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From a certain seventeen-year-old Pele to the young Michael Owen, the World Cup has seen its fair share of teenagers announcing themselves to the world. This World Cup will not be an exception, although some are already shining, the others will be hoping they use this platform to shoot their selves into the limelight.
We take a look at seven U-20 players that will be playing at the WC 2018 in Russia.
Kylian Mbappe
Already a household name, he has already gotten his international and club career on the run. He has been such an important player for both teams. Skilful and pacy, a nightmare for defenders, he is a talent to behold.
Much was talked about his move from Monaco to PSG last summer in a loan deal that would see him become the second most expensive player in history before next campaign begins. Touted the new Anthony martial, the wonder kid has done well to woo admirers with his displays in recent years. He became a regular for Monaco after making his debut at an early age of 16 years breaking Thierry Henry’s record for the club. He has gone on in leaps and bounds breaking records, scoring goals for fun and ultimately helping Monaco to win the French Ligue 1 title- their first in seventeen years.
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PSG came calling and he couldn’t resist the temptation of playing alongside certain Neymar. Their partnership has been one to envy. Much was expected from them having failed to mount a definitive challenge in the Champions League as Real Madrid proved too strong and too experienced for them.
Winner of the 2016 UEFA European U-19 championship, Mbappe made his purported debut for the senior national team against Luxembourg little over a year ago. Only 19 years of age, much is already expected from the young man as France bid to conquer the world. The stage is set for Mbappe to rise and we will surely be at the edge of our sits.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
A player brimming with confidence and quality, Alexander-Arnold had a season to remember after appearing at the 2017-18 final in Kiev against eventual champions Real Madrid becoming the club’s youngest player to appear in the finals.
It was a dream come true for the Englishman and it was only logical for him to make the England manager’s 23-man squad. Coming through the ranks at Liverpool, he made his first-team debut at the age of 18 making 12 appearances in all competitions and after being named the club’s young player of the season, his stock has been on the rise ever since.
He displaced Nathaniel Clyne from the first eleven, he has done more great things for the club. He scored his first goal for the Reds by hitting a sumptuous free-kick on his European debut against Hoffenheim in the playoffs. Only just making his international debut this month against Costa Rica in a World Cup tune-up game, the 2018 FIFA World Cup might come too soon for him though, with Premier League Champion Kyle Walker and Kevin Trippier who equally had a fantastic season ahead of him. But the future looks bright for the young man and it is only matter of time before he stakes a claim in the squad.
Francis Uzoho
The goalkeeping position has caused a lot of headache to Nigeria Coach Gernot Rohr and his crew ever since first-choice goalkeeper Carl Ikeme was diagnosed with Leukemia. And it has been a dilly dally affair since then, many goalkeepers have been treated over time but none of them have covered themselves in much glory.
From a certain Daniel Akpeyi to Ikechukwu Ezenwa, and reaching a point where retired Vincent Enyeama was touted to return to the fold- club inactivity might have been the obstacle, the road to finding a suitable replacement has been particularly bumpy. But alas a relatively unknown 19-year old Francis Uzoho has stepped up to the task of manning the post and with the backing of the coach, he looks set to be Nigeria’s No.1 in what will be his first World Cup going with the youngest team of the tournament.
A Deportivo la Coruna B regular, he has made a handful of appearances for the first team and has gone on to play for Nigeria having made his debut last November. Prone to occasional errors – as expected from a young player, playing the last couple of friendly games would have given his confidence a good boost. A dilemma no one thought would be resolved soonest might have been and it could be a long-term solution. Ikeme will have the battle to regain the No.1 spot when he returns from injury.
Achraf Hakimi
Another right-back with bags of potential evidence by the fact that he plays for a club of Real Madrid's stature famed with the power to spend big in the market. Achraf has come of age and he is strongly growing into his own and well- he has a Champions League medal to his credit.
The Moroccan international will also be at the World Cup in Russia largely because of his contribution to Madrid's course. Compared to Trent-Arnold, he has found playing time a bit hard to come by due to the presence of Daniel Carvajal in the first team having made 17 appearances in the 2017-2018 season.
Promoted from the Castilla as a back-up to Carvajal, he made his debut for the Los Blancos last October against RCD Espanyol before scoring his first for the club in a 5-0 win over Sevilla in December. He has always played for Morocco having represented them at all age-grade level before finally making his debut two years ago against Canada in a 4-0 win. With a lot of rough edge to his play which is only awaiting some fine-tuning and polishing, he has shown enough to be reckoned with and recognized as one for the future.
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Daniel Arzani
Blessed with quick feet, speed, and some skilful dribbling, you can only stop but notice the 19-year old Australian. Versatility is the key; he can play across the frontline which has made him an asset for Melbourne City.
Born in Iran, the attacking midfielder chose to represent Australia and his dazzling displays has not gone unnoticed by Van Marwijk. He capped off a memorable debut for the senior side of Melbourne City last season with two assists to the goods in what was a comeback victory over Wellington Phoenix.
Capable of dribbling through space, he was so hot for opponents that he led the way in terms of successful dribbles- 89 in just four starts with 20 in all. He made the A-League Team of the season and was subsequently named the A-League young Footballer of the year- what a year for the forward.
Since he’s played age-grade football for Australia, it was only logical that he represent them at senior level and Van Marwijk moved fast. He will be the youngest player at the Mundial and the youngest Australian footballer ever to be included in a World Cup squad- a reward for a fantastic season. He made his debut this month and scored in his second match for his country one minute after coming on. He’s a rare gem and you can’t put it past him to make an impact in Russia.
Moussa Wague
Moussa Wague is the third right back on the list. He plays for Eupen in the Belgian Pro League. The Senegalese is another success story of the club that gave Henry Onyekuru the chance to impress, to which he did with aplomb. It has been a long time coming though.
He was part of the squad that finished in fourth place in the U-20 world cup in 2015 before being snapped up by the Belgian side. He went on to make his debut for the Senegal national team in a friendly against Nigeria in March 2017.
Not much of an impact in club level but give it to the young man, he has started well with the national team. And after helping Senegal secure World Cup qualification after a 2-0 victory over South Africa, he becomes the first player in the history of AS Eupen to qualify for a World Cup. We can only hope he transcends his national team showings to club football.
Jose Luis Rodriguez
He is a Panamanian currently on loan at Gent II. Signed by Gent on a permanent basis after an initial loan deal from Panamanian club Chorrillo where he first rose to prominence, he made his debut in 2015 and scored a goal in the 2015-16 campaign.
He made his debut for Panama on the 29th of May, 2018 after being included in the 23-man squad to play in Russia. The right midfielder has since made two appearances for his country. He is a key element to his side’s play. All hands are on the desk to show us what he can do for the team in a bid to win more admirers and possibly make a name for himself.
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