Ranking the 10 best teenagers in world football

There is no doubting that this era of football has been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair have broken almost every record there is to be broken, and will go down as two of the greatest players ever to have graced the field.

This is almost a unique era in football, where two such superstars have competed for success. In the past, we have been lucky to have one player that good. The likes of Pele, Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff were in a different league during their careers, and we are fortunate to have seen Messi and Ronaldo compete in this generation.

But their powers are dwindling slightly. Ronaldo is now 33, and Messi is now 31, and the question now is who will take their place on the world stage when they careers are over. Neymar and Eden Hazard were the men touted with replacing them, but they are now 26 and 27 respectively, so they may have passed their peaks by the time the legendary pair retire.

The pressure will be on the younger generation to take their place, and there are a number of candidates to take over as football’s top talents. Here are the ten best teenagers in world football at the moment.

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#10 Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)

Sancho is one of few English players plying his trade abroad

It was a bit of surprise last summer when Sancho chose to leave Manchester City in favour of a move to German side Borussia Dortmund. In doing so he became one of the only English players to play abroad and took what could be described as a huge risk. He was highly rated by Dortmund though, who gave him the number seven shirt, that was recently vacated by Ousmane Dembele.

It wasn’t the easiest start for him at Dortmund, and he was starved of first-team action in the opening months of the season. However, he came into favour later on in the season, and started each of the last four games, showcasing his undoubted talent. It will be interesting to see in the coming years how he develops, as we so rarely see young English players move abroad.

#9 Timothy Weah (PSG)

Weah's father also appeared for PSG

Perhaps the biggest test for Weah over the next few years is stepping out of his father’s shadow. Currently, he is known by many as just the son of former PSG and AC Milan star George Weah, who is currently the President of Liberia. Like his father, he is a striker but has chosen to represent the USA at international level, and he looks like he could go on to be an excellent player.

He has already appeared in PSG’s side and netted his first league goal for the French giants at the start of the season against Caen, a week after scoring against Monaco in the Trophee des Champions. He is also already a part of the United States international side and scored his first goal for his national team against Bolivia in May. Given the amount of talented young players in that USA side, he may be part of something special soon.

#8 Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham)

Sessegnon is one of England's brightest prospects

He may not have had too much action in the Premier League, but there is little doubt that Sessegnon will be a star in the coming future. The winger was outstanding in the Championship with Fulham last season, and came away with the Championship Player, and Young Player of the Year awards. He scored 15 goals for Fulham last season, and played a massive part in their promotion to the Premier League via the play offs.

What is perhaps most impressive about him is his maturity, despite his young age. He has been a big part of this Fulham side since he was first bought into the team at the tender age of 16. He hasn’t looked overawed at any point of his short career so far, and that is something that could prove vital over the next few years. There is a reason he has been constantly linked with some of Europe’s top sides recently, and it seems likely that he will end up playing for one of them at some point.

#7 Justin Kluivert (Roma)

Kluivert left Ajax for Roma this summer

In the same way Timothy Weah is, Kluivert is another young player looking to step out of his father’s shadow. He plays in a slightly different position to his father, favouring a role out on the left flank, though he is capable of playing as a central striker. This season is a big one for the 19-year-old, having moved to Roma over the summer. He has already proved he can cut it in the Eredivisie with Ajax, and now he has to show he can do it in Italy.

The £15 million fee that Roma have paid for him this summer looks like a bargain, given the level of performance that he was continually producing for Ajax in the Netherlands. He is a fast, tricky winger, with an eye for goal. He scored ten goals in the Eredivisie for Ajax last season, including grabbing a hat-trick against Roda JC, a feat his father never achieved in the Dutch league. Dutch football is entering a new era after their failure to qualify for the World Cup, and he will hope to be a part of that.

#6 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

Alexander-Arnold is Liverpool's first choice right-back

There is a really good feeling about the England national side at this moment in time. They reached the semi-finals at the World Cup in Russia for the first time since 1990, and there is a raft of quality young players coming through. One of those young players is Alexander-Arnold, who was part of that squad in Russia, even though he didn’t appear in any of the important games of the tournament.

