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#1 Matthijs De Ligt (Ajax)
Matthijs De Ligt joined the Ajax academy when he was just 9 years. He has been touted as one of the best leading young centre-backs at present after significant nurturing by one of the best academies in Europe. He has been labelled as a leader at the back and is known for his cleverness to nudge out the attackers.
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During August 2016, the Dutch defender made his debut when he was just 16 for Jong Ajax, which competes in the second division. He caught the eyes of the first team and made his debut for the senior squad against Willem II in a cup game one month later. He made an instant impact by scoring from a corner to become the second youngest scorer in club's history after Clarence Seedorf.
He has been omnipresent with the first team ever since then. He was part of the squad which reached the Europa League finals to end as runners-up to Manchester United in 2017. Besides, he made his international debut as an 18-year-old in 2017 in a defeat to Bulgaria. He has won 11 caps till date.
The 19-year-old has attracted interest from several clubs including the likes of Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur. Ajax will be willing to listen to offers more than 50 million, especially with many teams tussling out to secure the signature of Matthijs De Ligt. But, Marc Overmars insists that the club will not sell him in the winter transfer window.
