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There has been a plethora of young talent, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, to name just two, bursting onto the scene in recent years.
Kylian Mbappe announced his arrival in the 2016-17 season, scoring 15 Ligue 1 goals and six in the Champions League for Monaco to catch the attention of PSG, where he has gone from strength to strength. The 22-year-old has tallied an impressive 132 goals and 61 assists in 171 games, winning a plethora of titles. In France's triumphant campaign at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Mbappe became the first teenager in six decades to score in the final.
Another youngster, Erling Haaland, made a sizzling start to life in the Champions League in 2019-20, becoming one of the youngest players to score a hat-trick on his competition debut. The young Norwegian has continued to score goals galore after moving to Borussia Dortmund last year and is now the subject of interest of a plethora of top clubs across the continent.
On that note, let's take a look at the five most valuable 19-year-old players in the game at the moment:
#5 Jeremy Doku - €26 million
Jeremy Doku is one of the most exciting young wingers in the game at the moment.
After moving to Stade Rennais in the Ligue 1 last season, Boku scored two goals and three assists, and especially impressed with his dribbling prowess. The 19-year-old tallied 110 dribbles last season, which was the most by any player aged 23 and under in Europe's top five leagues.
Playing his first major tournament at Euro 2020, Doku impressed in Belgium's quarter-final defeat to eventual champions Italy, he won the penalty in his team's 2-1 loss.
Liverpool are one of several top clubs keeping tabs on the teenager. For the moment, Doku wishes to stay in France, but it remains to be seen if Rennes' resolve could be tested if they receive a decent offer for the player.
#4 Ryan Gravenberch - €33 million
Ryan Gravenberch, who plays as a central midfielder for Ajax, has been touted for great things, and so far he has lived up to that perception.
The teenager was one of the key performers in Ajax's title-winning campaign in the 2020-21 Eredivisie, producing eight goal contributions (three goals and five assists) from the centre of the park.
Going into Euro 2020, Gravenberch scored in a friendly against Georgia to become one of the youngest goalscorers for the Oranje in the last two decades.
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman is an admirer of Gravenberch, a product of Ajax's famed youth academy, and is interested in bringing his younger compatriot to Camp Nou.
It will definitely be a step in the right direction for the midfielder, who has displayed composure and maturity belying his tender years, if he lands up at Barcelona this summer or sometime in the future.
#3 Nuno Mendes - €40 million
Nuno Mendes is one of the most exciting full-backs in the game at the moment. The 19-year-old Sporting Lisbon left-back impressed in his first full season in the Portuguese top flight last season, also chipping in with a goal and an assist.
The teenager was part of Portugal's squad at Euro 2020, making the bench in two games as the holders crashed out of the tournament in the Round of 16 after a one-goal defeat to Belgium.
The subject of interest of many top clubs, Manchester City have had a bid for Mendes rejected by Sporting. As of now, the Premier League winners don't want to meet Sporting's valuation of €50 million for the youngster.
It remains to be seen what happens if City or another suitor comes up with a better offer for Nunes, as things could evolve as the new season approaches.
#2 Mason Greenwood - €50 million
Mason Greenwood hasn't yet celebrated his 20th birthday, but has made more than 100 appearances in all competitions for Manchester United. That explains why he is one of the most expensive teenagers in the game at the moment.
The winger has played 31 games in each of his last two Premier League seasons, scoring 17 goals and registering three assists. Greenwood scored and assisted in United's 3-1 win over Spurs earlier this year. That made him the first Manchester United teenage substitute since a certain Cristiano Ronaldo to score and assist in the same Premier League game.
The winger, who has scored at least ten goals in all competitions in his last two campaigns, is versatile enough to operate across a bevy of positions in the attacking third.
#1 Bukayo Saka - €65 million
Bukayo Saka was one of the best young players in the Premier League last season, scoring five goals and four assists, even as Arsenal endured a fifth-consecutive finish outside the top four.
The youngster's performances merited an England call-up for Euro 2020. Saka started in the semi-final against Denmark to become the youngest Englishman to start a semi-final or final at a major tournament; he provided an assist in that game.
Saka made news for all the wrong reasons, though, as he was one of three England players to miss their penalties in the shootout against Italy in the final. Nevertheless, considering his young years, Saka seems destined for a fruitful career for both club and country.
