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Football clubs around the world are constantly looking for the brightest and youngest talents to add to their teams, and with transfer fees skyrocketing in today's transfer market, spotting these players early is key. And with the level of football increasing with each passing year, youngsters need to step up their game as well in the hopes of getting picked by the biggest clubs.
Over the last few years, we have seen a number of players under the age of 20 become regular starters in the first teams of various clubs around Europe. This only goes to show how competitive the game has become and how quick these young footballers are developing as they play for some of the biggest teams in the biggest competitions in the world.
Here is a look at 5 of brightest prospects under the age of 20 in world football:
#5. Alphonso Davies
Alphonso Davies joined Bayern Munich from Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps for a reported fee of around $22 million. This was a record fee for a player from the MLS until it was broken by Miguel Almiron when he joined Newcastle United. Nonetheless, the fact that Bayern paid so much money for Davies, who was just 17 back then, shows just how talented and how highly rated the Canadian international is.
Davies made his first team debut for Vancouver in 2016 and was the youngest player in the MLS at that point. He went on to make a total of 81 appearances for them and scored 12 goals and assisted 14. He became a first team regular in the 2017 season but did not hit his stride until the 2018 season where he scored 8 goals and assisted 10.
That season also saw him being selected in the MLS All-star team, he was also awarded the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Player of the year, won the Vancouver Whitecaps FC goal of the season and was also awarded the Canadian Men's Player of the year.
His list of accomplishments don't stop there. The 18-year-old has also won the 2016 and 2017 Canada U-17 Male Player of the year, the CONCACAF Gold Cup Bright Future Award and the Golden Boot award in 2017.
A lot is expected from the winger and while his first season at Bayern Munich has been disrupted with a serious knee injury, he will definitely become a first team regular in the coming years.
#4. Joao Felix
Joao Felix is regarded as the next star set to come out of Portugal and the famed Benfica academy. The 19-year-old plays as a second striker and for someone who has been integrated into the Benfica first team at the start of this season, he has been playing amazing.
Felix has made a total of 35 appearances so far this season for Benfica and has already notched up 12 goals and 6 assists. Prior to being promoted to the first team, Felix was impressing for the Benfica B team as well, but no one expected him to be so good in his first season with the first team.
The Portuguese is already being linked with clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Manchester United and all these clubs will certainly have to break the bank to sign him. Felix is a multi-talented player and his finishing, dribbling, passing, shooting and his ability to hold the ball is already exceptional and will only get better as he moves forward.
Check out how good Joao Felix really is in this video
#3. Callum Hudson-Odoi
Callum Hudson-Odoi is probably one of the most underrated youngsters in the world right now, and while the whole footballing community can see that, his current manager cannot. The Chelsea fans are always eager to watch him play, but he never seems to get enough chances to impress.
However, whenever Hudson-Odoi does get a chance he never disappoints. The England international has already scored 5 and assisted 5 for Chelsea in 25 appearances. For the Chelsea U23, he has managed 11 goals and 6 assists in just 21 appearances and while he is still only 18, he has already shown the maturity to become a first team regular.
Hudson-Odoi looked set to leave Chelsea in the January transfer window, but they managed to convince him to stay and while he has been getting more chances with the first team now, he should be getting a lot more.
Considering how inconsistent Chelsea have been this season, playing Hudson-Odoi would not cause them any harm. With Chelsea facing a possible transfer ban, they might not want to lose one of the brightest prospects in world football, but if his chances with the first team don't increase he will definitely force a move away from Stamford Bridge and Chelsea will certainly regret it.
#2. Moise Kean
Moise Kean has probably had the most meteoric rise in world football in the last few years. While he made his Juventus debut way back in 2016, he has become a first team regular only this season and he has certainly made his chances count. The 19-year-old has made just 10 appearances so far this season and has already notched up 6 goals so far with 5 of them coming in the last five games.
Having made his Juventus debut in 2016 and having scored his first goal in 2016 as well, he became the first player born in the 2000s to debut in the Serie A, Champions League, Europe's top five major leagues and for the Italian national team. He also became the first player born in the 2000s to score a goal in the Serie A, for the Italian national team, and among Europes top 5 major leagues.
With Mario Mandzukic coming closer to the end of his career, Juventus have already found the perfect replacement in Moise Kean. The Croatian has been an integral part of Juventus' team for the last four years and having someone like Mandzukic to learn from will only make Kean better and better till that center forward posotion become his own.
#1. Jadon Sancho
The final player on this list needs no introduction with Jadon Sancho at 19 having already gained worldwide recognition with the way he performed for Borussia Dortmund so far this season. The England international has been nothing short of exceptional for Dortmund this season with the winger registering 16 assists so far, which is also the most in the Bundesliga this season.
Overall, the former Manchester City player has made a total of 49 appearances for Dortmund and has scored 10 goals and assisted 16 and is already regarded as one of the best wingers in the world.
Sancho has a pass success rate of 85.2% this season, averages at least 2 key passes per game, averages close to 3 successful dribbles per game and is one of the most fouled players in the Bundesliga. His passing, dribbling and pacy is already exceptional and will only get better as he continues to develop.
A lot of top clubs including Manchester United are already after the Dortmund winger and looking back at all the top players who left Borussia Dortmund for a huge transfer fee, Sancho could be next on the list in the coming years.
