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The UEFA Champions League is the blue riband event of European club football which is contested by the top 32 clubs in the continent.
Over the years, many fine players have made their mark in the Champions League. A certain Wayne Rooney marked his debut in the competition with a hat-trick almost one-and-a-half decades ago.
More recently, Norwegian teen Erling Braut Haaland introduced himself by scoring a hat-trick on his Champions League debut last season to become only the ninth player in competition history to do so.
Ten young players to look forward to in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League
Despite a belated start to the 2020-21 Champions League season owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the latest edition of the competition has not ceased to produce enthralling games and sizzling player performances galore.
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On that note, let's have a look at ten young players who could make an impact in the 2020-21 edition of the UEFA Champions League.
#10 Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax)
Ryan Gravenberch is the latest prospect to emerge from Ajax's famed De Toekomst academy.
The versatile central midfielder, who can also operate as a defensive midfielder, became the youngest debutant in the history of Ajax when he appeared in the truncated 2019-20 Eredivisie season.
Although he doesn't contribute a lot in the attacking third, he provides stability to the team in the middle of the pitch, where his composure belies his 16 years of age.
Gravenberch has made three appearances in the Champions League this season. He is yet to make a goal contribution but given his positional awareness and versatility, he could be one of the players to watch out for in the latest edition of the annual club competition.
Former Netherlands international Ronald de Boer has opined that Gravenberch is a more promising prospect than Matthijs de Ligt when he said:
"Matthijs might have been exceptional at that age, but Gravenberch has unrivalled qualities."
#9 Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund)
Giovanni Reyna is one of the most promising American football players to have emerged in recent years.
After arriving at Borussia Dortmund last summer, Reyna has often been compared with his more illustrious compatriot Christian Pulisic for their similarity in playing styles and for taking the route from the MLS to the Bundesliga.
Reyna has already scored three goals and provided seven assists in 29 games in all competitions for the Bundesliga club. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder is yet to open his account in five games in the Champions League but has already provided an assist in the competition.
Dortmund managing director Carsten Cramer believes that the club won the lottery when they landed the precocious Reyna:
"His potential is huge. Just like Christian (Pulisic), he is not only an outstanding footballer, but also a really good guy. For us, it is a six in the lottery in terms of sport and marketing. But the latter component was not decisive for us in bringing in the boy. We do not commit to deals according to nationality or marketing value, but according to sporting criteria."
After making 17 appearances in his debut season last campaign, Reyna has had more game-time at Dortmund this season, and it may not be long before he makes an impact in the Champions League.
#8 Eduardo Camavinga (Rennes)
Eduardo Camavinga, who is touted as a generational talent, plies his trade for Ligue 1 club Rennes.
In his first season as a professional, the Angola-born French midfielder played a key role in the Ligue 1 side, who finished third in a truncated season to qualify for the Champions League.
The 17-year-old has impressed with his versatility, which allows him to be deployed across a bevvy of positions in the middle third of the pitch. However, goal-scoring is one area where he could improve - Camavinga has scored just twice in 52 appearances in all competitions for the club.
Nevertheless, the teenager, who became France's second-youngest goalscorer ever, could come of age in the ongoing edition of the Champions League.
#7 Eric Garcia (Manchester City)
Eric Garcia was reportedly one of Barcelona's most sought-after targets in the summer transfer window before Manchester City pulled the plug on the move.
There was good reason why the Cityzens did not want to let Garcia go. Under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola. Garcia exhibited defensive maturity that was beyond his years compared to that of the John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi, while forging a formidable central defensive partnership with Aymeric Laporte.
With the player opting to stay back at the club for at least another season, he could well be the defensive bulwark for a team looking to be the newest Champions League winners this season.
#6 Curtis Jones (Liverpool)
It may be early days for the teenaged Curtis Jones in the Champions League or at the professional level in general, but he has already made an indelible first impression in a star-studded Liverpool team managed by one of the most astute tacticians in the game.
Last season, the central midfielder became the second-youngest Liverpool player to score in the Premier League, also scoring his first goal for the club in the process.
Jones, who has adapted well to Jurgen Klopp's high-pressing football, provided a glimpse of his prowess with a rollicking performance against Atalanta in the Champions League this season.
The teenager, who made more presses and passes than his more illustrious colleagues like Jordan Henderson and Georgino Wijnaldum in that game, could well have a breakthrough campaign in the Champions League this season as he looks to become a permanent fixture in Klopp's team.
#5 Joshua Zirkzee (Bayern Munich)
Joshua Zirkzee made a blistering start to his Bundesliga career when he came on as a substitute and scored against Freiburg and Wolfsburg. The first of those two goals made him Bayern Munich's third-youngest goalscorer.
