Young and talented footballers are high demand players right now. A couple of the youngsters are more expensive then Cristiano Ronaldo, due to their age and the skills they possess. Almost all the big clubs possess some rising stars. From Real Madrid to Barcelona to PSG, all the big clubs have or want talented youngsters.
Hence, it isn't surprising that the young footballers are worth a fortune. Teams invest in young players and when they decide to sell them after 8-10 years, they receive huge profits. We are blessed to witness these players in action and a few of these starlets have even formed the nucleus for their country or club.
Teams have started to prioritize young players over the superstars due to their age and inhuman skills. France won the World Cup due to some world class performances from Mbappe and Ben Pavard. This only reiterates the fact that young players are very important to any team.
Let us now look at four of the most valuable footballers aged under 21.
Note: All Market values have been taken from Transfermarkt.
#4 Marcus Rashford (65 million Euros)
The Manchester United prodigy, Marcus Rashford has made a name for himself as one of the best young players in the world. He has been a part of Manchester United's youth team set up since, 2005.
Manchester United have developed him into a world class player and are now reaping the benefits of having stuck with him.He has become a key player for The Red Devils since 2015 and has made 123 appearances for them.
In the 78 Premier League appearances he has made, he has scored 17 times and assisted 8. Although these stats aren't jaw dropping, he is definitely a star in the making and can improve himself in the coming years.
The English international is valued at €65 million at a tender age of 20. He can either play as a centre forward or as a winger. Recently, he was seen playing for England at the FIFA World Cup as well.
The Manchester United prodigy doesn't seem like someone who is going to stop his rapid progress anytime soon and has the potential to achieve greatness.
#3 Gabriel Jesus (80 million Euros)
The Manchester City starlet, Gabriel Jesus has made a reputation as not just one of the best youngsters in the world, but as one of the better players at the biggest stage. He made quite a few notable contributions for City in their record breaking season, in which they amassed 100 points to win the Premier League.
He scored 13 times and assisted 3 times in 29 appearances out of which 10 came as substitute appearances.
The Brazilian is valued at €80 million and that is a testament to the talent that he has. He is expected to become one of the best players in the world in the future and he has already shown signs.
#2 Ousmane Dembele (81 million Euros)
The Barcelona player has been praised as an incredible young talent. He is only 21 years old but already has a market value of €81 million. Although his market value is 81 million Euros, he was bought for about 135 million pounds by Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund.
He is one of the most expensive players in the world but many experts believed that it was quite a lot of money for a 20 year old.
He is predominantly a right winger but can also play as a left winger. He played 17 times in the La Liga last season and scored thrice, assisting a further 7, as well. However, these performances haven't been enough for Barcelona.
These stats become even better when we note the fact that, he played for only 55 minutes per game on an average.
Reportedly, Dembele is frustrated with Barcelona's signing of Malcom as that increases the chances of him being benched for a lot of time. As a result of which, Barcelona could send him on loan to Arsenal, who want him desperately.
#1 Kylian Mbappe (150 million Euros)
The French international, Kylian Mbappe is arguably one of the best in the world. He has already evoked comparisons with players like Cristiano Ronaldo and has been earmarked as the torch bearer of the French team. He also won the Best Young Player Award at this year's FIFA World Cup.
The PSG star was brilliant in tandem along with Neymar and Cavani for the club. He scored 13 goals and assisted eight times in 17 games for PSG. The former Monaco player was roped in by PSG for €166 million, making him the second most expensive player in the world.
Valued at 150 million euros at the age of 19, one can only imagine how much his value will be in the coming years.