He has really come on in the past 18 months under the stewardship of Jurgen Klopp at Anfield and is already one of the first names on the teamsheet at Liverpool. He is a real threat when he goes forward, but more importantly, he is an excellent defender and proved this by dealing with Manchester City’s Leroy Sane in the Champions League quarter-final.

#5 Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)

The young Brazilian completed a move to Real this summer

It has been a very turbulent summer at Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo was sold to Juventus, and Zinedine Zidane resigned as manager just days after winning his third straight Champions League title and was later replaced by Julen Lopetegui. They haven’t bought in a direct replacement for Ronaldo, so it may be the job for someone who was already at the club to come in and replace him.

Of course, Vinicius wasn’t at the Bernabeu last season, even though a deal to sign him from Flamengo was agreed last summer. He is certainly someone who is capable of going right to the top, and he is certainly in the Ronaldo mould. He is a versatile forward and is capable of playing on the wing or down the middle. He is able to go past players and is certainly good enough at finding the net when he gets himself in the right positions.

#4 Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax)

de Ligt is the latest centre back to come through Ajax's youth system

Ajax have a good record at producing excellent defenders in recent years. Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez all began their career with the Dutch giants. Of course, all three have ended up at Tottenham, so the writing may be on the wall for de Ligt. The 19-year-old will certainly go far, if his career up until now is anything to go by.

He may still be a teenager, but he is already a key member of this Ajax side and looks like the real deal. He is calm and composed when defending, and with the ball at his feet, which makes him very much the modern defender. He is another man who is part of the new era of Netherlands football after their World Cup qualifying disaster, and he is a leader at the back, so could really drive that new look team forward.

#3 Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan)

Donnarumma will hope to be Gianluigi Buffon's long-term successor

It would be easy to forget that Donnarumma is still only 19, as it seems although he has been around for years. For many in Italy, he is seen as the long-term replacement for Gianluigi Buffon, who left Juventus at the end of last season, and has retired from international duty after his nation’s failure to qualify for the World Cup in Russia.

Because of this, Donnarumma is now Italy’s number one, having become the youngest player to play for Italy when he made his debut at 17. He has also made over 100 appearances in Serie A for AC Milan, and he already established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in Europe. Goalkeepers usually peak later than outfield players, at around 30, meaning that Donnarumma could easily be at the top for at least another 15 years, and is certainly capable of replicating the success achieved by Buffon.

#2 Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund)

Pulisic is already a vital part of Dortmund's side

The second Borussia Dortmund player on this list, and perhaps more notably, a second American international. Pulisic is the poster boy of American football though, and he has the capability to be the first world-class footballer to come from the States. He is a lot like the sort of player that has come through at Dortmund in recent years, hard-working, exceptionally talented, and capable of performing in a number of roles, mostly anywhere behind the striker.

He has already begun to prove himself in the Bundesliga. He became the youngest foreigner to score in the Bundesliga in April 2016 and has gone on to become a vital player in this Dortmund side. Despite being 19, he is already the star man in the USA side, having appeared 21 times for his national team, scoring nine goals in the process. Pulisic was linked with a number of the top teams all over Europe over the summer, and if he can build on that, he can no doubt become a world-class talent.

#1 Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Mbappe starred for France at the World Cup in Russia

There was only ever going to be one name at the top of this list. Mbappe isn’t just one of the best young players in the world, he is one of the best in the world regardless of age. What he has achieved over the last 18 months is truly remarkable. He completed a move to PSG this summer for a fee in the region of £120 million, after spending a season on loan in Paris.

Over the summer, he was one of the best players in Russia, as France won the World Cup for the first time since 1998. His talents are incredible. He has the pace to burn and is a nightmare for defenders. He already has the composure of someone much older than him and is deadly in front of goal. There is no doubt that he will go right to the top of the game in the years to come, and he is almost certainly the man best placed to replace Messi and Ronaldo at the top of the world game.