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The FIFA U17 World Cup has always been known to be the testing ground for the stars of the future. An inspiring performance in this competition has gone could very well be the stepping stone to greatness for many players, but these future stars not always play for the biggest clubs or the top leagues.
The FIFA U17 World Cup acts as a platform for many such players from the lesser leagues, who make it big after impressive displays in the tournament. We look at 5 such players who currently play for clubs in lesser known leagues but could very well be world beaters in the years to come.
#5 Eric Ayiah - Charity Stars FC ( Ghanian League )
Ghana's star striker and probably one of their biggest upcoming players, Eric Ayiah will need to play a crucial role if the Black Starlets are to progress deep or even win the FIFA U17 World Cup next month. Ayiah plays as an old-school centre-forward but wears the number 6 on the back of his shirt as a tribute to the Ghanaian national day.
He was the joint top scorer with 4 goals in the AFCON U17 2017.Ayiah who idolizes Cristiano Ronaldo and Ghanaian forward Asamoah Gyan feels his nation has all it takes to go all the way and win the competition. His impressive displays have earned him a contract with Portuguese giants FC Porto, whom he will be joining after the tournament in India ends.
#4 Steven Sessegnon - Fulham FC ( EFL Championship)
Steven Sessegnon unlike most of his national teammates plays for Fulham FC in a lower division. While the Cottagers seem to be struggling to get back to their glory days, their young fullback Sessegnon has made quite an impact.
Sessegnon joined Fulham as a nine-year-old in 2008 and has been with them since, rising through the ranks.The Englishman plays primarily as a left back but has a knack of scoring goals. In his 31 appearances for Fulham first team so far, since 2016 he has netted 6 times including a goal in his FA Cup debut against Cardiff, where he became one of the youngest to score in the World's oldest Cup competition.
His performances earned him a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Year. Sessegnon played up a year and represented England in the European U19 Championships earlier this year where the Young Lions were crowned champions. Lauded by pundits and even called the future of English football, he will be one to look out for.
#3 Vinicius Junior - Flamengo (Brazilian Serie A)
The Brazilian wonderboy might have caused a lot of ripples in world media with his upcoming move to Real Madrid, but Vinicius is still a key player in the Flamengo squad, playing in the Brazilian League and if reports are to be believed, he might even be loaned back to the Brazilian outfit for when his first year of contract begins with Los Blancos.
Vinicius is the star man in this Brazilian U17 squad and already has fans and critics gaping wide with his performances for both club and country. The boy from Rio has already gone into double figures with his goal tally this season and is yet to join the rest of the national team who have already arrived in India for the FIFA U17 World Cup because his club still needs him for the final cup games. A future star for whom this World Cup could very well be the platform for greatness.
#2 Josh Sargent - St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC (USA)
Josh Sargent can very well be touted as the next big thing coming out of the Big Apple as far as Soccer is concerned. The Missouri born boy has already made headlines as he scored 5 goals for the USA U17 side as they reached the final CONCACAF U17 Championships in 2017 but settled for silver as they were beaten by bitter rivals Mexico on penalties. His impressive performances in the tournament earned him a place in the USA squad in the FIFA U20 World Cup earlier this year, where, too, he scored 4 goals, becoming the youngest American to score in a U20 World Cup.
Sargent who has an agreement to join Bundesliga when he turns 18, currently plays for St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC which is an academy club in his home state. A lethal striker with an eye for goal, he will be the second US player after Freddy Adu to play both in the U17 and U20 World Cup in the same year.
#1 Malik Karaahmet - Karlsruher FC (3.Liga or German Division Three)
Karaahmet is one of the main players in the Turkish U17 side. He was a key figure in his nation's European U17 Championship campaign earlier this year and bagged three goals. Karaahmet, who is a right-footed forward is also deadly in the air and puts height to good use.
He currently plies his trade for German third division club Karlsruher FC and will be hoping to repeat and even better his performances from the U17 European Championships as he looks to take his country further in the upcoming FIFA U17 World Cup.
