Champions League, the elite of the elite going head to head against each other to come out on top as the Greatest Football Team in all of Europe. This competition defines prestige. Many great players have blessed this stage and now it is one of the biggest platforms in Europe any team can compete for. This is one thing that every football fan looks forward to.
Youngsters are another hot topic everyone looks up to nowadays. Managers, Directors of Football and various other club executives have a job to do and that job is to keep an eye for the budding and blooming young talents they can nourish and convert into a top-class player. Champions League is a platform that showcases the young talent that is growing outside the big leagues and which kids can make it count on the big stage.
Similarly this year, Champions League is up and running with another fresh batch of prospecting products that other teams can look out for. Here’s a list of players predicted to be right there at the top in the coming years.
1. Erling Braut Haaland (RB Salzburg - 19yr)
Erling plays for Red Bull Salzburg and has been claimed to have “Terrifying” attacking abilities. He plays as a striker. Made and coached by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he was compared with Romelu Lukaku for his physically overpowering defenders. He has already scored 3 hat tricks since the start of 19/20 campaign and boasts 17 goals in just 9 games for RB Salzburg. Even in the U-20, he scored 9 goals in one game when Norway defeated Honduras 12-0! His current value is estimated to be around 10.8 million pounds.
2. Ansu Fati (FC Barcelona – 16yr)
Barcelona’s youngest player to ever feature in the Champions League is highly deemed to be successful in the coming years. The position he favors is right-wing. With just 16 yrs of age, he has already broken records as the youngest player to play for FC Barcelona and becoming the youngest goal scorer after scoring against Osasuna in their league game. He is one kid to look out for in Champions League Barca already promises to be a title contender which will allow people to see a lot of this kid. He has played 3 matches and scored 2 goals and also bagged an assist. His transfer market value right now is 25 million pounds.
3. Ferran Torres (Valencia FC – 19yr)
Ferran Torres was hailed as the new golden boy when Spain won the U-19 European Championship. He is deployed at right midfield in the team. Valencia has put their faith in the player as he has come through their youth system and has come out on top in each age group he has played in. Torres was identified as one of the clubs' most promising homegrown talents. His development led him to a debut with Valencia’s second string at just 16 years of age. A right-sided winger, Torres began to make the position his own. His current market value is estimated to be around 20 million pounds already.
4. Dani Olmo (Dinamo Zagreb – 21yr)
Starting from the youth academy of Espanyol and then joining the youth academy of Barcelona, he currently plays for Dinamo Zagreb as an attacking midfielder and he joined this team in 2015. He moved up the ranks from Dinamo Zareb II to their first team. He has played 7 games in 19/20 and he has 3 goals and 3 assists in the Champions League and Champions League Qualifying. He is thought to be a surprise pick for Spain’s national team in the coming years. Many players from Dinamo Zagreb have used the team as an accelerant for their career and Olmo too made this smart decision for his career. His transfer market currently is 30 million pounds.
5. Lisandro Martinez (Ajax – 21yr)
Another Ajax youngster new on the market. He plays as a defensive midfielder and also as a center back. Signed as Matthijs DeLigt’s substitution, he shocked the world and the manager with a terrific display in the Champions League when Ajax defeated Lille 3-0 in their opening fixture. Claimed to be the best CB in Argentina, Ajax got an absolute gem of a deal for just 7 million pounds. An Ajax fan has created a montage to spotlight Martinez's confidence on the ball, passing ability and composure to squash any attacking threat against his side. The transfer market value estimation of Martinez is currently at 6 million pounds.
