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Football is well known for being a game in which if you are good enough then you are older enough. Famous examples include Kylian Mbappe winning the World Cup with France and Marcus Rashford becoming an international superstar at the age of 19 with Man United. This concludes that age is not a barrier in football. So I thought I would look at 10 of the best players in football under the age of 23.
Note: This list has the players in NO particular order
#10 Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford became a global superstar overnight when he scored 2 goals on his debut against Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League. He went from strength to strength and at the end of that season he was named in the England squad to go to the Euros. He has since become a very big players and a player deemed to be one of the best for his age. He has scored 11 goals in 26 Premier League games this season and was vital in helping Man United beat PSG with a late penalty away from home.
#9 Antony Martial
The 23-year-old is yet another player on this list who plays for Man United. He can play on either side of the wing and also in the central attacking position.
He has, however, had a few career lows including missing out on a place in the France World Cup squad which France went on to win. Martial has so far had a good season which has included him scoring 11 goals in all competitions despite rumours he has been interested in leaving the club to a lack of game time in the earlier stages of the season. However, he definitely does have a bright future ahead of him.
#8 Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic is one of the best 20-year-olds in the World. He stepped onto the scene at the age of 17 when he made his first-team debut for Borussia Dortmund, and then later that season made his debut for the USA national team also at the age of 17.
Since then he has become a regular for the Borussia Dortmund side and has played very well this season. This led to Chelsea opting to purchase him in January 2019 meaning that Pulisic will be leaving Dortmund at the end of the season.
#7 Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus joined Man City from Palimerias in January 2017 for a transfer fee of £27 million. Since then the Brazil international has been a key figure in this Man City side scoring a total of 41 goals in 90 appearances since his Man City debut. At 21 these are some impressive stats which are only going to get better and have made him hot property in Europe.
#6 Malcom
Malcom made a name for himself at French club Bordeaux where he scored 23 goals over a total of 96 games. This attracted interest from some of Europe's top clubs including Arsenal and Barcelona. However, in the end, Barcelona won the race and he signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2018 for a fee believed to be around £35 million. However, this season so far has not been a huge success for the 22-year-old with the Brazilian only making 15 appearances in all competitions scoring 3 goals. However, he has got plenty of potential and I am sure that during his second season at the club he will be more impressive and gain more minutes.
#5 Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior has had a fantastic season since joining Real Madrid from Flamengo for a fee of around 45 million euros a record for a player of his young and tender age of 18. He has impressed and has made 33 apperances in all competitons scoring 7 goals. However, the Brazilian recentley picked up an injury against Ajax in the Champions League and is set to b out for 2 months. Despite this at 18 he has had a brilliant season and has huge potential for the future.
#4 Achraf Hakimi
A pacy player who can play both in defence and out wide has become a hugely talked about player in the World of football. Hakimi had a breakthrough season at Real Madrid last season but it was decided his services would be better of elsewhere and so he left to join Borussia Dortmund on a season-long loan. He has excelled so far this season and many believe the 20-year-old would be better off staying at Dortmund full time. Either way, it looks as though he has an impressive career ahead of him.
#3 Frenkie de jJong
Frenki de Jong has had a great season at Ajax helping them to recently beat Real Madrid to reach the last 8 of the Champions League. These impressive performances led to Barcelona signing him in January with the Dutchman set to join the club on the 1st of July 2019. It looks as though the Dutchman has a good future ahead of him and some even think he could win the Champions League this season with Ajax which would be a fantastic achievement.
#2 Jadon Sancho
Sancho became a trendsetter when he joined Borussia Dortmund from Man City in August 2017. Many felt this was a bad decision, but it has turned out to be a real success with Sancho making 46 appearances, scoring 10 times and providing 19 assists. Not bad for an 18-year-old. Due to this high level of performance, many clubs seem interested in signing the player this summer with Man United expected to offer around £80 million for the talented winger. In my personal opinon, he should stay at Borussia Dortmund for at least another season as he is doing very well at Dortmund and I am not sure he would get as many chances at another club.
#1 Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe since winning the World Cup with France in the summer has gone from strength to strength. Mbappe has already broken some big records including becoming the first teenager since Pele to score in a World Cup Final. Not bad. This season he has been bang in form scoring 29 goals and getting 15 assists in 33 appearances in all competitions. If he is not a future Balon d'Or winner then I will be very surprised.
