25 Best Young Players in World Football (Ranked)

Sometimes it’s obvious in football which young players are destined for greatness. Lionel Messi is the one example that immediately springs to mind, although there are many others. It was patently clear that the Argentine had the potential to become a world-class footballer just a few years after he joined Barcelona aged 13.

Similarly, there are a handful of youngsters aged 21 or under in 2024 who appear to possess all the tools to become truly great footballers. We’re unlikely to see another Messi emerge any time soon, but that doesn’t mean they won’t become outstanding players in their own right.

Ranking factors

We’ve ranked the world’s current best young footballers based on the following criteria:

25 Best Young Players in the World

Rank
Player
Club
Age

1
Jude Bellingham
Real Madrid
20

2
Jamal Musiala
Bayern Munich
21

3
Eduardo Camavinga
Real Madrid
21

4
Lamine Yamal
Barcelona
16

5
Pedri
Barcelona
21

6
Florian Wirtz
Bayer Leverkusen
21

7
Endrick
Real Madrid
17

8
Arda Guler
Real Madrid
19

9
Kobbie Mainoo
Manchester United
19

10
Warren Zaire-Emery
Paris Saint-Germain
18

11
Gavi
Barcelona
19

12
Alejandro Garnacho
Manchester United
20

13
Joao Neves
Benfica
19

14
Harvey Elliott
Liverpool
21

15
Xavi Simons
Paris Saint-Germain
21

16
Kendry Paez
Independiente del Valle
17

17
Rasmus Hojlund
Manchester United
21

18
Vitor Roque
Barcelona
19

19
Pau Cubarsi
Barcelona
17

20
Mathys Tel
Bayern Munich
19

21
Levi Colwill
Chelsea
21

22
Rico Lewis
Manchester City
19

22
Evan Ferguson
Brighton
19

24
Conor Bradley
Liverpool
20

25
Claudio Echeverri
River Plate (loan)
18