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#3 Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax)
One of the freshest stars to be produced by the famed Ajax academy, Ryan Gravenberch is already an elegant midfielder at the age of 19. He has a commanding presence and is quite comfortable with the ball at his feet.
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Gravenberch also possesses incredible vision with respect to his age and has shown the ability to feed his attackers with pin-point long balls and diagonals. It's a joy to watch him navigate cul-de-sacs with his deft touches and he is also pretty adept at breaking up play and making recoveries.
He has also shown that he can score some peaches from range and we're certain that he'll go on to do it more consistently in the future. He scored five goals and provided six assists for Ajax in 47 appearances across all competitions in the 2020-21 season.
It's worth noting that his contributions have come from central midfield. His exploits have not gone unnoticed by the Netherlands' coach Frank De Boer, and Gravenberch is part of the Netherlands team at Euro 2020.
#2 Pedri (Barcelona)
You'll be forgiven for thinking Pedri is the latest generational talent produced by the famed La Masia. After all, he has already drawn comparisons to Andres Iniesta with his movement and passing. Pedri is also a regular feature in Ronald Koeman's starting XI at the age of 18. He was signed from Las Palmas by Barcelona in 2019.
He was loaned back to them for the 2019-20 season but Koeman decided he deserved a run in the first team when he took charge in the summer of 2020. Pedri has repaid that faith and has showcased great passing, vision and ball control. Playing for Barcelona in midfield is quite a task and it is even more daunting when you're adjusting to playing in a new position.
That's right. Pedri was a right-winger but Koeman noticed his qualities and started using him in midfield. At 18, he is already comfortable with Barcelona's possession-based play and he is sharp with the ball at his feet. He also plays some excellent threaded through balls and we're excited to see more of the Spaniard in the years to come.
#1 Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
He's just about to turn 18 and Bellingham is the youngest player ever to play at the European championship. The 17-year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder dominated the midfield realms in the Champions League this past season.
When you look at the fact that he played for Birmingham in their promotion drive in the English second-division in 2019-20, his achievements look even more impressive. Borussia Dortmund are wary of the fact that they have a generational talent on their hands and his development in just one season has been astounding.
He has all the qualities required of a no.8. Bellingham possesses great technique and can wriggle his way out of tight paces with the ball glued to his feet. The 17-year-old has great spatial awareness as well and keeps popping up in pockets of space in midfield and in the final third.
He also has a pretty good passing range and is one of the most talented 17-year-olds the world has ever seen.
