#4 Sergei Eremenko
The only Finnish player on this list, Eremenko is a highly rated midfielder who hails from a family full of footballers. His brother Roman Eremenko plays for CSKA Moscow and his other brother, Alexei, has played for Rubin Kazan. Even Sergei’s father Alexei Sr. was a top flight footballer and moved from Russia to Finland after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
The 18-year-old prefers to play as a central midfielder where he has been deployed for the majority of his professional playing career. Eremenko’s career started at Finnish side Jaro which was then managed by his father. However, this was not a case of nepotism, the player was a genuine talent and an integral part of the squad but the season ended on a sad note as the side got relegated.
The player has already represented Finland in the U-17 and U-18 competitions and is expected to choose them again ahead of Russia later.
Eremenko’s vision and technical ability caught the attention of Swiss club Basel and the player is a crucial part of their junior squad.
