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2017 was an exhilarating year of football.
Ronaldo won his 5th Ballon d'Or, breaking quite a few records on the way, and then Harry Kane went on to score back-to-back hat tricks to finish the calendar year as top scorer ahead of both Messi and Ronaldo.
Even as Barcelona were mercilessly taunted on social media after losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain and signing Paulinho for €40 million, they completely changed the dynamics of La Liga to end the year with a humongous 14-point lead over bitter rivals Real Madrid, and a 9-point lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid.
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In that sense, 2017 has truly been a year of contrasting fortunes. Barca have turned the tables on Los Blancos, and Pep Guardiola has proven his critics wrong (in style), having built a team that is easily the strongest in Europe right now.
But perhaps, more importantly, 2017 was the year of breakthroughs for several young stars (as well as a few older players fans had written off for good). Kylian Mbappe has led a generation of youngsters who have taken the footballing world by storm, ushering in a new era as the two best players in the world right now enter their thirties.
And there will be even more such youngsters making their way through the harsh, unforgiving conditions of the European top flights in 2018. That being said, here is a list of such players who are beginning to catch the attention of several European giants already:
#10 Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham)
Age: 17
The only player on this list born in the current millennium, Ryan is a 17-year-old left-back and is also the cousin of former West Brom midfielder Stephane Sessegnon.
Being a fullback in a top European league is not easy these days, but the Fulham youngster has already established himself as the first choice after breaking into the first team last season.
He has also already represented England at U19 level, helping them win the UEFA Euro title earlier last year.
His versatility also enables him to play on the left wing (a trait that has evoked comparisons to David Alaba), and he even scored a hat trick against Sheffield United, becoming the first seventeen-year-old since Dele Alli to do so.
Sessegnon is reportedly a £25 million target for Manchester United, as Mourinho aims to add more depth at left back. Real Madrid and Chelsea are also reportedly sniffing around the teenager, and it's really only a matter of time before he moves to a bigger club, and becomes a bigger phenomenon.
#9 Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao)
Age: 23
Real Madrid have apparently cooled their interest in David de Gea, and are currently working on a deal to bring 23-year-old Arrizabalaga to the Bernabeu. That alone is proof of his abilities.
The Athletic Bilbao keeper broke into the first team after a loan spell at Valladolid, and has represented Spain at various youth levels, even making his senior debut during a friendly against Costa Rica in November.
It's unfortunate that he's only 4 years younger than de Gea, which means his national team opportunities will be severely limited. But, Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez are still willing to make him Los Blancos' no. 1.
While Navas has been decent so far, it's clear that he's nowhere near as good as de Gea. Meanwhile, Bilbao have been in poor form this season, but Arrizabalaga himself has conceded only 19 goals in the league, which is an impressive considering their position on the table.
With a release clause of only £20 million, money will definitely not be an issue. His current contract also runs out in the summer, which will allow him to begin talks with the Spanish giants over a free transfer in July.
Either way, it looks like the youngster will be Real's no.1 sooner or later.
#8 Richarlison (Watford)
Age: 20
Watford pulled off quite the coup when they signed Brazilian starlet Richarlison from under the noses of Manchester United and Ajax.
In 17 appearances in the Premier League so far, he has an impressive return of 5 goals and 4 assists, and that too with a mid-table team like Watford.
His pace, height, strength and ball control have earned him the inevitable comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo. At the age of 17, he signed for America Mineiro in Brazil's second-division, before signing for Fluminense in December 2016.
Even back then, his form in the Brazilian top flight was enough to attract the attention of European giants, until Marco Silva personally convinced him to join Watford in the summer.
In spite of a recent run of 6 consecutive defeats that has seen the Hornets drop to 10th in the table, there is still a lot of interest in the Brazilian from other English clubs.
Silva admitted recently that Watford would find it hard to hold on to the youngster if offers come in January, and Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested.
It's hard to see Richarlison leaving in the winter though, but if he stays at Watford, it will give him the opportunity to shine as a regular starter without the constant pressure and scrutiny that accompany a bigger club.
And if he continues performing in the same vein, it's easy to see him making a big money move in the summer.
