Top five teenage forwards in the world at the moment
The footballing world has witnessed a number of deadly young forwards in the 21st century, and some of them went on to become world beaters such as Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero. Such players were considered wonderkids from a very young age and big clubs often circled around them.
Improved training facilities and coaches have resulted in better young talent, Germany being a prime example of such a system. There are plenty of young strikers out there who have established themselves as future superstars. Here's a look at five teenagers to watch out for in the coming seasons.
#5 Jann-Fiete Arp
Age: 18
Club: Hamburger SV
Nationality: German
Jann-Fiete Arp became the first player born after 2000 to play in the Bundesliga when he came on as a substitute against Werder Bremen and scored his first Bundesliga goal against Hertha Berlin a month later.
Arp has a simple, yet effective style of play. He's a typical centre-forward who can finish in close spaces with both feet and score various types of goals. He also works hard to apply pressure on opponents, often forcing mistakes.
A back-to-goal striker, with a good first touch who can put his body between the opponent and the ball, the way he shifts the ball out of his feet quickly offers him room for a shot or a smart pass into a teammate’s path. He displays the predatory instincts of all prolific strikers, to always be in the right place at the right time. He can be deadly if afforded too much space.
In the 2016/17 season, he scored 26 times in the German youth league. He also won gold in the U-17 category for Germany’s prestigious Fritz-Walter medal, previously awarded to Toni Kroos and Manuel Neuer.
Arp had an excellent U-17 World Cup in India where he scored five times as Germany reached the quarterfinals. At the Under-17 European Championships in May 2017, Arp scored seven goals including two hat-tricks, one against Ireland and the other against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which propelled Germany to the semi-finals.