#1 David Neres
To simply classify 2019 as a breakthrough year for David Neres would be an understatement of the highest order. The diminutive winger set Ajax’s dream run to the Champions League semi-final alight with glittering displays against Europe’s elite. Neres sent shockwaves across the Santiago Bernabeu with an assured dinked finish to all but confirm a shock victory for the visitors. If this was not enough proof of the mercurial wideman’s talents, Neres’ immaculate solo strike against Juventus in the quarter-finals easily qualifies one of the standout moments of individual brilliance in Europe this season.
Coming up with the goods on the biggest of stages has led to Neres earning his first international cap for Brazil against Czech Republic in March earlier this year. Tite’s sheer faith in the de Godenzonen man took a major leap when he made the audacious call of favoring Neres as one of the forwards in the squad over the experienced Lucas Moura and the precocious Vinicius Junior. At just 22 years of age, the young starlet truly has the world at his feet.
Boasting an embarrassment of riches upfront, the addition of a prospect such as Neres is both a throwback to the heyday of the Samba Boys. Furthermore, he is a modern winger who can provide the workmanship to not only thrive, but also combine with his troops. He has a golden opportunity to step up in the injured Neymar’s absence.