#7 Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Age: 21
The Danish centre-back was one of several Chelsea youth players who were shipped out to mid-tier clubs throughout Europe. In 2015, he joined Borussia Monchengladbach on a two-year loan deal.
He was quite consistent in the Bundesliga, and soon became one of the hottest young talents in Germany. He was even voted Gladbach's player of the season in 2016 ahead of current Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka.
He continued to impress in his second season, and Antonio Conte decided to keep the 21-year old at the club for the 2017/18 season instead of loaning him out.
And it has proven to be a wise decision. He made his first appearance in the 3-2 defeat to Burnley after Gary Cahill got sent off, and made his first start a week later in a 2-1 win against Tottenham.
David Luiz's falling out with Conte has seen him make only 8 appearances in the Premier League this season, and that has given Christensen several opportunities to impress the Italian.
His performances have clearly established him as one of the best young defenders in England right now, and he's been good enough to attract interest from Barcelona, who have been weighing up a surprise January move for him.
Chelsea are, however, working on a new deal for him, and it's difficult to see him moving away from London right now, especially considering that he has just become a first-choice player.
One thing is for sure though - he's slowly shaping up to becoming one of Chelsea's major players for the next decade or so.
#6 Goncalo Guedes (Valencia CF)
Age: 21
The Portuguese winger is currently on loan at Valencia from Paris Saint-Germain, and has been instrumental in helping Marcelino's men to third place in La Liga.
After finishing 12th last season, Valencia desperately needed some big changes, and new coach Marcelino brought in a host of loan signings in the summer, including Guedes.
The 21-year-old has good vision and passing abilities, and one particularly impressive trait is his ball retention. He's difficult to shake off the ball in the final third, and his shooting accuracy has seen him score a couple of long range beauties for Valencia this season.
Guedes is a product of Benfica's famed and prolific academy, and was only just beginning to establish himself in the first team when PSG snapped him up for €30 million in January 2017.
The loan move to Spain has worked out well for him, allowing him to get decent game time at a top-tier club.
A recent rut in form, however, has coincided with Valencia's shock defeats to Eibar and Villareal after starting the season in great form. He does have 3 goals and 5 assists, though.
Manchester United were apparently interested in him before PSG signed him last January, but the French giants are now reportedly prepared to offload him to either Arsenal or Valencia for £31 million to meet their FFP obligations.
The price is reasonable in the current inflated market, and Arsene Wenger is also apparently interested. Guedes would be a good fit at the North-London club, and would also be a cheap and effective replacement for wantaway star Alexis Sanchez.
#5 Philipp Max (FC Augsburg)
Age: 24
Philipp Max is a German left-back who is a product of Schalke's youth academy. He briefly played for Karlsruher SC when they were in the second-division before joining Augsburg for €3.6 million in 2015.
The 24-year-old was a relatively unknown entity, and still is one. But his statistics suggest that he doesn't nearly get as much attention as he deserves.
He leads the Bundesliga charts in assists, with 9 in 17 appearances so far this season. That's ahead of Bayern Munich superstars like Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Muller and James Rodriguez.
It's also the same as Kevin de Bruyne and more than David Silva, both of whom are being hailed as the best midfield playmakers in Europe right now. Philipp Max is not even a midfielder, and plays for 9th-placed Augsburg.
His father Martin Max was Bundesliga's top scorer twice (in 2000 and 2002), and it seems as though Philipp is beginning to live up to the family name.
His main asset is his incredible crossing ability, and the good understanding that he's established with Augsburg's strikers. His dead ball abilities are also increasing day by day.
He's been linked with several clubs who are in need of a left-back, including Manchester United and Liverpool. It remains to be seen if he would prefer a move to the Premier League when he's doing so well in Germany.
A place on the German squad looks promising. Joachim Low has been keeping an eye on him, and left-back is the one position that's up for grabs. Martin Max only managed a single cap for his country, but it looks as though Philipp might just surpass his father on the international stage eventually.
#4 Milan Skriniar (Inter Milan)
Age: 22
The Slovakian centre-back made his name at Sampdoria, making 38 appearances in all competitions for them in the 2016/17 season before joining Inter Milan last summer.
At just the age of 22, he's managed to make himself indispensable to Luciano Spaletti, establishing himself as first-choice, forming a solid partnership at the back with Brazilian veteran Miranda.