A full debut was soon coming for the Dutch teenager who marked the occasion with another goal, this time against Hoffenheim, as the six-time Champions League winners Bayern Munich inched closer to an eighth consecutive league title.
The Dutch striker is seen as a long-term successor of the prolific Robert Lewandowski who scored galore in the Champions League last season. Having worked his way up the ranks at Bayern Munich, Zirkzee is gaining valuable game-time and experience in the first team of arguably the finest club team at the moment.
Though Zirkzee is yet to feature in the Champions League this season, that could change soon, and the much-touted player could leave his mark at this edition of the competition.
#4 Mason Greenwood (Manchester United)
Mason Greenwood has only turned 19 but has already racked up over 61 appearances for the club, scoring 19 times and providing six assists. In fact, such has been the impact of the player that he has already been compared with club legend George Best.
One of the best Manchester United academy graduates in recent times, Mason Greenwood burst off the blocks in the Premier League last season, scoring ten goals, which made him the first teenager in seven seasons to do so.
The two-footed striker has often been deployed on the wings, but it could only be a matter of time before he is moved to the centre of the attack, where he could be at his lethal best.
This season, Greenwood scored his first Champions League goal. There could be many more coming in the Champions League and in other competitions if he continues his impressive development.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer already thinks highly of Greenwood, who could be the next English teenager to make his impact in the Champions League stage:
“(He’s a) great talent, great finisher and he’s learning more and more, growing more and more, (making) better and better decisions on and off the pitch. He’s an exceptional finisher, he can score right foot, left foot. If he can learn how to head a ball he’ll be the complete striker."
#3 Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
Unlike most other players on this list, Real Madrid's teenage sensation Rodrygo has already made his mark in the Champions League.
Last season, the then 18-year-old Brazilian striker scored a hat-trick against Galatasaray to become the second-youngest player in Champions League history to do so. His returns were less prolific in La Liga though, as he scored only four times in 19 games.
Nevertheless, Rodrygo has seen more game-time this season. He came off the bench and scored the winner against Inter Milan on Matchday 3 after Real Madrid had squandered a comfortable two-goal cushion at home.
The former Santos player has often been likened with his more illustrious compatriots Robinho and Neymar. He is already rated highly by Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, the only manager in Champions League history to win three consecutive titles in the competition.
“He is only 18 years old. We are so pleased with him. He works hard and does a lot of things. We need to have patience and not pressure him. I am not surprised whatsoever; he is very talented. He is happy, his game is a real joy to watch. Rodrygo is a top-quality player, and he came here to do what he is doing. This is only the start. I really hope he can continue to do this well," says Zidane about Rodrygo.
#2 Ansu Fati (Barcelona)
The stock of Ansu Fati has been on a steady rise since he burst on to the scene last season by becoming the youngest player to score in the Champions League when he netted against Inter Milan.
Fati has flourished with more game-time under new Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman this season. He has scored four goals in the La Liga - one of them coming in the El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid - and one in the Champions League to go with three assists.
Undoubtedly one of the finest players to have emerged from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy since a certain Lionel Messi, Fati has earned lavish praise from the club's record-scorer himself for his exploits at such a young age.
"I really like him and I try to help and support him. He's an amazing player and he's got what it takes to succeed. You have to remember that he's only 16 (he's 17 now). I hope he keeps on enjoying it, and that all the fuss around him doesn't have a negative impact on him because he has the quality to become one of the best," said Messi about Fati.
#1 Erling Braut Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
Erling Braut Haaland is undoubtedly one of the hottest young players on the planet. He has taken to the Champions League like a duck to water.
After scoring nine times for RB Salzburg in his debut Champions League season, a tally that included a hat-trick on debut, the Norwegian teenager earned a move to Borussia Dortmund in the winter, where he has continued his prolific scoring exploits.
Haaland could not help BVB avert a Champions League Round of 16 exit against eventual finalists PSG. However, the 20-year-old centre-forward has already scored four times in the competition this season to go joint top of the goalscoring charts.
Haaland, who averages almost a goal per game with BVB in all competitions (26 goals in 28 games) and better than a goal per game in the Champions League (14 goals in 11 games), has earned praise from many former players.
Former England international Jermaine Jonas described Haaland as the epitome of a complete striker when he said:
"He looks complete as a striker. He's got the size, and he upsets defenders with how strong he is. He hits the ball so hard he doesn't give goalkeepers a chance. He just scores every type of goal. He's got that knack and you can't really coach that. His numbers are off the charts."
If he continues his meteoric ascent and prolific exploits, it may not be too long before Haaland gets talked about in the same breath as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the two most prolific scorers in Champions League history.
