Top 5 young players in world football
With the youth setup coming of age at most top football clubs and many wonderkids seamlessly stepping up to the top echelons, there have been many great performances by young players in the ongoing season ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's fair to say that these young football players will be a force to reckon with in the years to come, and some of them might even go on and win the coveted Ballon d'Or.
On that note, let us look at five talented football players aged 21 and under who vae belied their young years with impressive performances. A few of them have done it for more than one season.
Without further ado, let us meet five of the hottest young prospects in world football.
Top five young prospects in world football:
5: Vinicius Junior
Born in the year of 2000 and hailing from Brazil, Vinicius Junior joined Real Madrid in July 2018 for €46 million and has since made nearly 50 league appearances during his two seasons with the Spanish capital club.
The young Brazilian football player scored his first Merengues goal in the El Clasico against Barcelona this season, which happened before the COVID-19 outbreak.
Vinicius Junior has had a fairly a good season, with 29 appearances and three goals to his name.
Originally a left winger on the football field, the Brazilian has had more game-time this season due to injuries to Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard coupled with Gareth Bale falling out of favour with manager Zinedine Zidane.
With his skills and pace upfront, Vinicius Junior is the young football player to look forward to in the Real Madrid attacking ranks as he can play in all the front three positions.
The 20-year-old has time to develop his game and is likely to get more game-time with Real Madrid next season.
Real Madrid have just won the La Liga title and have a key Champions League tie against Manchester City in August coming up. Vinicius Junior would like to make a difference in the closing stages of a long football season.
4: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Number four on the list of the world's top five young football players is Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma who has been with AC Milan since 2015. He made his 200th appearance for the club just a few days ago against Sassuolo, which was the same club against whom he made his Serie A debut.
A Milan regular since the young age of 16 years, Donnarumma is considered one of the brightest prospect of Italian football with his height and technical abilities as a goalkeeper. He is the heir to the throne of Azzurri football legend Gianluigi Buffon, who has predicted an extraordinary future for the boy who has also played for Italy.
AC Milan are on the way up in Serie A. In the 2019/20 season of the competition, Donnarumma has kept 12 clean sheets. With a top-four finish already out of reach for Milan, Donnarumma would like to help Milan seal a Europa League spot for next season.