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In January 2015, Real Madrid made waves when they signed 16-year-old Martin Odegaard from Norwegian outfit Stromgodset. They paid a fee that was believed to be in the region of €4 million for the youngster who has since played for Real Madrid Castilla and made a couple of appearances for the senior team.
His Real Madrid tenure has been punctuated by loan spells at Heerenveen, Vitesse, and now Real Sociedad. Still only 20-years-old, he's had regular football for the last 4 years and is starting to show why Los Blancos put their faith in him at such an early stage.
It's becoming an increasingly common trend for large clubs to invest in younger players instead of paying massive sums for them when they make it as full-fledged superstars. The likes of Chelsea, Benfica, Ajax, and Manchester City have academy teams that could compete with many first teams. Those who can't blood the talent into the first-team squad often let them go for a profit.
Nonetheless, this trend means that every year there are young players who steal the spotlight. Kylian Mbappe (20) did it with Monaco, Matthijs de Ligt (20) captained Ajax to a domestic double and the semi-finals of the Champions League, and Jadon Sancho (19) continues to grab headlines in Germany and now playing for the English national team. Sancho and Atletico Madrid new boy Joao Felix (19) would both be the stars of this side, but for the purpose of exploring other potential talents, let's leave them out of this discussion.
There are plenty across teams in Europe who will be competing in the Champions League this season who're waiting in the wings, and ready to stand up and shine. We put them together into an XI of top U19 talent in the Champions League.
Goalkeeper
Amid all of Paris Saint-Germain's transfer activity in the summer, the tiny free transfer of Marcin Bulka (19) from Chelsea flew under the radar. They have since exchanged Alphonse Areola for Real Madrid's Keylor Navas who will undoubtedly be the first choice keeper for PSG. Bulka, however, has already made a first-team appearance in PSG's first game of the season (in which he kept a clean sheet) and will be Navas' deputy for the rest of the season.
RB Leipzig U19 goalkeeper Tim Schreiber (17) is also on their list of backups for the Champions League squad. The odds that he will make an appearance for them is low, but he's one to watch for the future.
Defenders
Tottenham Hotspur new boy Ryan Sessegnon (19) may take a while to make his Champions League debut, but he's in contention to play for Tottenham this weekend (if fit) and could make his debut under Pochettino before too long. Plenty has already been said about Sessegnon, and despite his less than convincing performances with Fulham last term, Spurs have bet on his talent to shine through with them this season.
The boy at right-back is also one who's currently recovering from injury. Chelsea have been eagerly waiting for Reece James (19) to return from injury. Frank Lampard has already spoken plenty about Wigan's player of the season last campaign. Whether he can ply his trade effectively in the Premier League remains to be seen, but he's a different proposition to current right-back Cesar Azpilicueta, and Lampard seems keen to give him a chance.
The centre-back pairing of Perr Schurrs (19) from Ajax and Barcelona's Jean-Clair Todibo (19) are a solid unit of modern centre-backs. They're both capable of defensive solidity, but at the same time are confident with the ball at their feet. Todibo was snapped up by Barca after making a series of appearances for Toulouse in Ligue 1 and has since made a couple of La Liga appearance with the Catalan side.
Perr Schurrs has already played for Ajax in Champions League Qualifying and the Eredivisie. While the Dutch champions have brought in Lisandro Martinez, Edson Alvarez, and Lisandro Magallan who can compete with him for the sport, Schurrs is still holding his own in that mini-competition.
Substitutes
CB: Kik Pierie, Ajax (19)
RB: Sergino Dest, Ajax (18)
Midfielders
After impressing in the Turkish League with Fenerbahce, Eljif Elmas (18) is now regularly playing a big role for Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli. He's made three appearances for them so far, coming off the bench twice and starting the latest game. His experience in the Europa League should also come in handy as this Napoli side will be stretched to their limit splitting time between Champions League football, the league, and the cup.
His partner in midfield is a Chelsea loanee who has made appearances for Chelsea under both Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri. Ethan Ampadu (19) also has 8 national team caps to his name. RB Leipzig are currently in a battle of fine margins, taking on Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, which means Nagelsmann hasn't given Ampadu time on the pitch yet. Yet, once the CL action kicks off this week, we should see him more involved.
Vinicius Jr. (19) emerged as a massive talent for Real Madrid last season. Midway through last season, he really started to control games for Los Blancos and was making the impact everyone had expected Gareth Bale to make once Cristiano Ronaldo left. Although it didn't last longer than a few games, he's shown the potential to make a massive impact on this Real side. With Marco Asensio out for the season, and Hazard probably a regular once he's fit, Bale, Vinicius, and Lucas Vazquez will vie for the other wide spot under Zidane.
Another name from the Chelsea academy, Callum Hudson-Odoi (19), nearly went to Bayern to gain more first-team action. Now, though, with Frank Lampard at the helm and Hudson-Odoi returning to fitness, we may see yet another dynamic to Chelsea's strong attacking play. There's plenty fo room for development as far as any of these young players are concerned, but the talent is plain to see.
Substitutes
LW/LB: Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (18)
RW: Rodrygo Goes, Real Madrid (18)
Number 10 and Striker
If you've caught any of Barcelona's last couple of games, you'll notice some unfamiliar names on the starting line-up. Among them are Carles Perez (21), and Anssumane "Ansu" Fati (16).
The 16-year-old has been particularly impressive as Barcelona look for a creative spark in the temporary absence of Lionel Messi. With impressive performances in the last couple of games featuring a goal in each, the comparisons are already flying in with the Argentine superstar.
Ernesto Valverde is eager to shield him early on in his career though and manage expectations. Regardless, his technical adeptness and ability to beat players in close spaces is excellent and he could be a big player in the future for this side.
Although he came to the spotlight at Paris Saint-Germain, Timothy Weah (19) has since made headlines in Scotland with Celtic and has now earned a permanent move to Lille. Although he's only sparingly making appearances for them now, Lille have a long campaign ahead of them and Weah will have to take every opportunity to make his mark in this Lille side packed with talent.
Substitutes
AM: Kang-In Lee, Valencia (18)
ST: Jan Fiete Arp, Bayern Munich (19)