He's also become a regular starter for the Slovakian national team, having earned 14 caps for them so far.
He isn't the most physically imposing defender, nor is he the fastest, but his positional awareness and tactical intelligence allows him to make interceptions, anticipate opposition attacks and win one-on-one challenges.
His form with Sampdoria attracted interest from Bayern Munich and Juventus as well, but Inter Milan beat them to him. They must now avoid making the mistake of selling him prematurely as they did with Philippe Coutinho.
Interest from European giants is inevitable, as Skriniar continues to cement his status as one of Europe's most exciting young defenders. But Inter have been improving steadily over the last few seasons, and might just be able to hold on to one of their most prized talents.
#3 Leon Bailey (Bayer Leverkusen)
Age: 20
Bailey is a 20-year-old Jamaican winger who joined Bayer Leverkusen from Genk in the previous winter transfer window for €20 million.
His speed, dribbling and shooting have led critics and fans to compare him to Dutch and Bayern legend Arjen Robben.
In fact, Bailey's numbers this season are better than Robben's. He has a better goals-to-minutes ratio and shooting accuracy.
He's become a regular for Leverkusen this season, with 6 goals and 4 assists in 14 matches. His recent surge in form has seen him being linked to some big European clubs, including Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.
Chelsea and United have been on the lookout for quality out wide for some time now, and Arsenal desperately need to bring in some reinforcements if Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil leave.
But it remains to be seen whether the Germans will allow him to leave just one year after he joined. It's highly unlikely that Bailey will be moving anywhere this month, but if he keeps up his form, Leverkusen will find it difficult to hold on to him in the summer.
#2 Mariano Diaz (Lyon)
Age: 24
Mariano Diaz came through Real Madrid's academy, and represented both their reserve sides, producing a very impressive goals-to-games ratio.
He did make 8 league appearances for Real last season, scoring one goal, but was always the third-choice behind Karim Benzema and Alvaro Morata. But, after selling both Morata and Mariano in the summer to Chelsea and Lyon respectively, Zidane might be starting to regret not holding on to one of them.
Mariano has been prolific for Lyon in Ligue 1, forming a lethal partnership with Nabil Fekir and Memphis Depay.
The 24-year-old is currently only behind Radamel Falcao and Edinson Cavani in the Ligue 1 scoring charts, with 13 goals in 18 matches. He's even ahead of the likes of Neymar, Mario Balotelli and Kylian Mbappe.
Mariano's playing position as a centre-forward was the reason that he didn't get sufficient game time in Madrid. He's incapable of operating in a no.10 role or out wide as a winger, which meant he had no chance of ousting Benzema or Morata as Real's main man up front.
Ironically, it is his poacher's instinct in front of goal that has seen him become France's third-highest goalscorer this season.
He has one cap for the Dominican Republic in 2013, but has since retired from the national team, in view of a possible Spanish call-up. The Spaniards also have Morata and Diego Costa as no. 9 options, but Mariano has arguably been as good as either of them this season.
Don't be surprised if you find him leading the line during Spain's World Cup campaign in Russia.
#1 Malcom (Bordeaux)
Age: 20
When a Brazilian winger playing for Bordeaux began getting almost as much attention for his exploits in Ligue 1 as his compatriot Neymar, fans all over the world began to sit up and take notice.
Malcom began his youth career with Corinthians and graduated to the first team, spending two seasons there before joining Bordeaux in the winter of 2016.
Like Bailey, Malcom is left-footed and prefers playing on the right wing, often cutting in to shoot from dangerous positions. He uses his pace to get past full-backs, and is also capable of crossing with his weaker right foot.
He scored 7 goals and assisted 4 in 37 games in his first full season in France. This season, he already has those same numbers in less than half as many appearances.
In particular, two similar long-range screamers that he scored in the same week made him an overnight star on social media.
He's been linked with United (who isn't?), and reports last month claimed that he was close to signing for them in a £30 million deal. Since then, however, interest from the Red Devils has cooled down, with North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham in pole position to sign him now.
Realistically, Bordeaux aren't going to be able to hold on to him much longer, and there's a very high possibility of seeing him lighting up the Premier League next season.
