Football has changed over the years as clubs look to take shortcuts to success by buying the best available talents in what has now essentially become a hyperinflated transfer market. As a result, we have seen clubs with better resources pull away from the rest of the pack and bridging the chasm between such clubs has become an increasingly difficult task.
However, there are a few clubs who still stick to developing a team with the talent available to them in their academies. These clubs have stuck to their ethos of giving youngsters chances and many of them have repaid the faith shown in them.
A select few are not even old enough to vote or drive but they have already made a name for themselves with a ball at their feet (or in their hands). We look at five such players who have impressed in the 2016/17 season.
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5) Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan) – 18 years old
At 6’5” tall, it is hard to believe that Gianluigi Donnarumma has only just turned 18 years old. When he made an appearance for Italy against France at the age of 17, he broke the record for Italy’s youngest ever debutant – a record that belonged to another goalkeeper Piero Campelli and had stood for more than a century.
Having established himself as AC Milan’s number one for pretty much two seasons now, Donnarumma is the shining light in a Milan side that is in a rebuilding phase following their last Serie A title in 2011/12.
“He is a keeper who is demonstrating himself to be different than the others; he is an exception. He is young, but is already playing at a high level.” – Buffon
While Milan’s defence isn’t exactly the best in the league anymore, Donnarumma has been a huge factor in why they have kept so many clean sheets. In fact, he is tied for second with 10 clean sheets in the league this season – behind AS Roma’s Wojciech Szczesny (12) and tied with the likes of established powerhouses such as Juve’s Gianluigi Buffon and Inter’s Samir Handanovic.
No goalkeeper has made more saves in Serie A this season than Donnarumma (113). Among the top 10, he is the only goalkeeper under the age of 21!
4) Manuel Locatelli (AC Milan) – 19 years old
Having joined AC Milan at the age of 11, Manuel Locatelli has slowly made his way up the ranks to eventually wear the hallowed red-and-black stripes in the Italian Serie A. Initially brought into the side as a backup to skipper Riccardo Montolivio, Locatelli’s performances were a breath of fresh air compared to veteran’s frustrating knack of seemingly counterproductive brand of football.
Stationed in a central midfield role, Locatelli has not only been tasked with shielding the defence but also initiating counter-attacks by finding Milan’s forwards. While not the most physical of specimens, what Locatelli lacks in physicality he makes up for with his tactical positioning.
Also read: Scout Report – Manuel Locatelli
Off the ball, he is quite adept at breaking up play with strong tackles and transitions from defence to attack very quickly instead of dithering on the ball. The 19-year-old is not averse to making forward runs either. He has the ability to carry the ball forward from defence and also has a mean shot on him.
His screamer against Juventus earlier this season in a 1-0 win gave Milan their first win over the Serie A champions since 2012. It was a well-taken shot from just inside the box that swerved past a helpless Buffon before finding the top corner.
3) Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund) – 18 years old
One exciting young midfielder making waves in the German Bundesliga is actually an American footballer – 18-year-old Christian Pulisic. With the ability to play across a number of attacking midfield positions, he has mainly been used by Borussia Dortmund on the right side of midfield.
Having signed a professional contract with the German giants a little over a year ago, Pulisic made mincemeat of the U-17 and U-19 teams before his call-up to the senior team. While he started off by coming off the bench in most games, he quickly asserted himself – even setting the record for the youngest non-German player to score in the Bundesliga at 17.
This season he has racked up minutes in the Bundesliga and Champions League with five goals and seven assists across all competitions. A day before his 18th birthday, Pulisic put in his best performance of the season with a goal and two assists in the 6-0 thrashing of Darmstadt.
Also read: Scout Report – Christian Pulisic
He is a clever player that manages to find space in the opponent’s half to receive the ball and is also adept with the ball at his feet when he is running at defenders. He also loves to dribble and has completed 55 dribbles this season.
In a Dortmund side that has undergone a massive transformation in the past two seasons, Pulisic is the youngest player who has clocked over 1600 minutes this season.
2) Ousmane Dembele (Borussia Dortmund) – 19 years old
Another attacking midfielder who is comfortable on both wings is Borussia Dortmund’s Ousmane Dembele. Lightning-quick with the ball at his feet, Dembele has given Dortmund fans something to look forward to in the years to come and it’s hard to believe he is yet to turn 20.
The first thing that strikes you about Dembele is his acceleration with the ball. Defenders immediately back away and give themselves more space when he has the ball and his turns are deceptively quick. With the ability to cross the ball from either flank, it is an asset that he uses when Dortmund switch play.
Also read: Scout Report – Ousmane Dembele
He is also composed on the ball even when under pressure and loves cutting in from the flank. While he is susceptible to misplacing the odd final ball in the box or losing the ball when on the run, he has plenty of time to iron out his weaknesses with Thomas Tuchel in charge.
“He's a technically gifted player and a real goal threat. We worked very hard to get him.” – Tuchel
It is this confidence in the young man’s abilities that gives Tuchel a stage to perform. And this season he has already scored seven goals while also accumulating 14 assists in the Bundesliga and Champions League combined. And no player has made more dribbles than him in the Bundesliga this season (72 at 3.1 per game).
1) Kylian Mbappe (AS Monaco) – 18 years old
Another exciting project that is taking shape in Europe is the one at Ligue 1’s AS Monaco. When extravagant spending was not seen as a sustainable option, the club refocused its strategies on the youth players and tasked Leonardo Jardim with the reins.
That was in 2014/15 and the fruits of his labour are clearly visible. The Ligue 1 side reached the Champions League quarter-final yet again (beating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City) and one of the stars that shone brightly in both legs was young Kylian Mbappe.
Also read: Scout Report – Kylian Mbappe
The 18-year-old forward has turned heads all across Europe with his performances in domestic and European competitions. With two months of the season to go, Mbappe has already scored 19 goals in all competitions. His last nine matches alone have seen him score 11 goals which included a hat-trick against FC Metz.
Among the top 10 goalscorers in Ligue 1, Mbappe is seventh with 12 but has the best goals per game ratio. The next youngest player is 22. It is no wonder then that most top Premier League sides have been linked with the youngster who is already being compared to France legend Thierry Henry (another Monaco academy graduate).
