5 teenagers who can take the football world by storm in the next decade

Teenage years are often the formative period for a football player where they spend time honing skills at the club’s academy and playing with the age-group and reserve teams. Some of the youngsters manage to break through to be in the reckoning for the first-team very early. And then there are those who have firmly established themselves in the first-team and given their young age, will only improve with time. We look at five teenagers who have already impressed for the first-team and are set to dominate world football for many years to come.Honourable mentions: Alen Halilovic, Divock Origi, Zakaria Bakkali, Oliver Torres, Leon Goretzka

#5 Martin degaard (Norway and Strmsgodset)

The 15-year-old made his international debut for Norway last month in a friendly against UAE, thus becoming the youngest footballer to play for the country. This brought instant worldwide attention on the youngster, who earlier this year became the youngest player to appear and score a goal in the Norwegian Tippeligaen.

Ødegaard, who is a boyhood Liverpool fan because of compatriot John Arne Riise playing for the club, has been reportedly scouted by as many as 35 clubs across Europe including Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United. He has already had training stints at Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

Norway international Morten Gamst Pedersen has praised Ødegaard and said “For his age he is unbelievable - his knowledge of the game is unbelievable and his technical skills are fantastic”. Current Celtic manager Ronny Deila, who gave Ødegaard his first cap for Strømsgodset, believes that the player has the potential to become the best in the world.

At the tender age of 15, Ødegaard finds that the world is already at his feet, and if guided wisely there is nothing that will stop him from converting this potential into performances consistently at the highest level.

#4 Max Meyer (Germany and Schalke 04)

The German national team has been blessed with talented attacking midfielders, and when the World Cup holders attempt to defend their crown in Russia, it is very likely that Max Meyer will be a key player in that side.

As a youth player, Meyer was a member of the German U-17 side that reached the 2012 Euro Under-17 Championships Final, and he finished as the event’s top scorer and best player. The 18-year-old took Raul’s number 7 jersey at Schalke last season and enjoyed a fine campaign in which he scored 7 goals and created many. His performances were rewarded with a berth in the 30-man provisional squad for Brazil’14, and though he didn’t make it to the final squad, he won his first international cap in a game against Poland.

With a playing style of high speed and excellent dribbling, Meyer is often compared to Lionel Messi and Mario Götze. He was linked with a move to many top clubs in the summer transfer window, but Meyer was quick to announce that he wanted to continue at Schalke. With regular football guaranteed at Veltins-Arena, the youngster will continue to develop and improve, and can potentially become a world class player.

#3 Adnan Januzaj (Belgium and Manchester United)

The talented 18-year-old was eligible to represent Belgium, Albania, Turkey and Kosavo, and Roy Hodgson explored the possibility of getting him to play for England. Januzaj ultimately committed himself to Belgium and made it to the squad for the 2014 World Cup at Brazil. With an abundance of talent in the Belgian side, Januzaj has found opportunities limited in the team, but is someone who has been earmarked by coach Marc Wilmots as one of the key players for the side for the years to come.

Januzaj has already built a strong reputation for himself at Manchester United after scoring two goals on his first start in a come-from-behind 2-1 victory for the club at Sunderland. The emergence of Januzaj and his subsequent long-term deal to stay at the club will count among the very few positive achievements of David Moyes at Manchester United. Despite the arrival of several big names in this summer, Januzaj is still counted among the key players for the club.

#2 Munir El Haddadi (Spain and Barcelona)

Formerly a fan of Real Madrid, Munir started his youth career at Atletico Madrid before signing for Barcelona’s academy. After impressing for the under-19 team, he made his debut for Barcelona B in March this year. His performances didn’t go unnoticed as Luis Enrique handed him his first start for Barcelona in the La Liga against Elche CF at Camp Nou and the player didn’t disappoint as he scored the second goal of a comfortable 3-0 win for the home side.

Munir was invited by Morocco, the homeland of his father, to play international football for them. Qatar was also interested in getting the player to represent them. But Munir chose to play for the country of his birth – Spain – and Vicente del Bosque included the player in the squad which played Macedonia in the Euro 2016 qualifier. Munir made his debut for the team as he came on a second half substitute to replace Koke.

#1 Raheem Sterling (England and Liverpool)

The Jamaica-born player had been tipped to develop into a top player very early into his youth career, which prompted Liverpool sign him from Queens Park Rangers for a fee which could rise upto £5 million. Sterling went on to make his senior-team debut for Liverpool at the age of 17 years and 107 days.

Former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has played Sterling primarily on the wings for England, and Brendan Rodgers did the same initially. But a tactical change in which Rodgers deployed the youngster at the tip of the midfield diamond formation saw Sterling excel in the new role. In the latter half of the 2013-14 season, Sterling formed a potent strike force alongside Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge as Liverpool enjoyed a rich goal-scoring run of games.

With the departure of Suarez to Barcelona in the summer, the spotlight on the 19-year-old Sterling has increased and many predict that Liverpool’s fortunes in the current season will largely depend on Sterling’s form.

Sterling was also one of the very few bright sparks in an otherwise dismal World Cup 2014 campaign for England. Following the retirement of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard from international football, it is expected that the new-look English team will be built around Sterling, who is rated by many as the best English player currently, as Roy Hodgson looks to bring about a change in the national side’s fortunes after the World Cup.