Mourinho is simply ensuring his rise is steady instead of swift - but then again there remains a nagging doubt that Rashford could do so much more, if only he was handed some more trust from his boss.
Either way, Rashford is destined for greatness, whether it is under Mourinho or someone else.
#2 Marco Asensio - 21-years-old
He's not had the best of seasons, but Marco Asensio began 2017/18 with a literal bang. His goals against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup had everyone salivating at the thought of this being his breakout year. You'd believe the hype after a goal like this, right?
With 7 goals and 3 assists from 26 appearances so far, it's fair to say that the hype surrounding Asensio has well and truly evaporated. The Spanish wonderkid has barely helped matters with a string of selfish performances for Los Blancos.
Look past the problems plaguing Real Madrid though, and it's fair to say that Asensio is paying for the rest of his side underperforming. The left-footed maestro, however, is clearly a player with the X-factor. 90 minutes of an underwhelming performance can be forgotten in moments with a strike from his wand of a left foot.
I mean, just look at the goals he scores:
A club of Real Madrid's stature are betting their future on Asensio - with good reason. If he can add the requisite maturity to his game, who knows, someday PSG may arrive to trigger his €700 million release clause.
#1 Kylian Mbappe - 19-years-old
He may only still be on loan, but when Paris St-Germain part with £166 million for the teenaged Frenchman at the end of this season, he will be worth every single penny. Kylian Mbappe is the real deal - he is not an overhyped youngster. We're witnessing the genesis of football's next greatest player.
And what a genesis it is.
Mbappe has broken all sorts of records that have to do with age - he's already more productive than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were at a similar stage of their development.
This is a player who's torn apart Juventus' famed backline at their peak and has continued to perform with consistency this season as well - combining superbly with Edinson Cavani and Neymar. What makes Mbappe's success such a guarantee though, is that he has a humble and calm head on his shoulders.
Say hello to your future Ballon d'Or winner, ladies and gents.
