The 5 best U-21 football players in the world right now

#1. Matthijs De Ligt

DeÂ Ligt continues to be linked with many clubs across Europe due to his amazing talention — De

Dutch giants Ajax FC are highly reputed when it comes to the production of brilliant young football talents and they came to the spotlight once again when La Liga champions FC Barcelona coughed up a whopping €75 million to lure talented midfielder Frenkie De Jong from the Johan Cruyff Arena this winter.

However, De Jong isn't the only exceptional youngster in, his colleague Matthijs De Ligt is also attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs on the continent, with the likes of Juventus, Paris Saint Germain, Barcelona, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich all after his signature.

De Ligt is a highly talented ball-playing center-back with immense technical skills and incredible rigidity. His composure, maturity and the ability to lead from the back are those qualities that set him in a class above his fellow young defenders. Such is his performance that he was recently honoured with the Golden Boy award.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Kaushal Raj