10 CONTENDERS TO WIN THE YOUNG PLAYER AWARD. FIND OUT OUR TOP 10 AND LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!
#10 - Albert Gudmundsson - Iceland - PSV Eindhoven - The young talent from Iceland has only had five appearances with the senior national team. In those five appearances, he has scored three goals (hat-trick against Indonesia earlier this year). He will likely be coming off the bench tot try to make an impact if Iceland is ever chasing the game. He plays his club football in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven.
#9 - Youri Tielemans - Belgium - AS Monaco - His skill level says he should be higher on our list, but lack of playing time will be this Anderlecht youth prodigies problem for Belgium. Radja Nainggolan was even deemed surplus for this unproven powerhouse.
#8 - Trent Alexsander-Arnold - England - Liverpool - At just the age of 19, Trent Alexsander-Arnold earned the starting RB spot for Liverpool this year and became the youngest ever starter for Liverpool in a Champions League Final. He’s the youngest player on Gareth Southgate’s squad and finds himself just behind Kyle Walker on the depth-chart. Alexsander-Arnold’s athleticism and poise has impressed at Anfield, so don’t be surprised to see him on the right side of the pitch in Russia.
#7 - Kasper Dolberg - Denmark - Ajax - Kasper has cooled off a bit after storming onto the scene with Ajax during his 2016-2017 season scoring 16 goals, 6 assists in the Eredivisie and 10 goals respectively in the Europa league the same season; reaching the final only to lose to Manchester United. If Dolberg can secure the starting position, he will feed off the speed and passing of Krohn-Dehli and Eriksen.
#6 - Breel Embolo - Schalke 04 - Breel is an integral part of the Swiss attack. He is fast and loves to run at defenders but also has the luxury of being stronger then most at 6'1'' and 185 lbs. If Captain Lichtsteiner of the Swiss team wants to make it out of the group stages, he will be feeding the ball to the big man.
#5 - Optimism surrounds the young Uruguayan heading into this World Cup. The two-footed midfielder has earned himself a prestigious spot in the Juventus midfield, featuring in the Bianconeri’s Scudetto campaign as well as The Old Lady’s run to the Champions League semi-finals. Bentancur has a gritty style of play but also possesses the quality to make a difference in the attacking third for Uruguay this tournament. With the big names in the Celeste team it’s easy to overlook Rodrigo Bentancur, but don’t be surprised if he impresses this tournament.
#4 - Ousmane Dembele - France - Barcelona - Dembele is extremely skilled player. Excellent pace and passing ability. He sees the game well and has always been surround by top class coaches and players from Rennes, to Dortmund, then Barcelona. Now he will have a chance to showcase his talent with the French National team with more world class players like Pogba, Greizmann, Tolisso. France will make it deep into the tournament, allowing dembele plenty of time to embarass defenders and keeps alike.
#3 - Marcus Rashford - England - Manchester United - Over the past few seasons, Marcus has taken England by storm scoring vital goals for Manchester and England establishing him as a cult hero. His pace and ability to find the ball in the box could force Gareth Southgate to give him a chance over the likes of Danny Welbeck or Jamie Vardy.
#2 - Kylian Mbappe - France - PSG - Labelled the next "Thierry Henry", Kylian Mbappe has shown the class he possesses for Monaco, winning Ligue 1, and advance deep in the Champions League in 2016-2017. Most recentley hes done it for PSG this past season. He can do it all whether speeding past defenders or putting it through their legs with his unteachable timing. He can shoot from a distance as well yet does his best work down the right wing playing balls into the box or cutting into the box when least expected. Kylian is the favorite for young player for this World Cup in Russia, and could even take the Golden Boot if Neymar meets Zuniga again.
#1 - Gabriel Jesus - Brazil - Manchester City - This Brazilian speedster is on the brink on something big. Last world cup was an embarassment. Brazil will be all the more motivated and even with that downfall, are still one of the favorites. Jesus had a favorable transition from substitute to starter at Manchester City after Aguero got injured mid season. He started 19 premier league games and netted 13 while assisting 3. He will be starting for Brazil, and with his ability and the incredible pool of players around him, there is no reason he should challenge for even the Golden Boot.
Husband, Father, Coach, Ex-Professional Footballer. Current fan of the beautiful game attempting to blog by sharing my opinion as I view it. @10Ronaldo10
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
