At the age of 19, Kylian Mbappé helped win France the 2018 World Cup finals. With the Qatar World Cup just around the corner, both fans and experts have started to speculate who will be the future superstars of football.
Here are a few players under 21 who could shine in Qatar this coming winter.
England’s Jude Bellingham
19-year-old Bellingham has been not only recognised for his quick feet and sharp passes but his “captain-like” qualities outside the field as well.
Winning the Syrenka Cup in 2019 at 17, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder has developed enormously in the last season and has gone off in a strong start this season.
Crowning the NXGN 2022 Award , Bellingham has paved the path to supporting England in its World Cup title run.
France’s Eduardo Camavinga
At 17, Camavinga became the youngest French goal-scorer in over a century. In his first season with Stade Rennais, the midfielder aided in qualifying his team for the Champions League for the first time in its history.
Camavinga signed with Real Madrid for €40million, which benefits the club as they would went on to win the 2022 Champions League.
Under his belt, Camavinga has made 100 first-team appearances, and the rising star is expected to back the defending champions in this year’s World Cup.
Spain’s Pedri
Deemed to be a magician with his creative passing ability, the 19-year-old star has been compared to the likes of Andrés Iniesta and David Silva.
During the 2020 Euro, Pedri performed expectationally well as he took the field with his midfield presence. Spain will require the star’s skilfulness as they will depend on their young core to execute in their World Cup matches.
Portugal’s Nuno Mendes
In the world of football, speed determines the winner.
The Portuguese left-back has been called the underdog at Paris Saint-Germain. Led by superstars, Mendes was one of the team’s top signings for his all-around player performance.
In his first season with PSG, he became the youngest player in the squad to have played at least ten games and moved up the bench by managing
to have the eighth most playing time, ranking up 2,406 minutes.
The left-back will be of constant use as Portgual attempts to perform well at the Qatar World Cup.
England’s Bukayo Saka
Crowned England Men’s Player of the Year, Bukayo Saka has been foreseen as one of the best players in the world.
The winger’s attention to the game has nurtured him to become one of Arsenal’s most important players.
In his youthful Premier League career, Saka has nailed 21 goals with 19 assists, and in this season alone, he has been involved in eight goals in his last seven Premier League matches.
To help reinforce Gareth Southgate’s England, Saka can perform a more active function on and off the pitch.
Described by his teammates as a leader, Saka is a level headed player known to keep his cool in times of stress.
Coming off the bench on the 20 appearances he has made, Saka has made four goals.
