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Europe is filled with some of the most talented and exquisite footballers on the planet. For the longest time it has been the center of global football both for financial and sporting reasons. Footballers are no longer just sports professionals, they are icons, role-models, influencers.
This elevated status that football professionals enjoy has seen many youngsters take up the game at a tender age and nurture the ambition of being the best. Just like every year, this season has also seen some very young football players promoted to the senior level and sign their first professional contracts.
In a move of great encouragement, it is an opportunity for them to train with their idols and observe what one needs to do to make it big. The earlier the personality and work ethic of exemplary professionals rubs off on up-and-coming, promising talent, the better it is.
In Europe's top five leagues there are many such youngsters who have nailed it with their hard work and have successfully entered the big stage. Many of them are already knocking on the doors of the first team and others have taken positive baby steps. On that note, here are the 10 youngest players in Europe right now:
Note: All data from Transfermarkt.com and players from the top five leagues are only considered.
#10 Mohamed-Ali Cho - 17 years, 6 months and 20 days
One of the talking points from Angers' decent start in Ligue 1 has been the youngest player in their ranks, Mohamed-Ali Cho. The forward netted his first goal in the French top-flight this season to ensure all-three points against Stade Rennes. He also scored in a thrilling encounter against Metz, which Angers won with a 3-2 scoreline.
He made his debut in Ligue 1 last season aged 16 years and and 224 days and went on to make 21 appearances in the competition. He was mostly utilized as a substitute but has been getting regular minutes and starts this campaign.
Cho has represented French giants PSG and Merseyside club Everton in their youth system. Although he has represented England at U16 and U15 levels, the forward has now shifted allegiances to France.
A versatile attacking player capable of anywhere in the front-three, the 17-year old has been compared to French players like Nicolas Pepe and Ousmane Dembele. He became the youngest player to score in Ligue 1 since Eduardo Camavinga, and also the second youngest to sign a professional contract in France.
#9 Linus Gechter - 17 years, 6 months and 16 days
Linus Gechter is the fourth youngest lad to feature in the German Bundesliga this year. The German side has handed out timely opportunities to its young guns in the past and many of them have successfully repaid the trust shown in them.
Gechter came on at the 45th minute mark for Dennis Jaztrezembski and became the second youngest Hertha debutant in the Bundesliga against VfL Bochum this season. In what was a calm showing by the youngster, he made seven clearances and four tackles on his big day.
All three of his appearances in the German top-flight have been off the bench and he has kept his nerves on all those occasions. Interestingly, Hertha Berlin also went on to win all those games. Gechter has shown his ability to play with the ball in the limited minutes he has got and is surely an interesting talent.
#8 Lesley Ugochukwu - 17 years, 4 months and 13 days
Stade Rennais have cemented their position as a top-talent production factory in recent times. Eduardo Camavinga, the teenage sensation, was an example of the club's strong belief in youth and their process of honing great talent.
Lesley Ugochukwu is of the same mold as Camavinga and after the latter's departure to Real Madrid, he is slowly climbing up the pecking order at Rennes. The Nigerian made his debut in a Ligue 1 game against Dijon last season, though he only came on in the final minute of the match.
The 17-year old proved his potential against PSG last season. With Steven N'Zonzi and Camavinga both suspended, Ugochukwu delivered an assured performance against the French giants. A box-to-box midfielder, he is able to use his tall frame to his advantage and has shown his physicality while holding the ball.
This season he has seen opportunities come to him at a more frequent rate. Having already started four games in Ligue 1, he came on as a substitute for another four outings.
#7 Alvaro Bastida - 17 years, 4 months and 5 days
Alvaro Bastida is the second youngest player to feature in La Liga this season. The 17-year old has been with Cadiz since his youth days and has seen himself progress through the ranks at the Spanish club. Not a regular yet in the first team, the club are being patient with Bastida and giving him time to develop.
In the last two seasons the youngster has featured on a few occasions for both the Cadiz B team and the senior side. He made his La Liga debut in the last game of the 2020-21 season against Levante. So far this campaign, Bastida has made the bench regularly and has even earned two starts.
The midfielder likes to control the game with the ball at his feet and is a tidy passer of the ball. He has shown decent vision and good technique in the two games he has featured in. Bastida is not the fastest player or the most gifted aerially but these are aspects of the game he has plenty of time to work on.
#6 Gavi - 17 years and 24 days
Among the very few things that came out well from Ronald Koeman's Barcelona spell was La Masia graduate Pablo Martin Gavira, popularly known as Gavi. The former manager handed the youngster his first team debut in August and since then he has been gathering plaudits every time he has stepped out to play.
He is the fourth youngest player to play for Barcelona and has only gone and justified his promotion. The agile central midfielder has great reserves of stamina and works relentlessly on the field. He is an accomplished distributor and is very efficient in progressing the ball from deep in the midfield.
