5 teenage superstars to watch out for at WC22
Some of these top teenagers are already household names, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be tracking their progress on world football’s BIGGEST stage. There’s still much to discover about these considerably talented young stars.
Jude Bellingham (England, 19)
Borussia Dortmund’s number 22 is already the real deal and we touched on his uncanny ability to make late runs into the box in our preview of England’s opener. He opened the scoring as the Three Lions thrashed Iran 6-2 on matchday 1, and there’s a growing belief that he can become a reliable goalscoring midfielder for many years.
Back in 2020, Birmingham City retired Bellingham’s number 22 jersey when he was sold to Dortmund after becoming their youngest ever player, a decision that puzzled most of the watching world. Maybe they knew something everyone else didn’t.
Bellingham is already a complete midfield player with a beautiful combination of elegance, dynamism and anticipation, and it’s frightening to consider how good he’ll be when he hits his peak. Alongside his broad technical skill set, he’s got the authority of a man who’s been bossing football matches for many years. An England legend in the making.
Pedri (Spain, 19)
Speaking of ridiculously talented teenage midfielders, they don’t get much more gifted than Barcelona wonderkid Pedri, who was a mainstay for Spain at Euro 2020. With another year and a half under his belt, he should have a few more tricks to show off in Qatar.
Pedri has all of the technical skills in his toolbox, but what really sets him apart from his peers is his almost unnatural endurance and stamina. Spain’s opener against Costa Rica will be his last football match as a teenager. Pedri is Spain’s present and he will be their future for a very long time to come, where 18-year-old Gavi will have the perfect role model for both club and country.
Jamal Musiala (Germany, 19)
England’s loss has been Germany’s gain, in the case of one Jamal Musiala. The languid midfielder was born in Stuttgart to a Nigerian father and a German mother, but grew up in England where he represented them at various age group levels.
Fast-forward to 2022 and he’s a regular for the mighty Bayern Munich and the German national team. Musiala already has 9 goals and 6 assists in 14 Bundesliga matches this season, which is a ridiculous return for a youngster still finding his feet and working out what portion of a football pitch he prefers occupying.
Musiala is on course to become one of the finest goalscoring midfielders in the world, but he’s already been trialled as a deeper-lying player by Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern. It’s an experiment that makes a lot of sense given the poise, precision and passing range that he possesses. Musiala will be among the most valuable footballers on the planet before long.
Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Ghana, 18)
Sporting Lisbon have inserted a €60m release clause into the Ghanaian’s contract, which might be a tactic to ensure they get a decent fee when the cash-rich Premier League clubs come calling. Issahaku is a left-footed attacking midfielder who likes to occupy the inside right space or more central areas as a number 10.
He went to AFCON 2021 as a 17-year-old and we might be seeing more of him in Qatar, where he’ll be competing with fellow youngsters Kamaldeen Sulemana and Mohammed Kudus for game time. This is a wild card that could certainly raise a few eyebrows.
Antonio Silva (Portugal, 19)
The latest brilliant talent coming off the Benfica conveyor belt, and the only defender we’ve selected in this esteemed list. Already a regular in the centre of defence for Portugal’s most decorated club, Silva is attracting interest from Europe’s richest clubs. It won’t be too long before he displaces Pepe and takes his place alongside Ruben Dias in the heart of Portugal’s backline.
Which emerging stars under the age of 20 are you keeping tabs on in Qatar?