Best football XI of the future: 2022?

Predictions are the lifeblood of football journalism. Everyone has their say on who the next big player will be and the majority of the time, the expectations don’t come to fruition. There are countless young starlets out there at the moment with the potential to become the next Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, but a lot can change in a short space of time in football, so we can never be sure of who will reach the expected mark.

Even looking forward just five years to 2022, the football picture could read very differently. One thing’s for certain, though; we will see a vast change.

Here then we attempt to predict and evaluate the team of the future for 2022…

Goalkeeper

Gianluigi Donnarumma

(Video Courtesy: SportVideosMM YouTube Channel)

Eyebrows will be raised when gazing over a lot of names on this list, but 18-year-old Donnarumma would be a certainty for most. The Italian shot-stopper rose to prominence after superseding Diego Lopez for a brief spell at AC Milan, before the teenager became a permanent inclusion between the sticks.

In 2022, Donnarumma will be 23-years-old and, with 58 appearances for the club under his belt already, he will be vastly experienced for one so young. This term, Donnarumma has impressed with a 100% average claim success rate, nine clean sheets and the most saves (102) made by any other keeper in Serie A. His strengths lie in one-on-one situations and his ability to take command of the box at set-pieces.

The Italian ranks ahead of the likes of Manuel Neuer and David de Gea, who will both still have many years left in their respective careers, as he is on course to exceed the level of the pair now.

Other notable mentions: Manuel Neuer, David De Gea, Thibaut Courtois