His perfectly weighted touch and great anticipation of the play has seen many compare him to former Barcelona legends Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Now that the former is at the helm as a manager, he can surely help forge Gavi into a superb midfielder.
Gavi earned rave reviews for his performances in the UEFA Nations League semi-final and final as he represented Spain. The La Masia graduate became the youngest Spanish international to play for La Roja. With absolutely no doubt, one can say greatness awaits Gavi.
#5 Iker Bravo - 16 years, 9 months and 25 days
Bayer Leverkusen have been lucky to bear the fruit of giving their young guns first team opportunities in the past. The likes of Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz have both emerged as great future prospects for Germany and are highly valued in the market. Continuing on the trend, Leverkusen gave Iker Bravo the opportunity to become the third youngest player in Bundesliga history.
The Spaniard made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Hertha Berlin. He came on from the bench in the 79th minute. Bravo is a centre-forward who used to play for Barcelona's La Masia academy. Last season, the Spanish giants couldn't come to an agreement for a professional contract with their starlet.
Having joined the Bundesliga club, the young Spaniard has produced some dazzling performances for the U19 squad. It is widely regarded that Bravo has the makings of a top player and Barcelona let a very talented youngster slip through their ranks. Keep an eye on him!
#4 Luka Romero - 16 years, 9 months and 10 days
The only player from Italy's Serie A to feature on this list is Argentine wonderkid Luka Romero. Lazio have established an image of undertaking low-risk, high-reward transfers having previously recruited Lucas Leiva, Ciro Immobile, Francesco Acerbi and others. Romero belongs to the same breed and early glimpses of his talent have been impressive to say the least.
The Italian club signed him from La Liga side RCD Mallorca for only a premium training sum. Lazio had the oldest squad last season in Serie A and this is a positive step from a club looking to secure its future. In 2019-20, Romero etched his name in the history books by becoming the youngest player ever to play in La Liga. He did this at the age of 15 years and 219 days against Real Madrid.
The Argentine has drawn comparisons to the greats of the game like David Silva and Lionel Messi. The 16-year old is well known for his dribbling skills and can comfortably take on players in a one-on-one situation. The left-footed attacking midfielder has a lot of potential and it would be Lazio's responsibility to help nurture his raw talent.
#3 Zidan Sertdemir - 16 years, 9 months and 3 days
In the same game that Iker Bravo came on as a substitute, Bayer Leverkusen also gave Zidan Sertdemir the opportunity to make his debut. Even though he came on for a brief four minutes, it was enough to make him the second youngest player ever to feature in a Bundesliga game.
The Dane plays as a central midfielder but has a tendency to move higher up the pitch frequently. He likes to stay involved in the final third and his performances for the Leverkusen's U-19 team in Germany are proof of that.
He has so far notched up six goals and two assists in 10 games while representing Bayer Leverkusen's junior division side. Despite his Turkish roots, Sertdemir decided to represent Denmark on the international stage. Before joining Leverkusen, he was involved in FC Nordsjaelland's youth setup.
#2 Youssoufa Moukoko - 16 years, 8 months and 25 days
After making a lot of noise due to his "beyond the age" performances with Borussia Dortmund's U17 and U19 team, Youssoufa Moukoko made his long awaited debut last year. He came on from the bench against Hertha Berlin, with Dortmund winning 5-2 in November 2020.
That appearance saw Moukoko become the youngest player ever in the German Bundesliga. The hype behind Dortmund's wonderkid is truly justified and his stats will leave anyone flabbergasted. At the U17 level, he has scored 90 goals in just 56 games. In what is even more crazy, Moukoko started playing with the U19s when he was just 14.
The German has bagged 34 goals in just 20 U19 games for Dortmund and everything he does on the pitch is just unbelievable. He is fast, clinical with his finishing and his attacking instincts are quite remarkable for his age. Nike already has a £9 million deal agreed with the teenager!
He became the youngest scorer in the Bundesliga after scoring against Union Berlin in December 2020. He finished the 2020-21 season with 14 appearances and three goals. In his 20 appearances for Dortmund in the Bundesliga, he has started thrice and come off the bench on 17 occasions.
#1 Mathys Tel - 16 years, 3 months and 19 days
The youngest player from all five of Europe's top leagues is Stade Rennais forward Mathys Tel. The Ligue 1 club takes great care of their young talent and wasted no time in presenting Tel with his first professional contract. He came on as a substitute in August against Brest to become the 11th youngest player to feature in the French top-flight.
The club have strong faith in the young winger's abilities and have already handed him three appearances off the bench in Ligue 1 and two in the Conference League. In the youth ranks, Tel has even been utilized as a box-to-box midfielder and an out-and-out striker.
The French teenager has shown commitment to excel on the highest stage and will hope to continue with the momentum from these games in Ligue 1.
