5 Potential Candidates for the FIFA Young Player Award 2018

The Best Young Player Award is an honor bestowed upon young talents who make a mark on the FIFA World Cup. This is an achievement that foretells a player’s caliber and greatness in their contribution to football. Past winners such as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Michael Owen, Thomas Muller and more recently Paul Pogba are football stalwarts, who were exceptional in their respective careers.

Since 2006, the process of awarding this distinction is done by the FIFA Technical Study Group, a handful of former players, coaches, and football analyst gather from all around the world. The group shortlists the players who are 21 years old are younger and elect the winner on the basis of the player's impressive performances throughout the tournament.

This article here looks at analyzing some of the possible winners for this edition of the FIFA Best Young Player Award.

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Ousmane Dembélé - France

Ousmane Dembélé is a winger with immense potential and abundance of pace and skills. Coming from humble beginnings in Northern France, Dembélé's flair and creativity were scouted by Stade Rennes at the age of 13 and within 5 years he rose through the ranks and made his first-team debut. Dembélé started making shockwaves around the footballing world by scoring 12 goals in his first professional season. The season highlights include a hat trick against Nantes in the Breton derby. His performances in the league impressed the whole country and he was awarded the Ligue 1 Young Player Award.

In the next season, he earned a move to German giants Borussia Dortmund where he flourished under Thomas Tuchel. His performances played a crucial role in Dortmund's successful DFB Pokal campaign. He became one of the most exciting prospects in football by making 10 goals and 21 assists in all competitions.

Currently, he is with Barcelona after a record-breaking move, making him the second most expensive player after Neymar. Though he was injured for most of the last season, he still had a few glimpses of brilliance on the pitch and remains inclined to provide more of the same for Les Bleus in Russia.

Youri Tielemans - Belgium

Youri Tielemans is one of the most exciting midfield prodigies recently produced by Belgium. Tielemans joined his neighborhood club RSC Anderlecht at an early age of 5 and just over a decade later signed a professional contract at the age of 16. His exceptional talent and his vision with the ball make him an outstanding playmaker.

At Anderlecht, Tielemans consistently provided remarkable performances and was instrumental for the Brussels club, as they won 2 Belgian Pro Leagues in 4 years. With 35 goals and 32 assists before his 20th birthday, Tielemans was touted as one of the hottest young midfield talents in Europe.

More recently, he has joined AS Monaco in a deal which could be considered a bargain in the current transfer market. His playing style can be compared to Frank Lampard due to the similar playing technique and a sharp eye for football. Though he hasn't lit up the Ligue 1 this season, with Belgium he has the perfect opportunity to set the world on fire.

Marcus Rashford - England

Marcus Rashford has been considered as the hottest young English talent since Wayne Rooney. Rashford's talent was noticed when he was seven years of age and he signed for Manchester United. Since then he has grown into becoming one of the most clinical strikers in England.

Rashford broke into the Red Devils first team in the 2015/16 season where he scored in his Europa League and Premier League debut. Rashford steadily became one of the most crucial cogs in Van Gaal's FA Cup-winning squad.

Since then, Rashford has played an important role in winning 4 trophies in 3 years in what one may call a ‘post- Ferguson’ era. He was also asked to represent the Three Lions at the age of 19 and became the youngest Englishman to score in his international debut.

Rashford has become England's brightest star for the future and has consistently proved his doubters wrong. His confidence, decisiveness, and childlike looks have garnered him a reputation of a baby-faced assassin for club and country level games.

Gabriel Jesus - Brazil

Gabriel Jesus's journey to the world cup is not less than a Cinderella story. Born and raised in the favelas of Sao Paolo, Jesus has samba in his veins. From painting the streets in the last world cup to dawning the iconic yellow and blue attire- Jesus has come a long way.

Jesus's talent was recognized at the age of 15 where he joined his hometown club Palmeiras as a hot youth prospect. He was then promoted to the first team in a couple of years with impressive performances in the youth academy. He then generated a stir in the whole country by scoring 28 goals in 2 seasons winning the Copa do Brazil and Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A in the process. Jesus later was called up by the Selecao for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro where he led his country to an Olympic Gold Medal.

In January 2017, he joined Manchester City for a commendable fee of £33 million and had an immediate impact on the squad by scoring 7 goals in 11 matches. Under Guardiola, he has been improving his game every day which has been exhibited in performances in the record-breaking victory of the Citizens last season.

With his pace, movement, dribbling, and finishing, Jesus is a textbook definition of a Brazilian forward and would look forward to Russia to start the journey to be a football legend.

Kylian Mbappe - France

Kylian Mbappe has become one elite football player at a tender age of 19. His potential got uncovered when he joined INF Clairefontaine academy which led to various attempts by Chelsea and Real Madrid to sign him and eventually joined AS Monaco.

Mbappe rose through the ranks of Monaco's youth teams and had his first-team debut in the 2015/16 season. In the process, he also dethroned Theirry Henry and became the youngest player and goalscorer in Ligue 1.

Mbappe burst onto the scene in 2016/17 season where he scored an impressive 26 goals in 44 matches in all competitions. With his breathtaking performances, the right-winger earned a record-breaking move to Paris Saint Germain. Mbappe has already won 2 consecutive Ligue 1, Coupe de France and is currently the holder of Golden Boy Award.

With comparisons with legends like Thierry Henry, Mbappe has established himself as one of the most talented players of his generation and is likely to set a mark on the World Cup.