Top 5 youngsters to breakthrough

It has been a nail-biting season thus far, with Atletico Madrid breaking the trend set by the El Clasico rivals and it has been a cat & mouse game for the top spot. However, this season has also been the stage for the young prodigies to announce themselves to the footballing world.Let's take a sneak-peek of the top 5 who have made their names known:

#1 Antoine Griezmann, Real Sociedad

The Frenchman has been the most promising youngster in La Liga in the 2013-14 season. The 22 year old winger has netted 15 goals in 24 appearances for Real Sociedad in this year’s campaign, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Costa & Alexis Sanchez. The winger had a slow start to the season but pitched in at the right time, racking up goals and assists for the Basque outfit. He is enjoying what has been a tremendous campaign for him. Antoine is a sublime dribbler, possesses quick feet and a clinical finisher. Hence, the Frenchman is deadly on the counter and manager Arrasate has deployed him efficiently on the break.

The pick of his performances was in the 3-1 win at San Sebastian against the Blaugranas, where he scored the 2nd goal for the Basque with a brilliant finish and set Zurutuza up for the 3rd. The sustained run of form has paid off for the youngster as France coach, Didier Deschamps has picked him in the squad for the friendly against Netherlands. The left-footed winger has certainly rung the alarm of the top dogs in Europe and Sociedad would be hoping to keep him away from their clutches.

#2 Mateo Mussachio, Villareal

The Argentine centerback has played a predominant role in Marcelino Garcia’s impressive debut campaign as Villareal manager, posing a serious threat to the competitors of the Champions League play-off spot. Mussachio is a no-nonsense centerhalf and has been one of the best young centerbacks in Spain. Interceptions & tackling are areas where he excels, in addition to his ability to read the game defensively. Undoubtedly, he has been a standout performer for the newly promoted side.

The best of his defensive displays was against the Barcelona in a 2-1 away loss, where he scored the only goal for Villareal through a venomous header and remained a road block for the Catalans in the final third. Owing to his defensive exhibition in the current campaign, top-flight clubs in Europe are looking to snatch him away and it looks like it would be sooner rather than later that he gets the nod from the Argentinian manager Alejandro Sabella for a berth in the national squad.

#3 Rafael Alcantara / Rafinha, Celta de Vigo

Rafinha is yet another gem from the youth ranks of Barcelona. The La Masia graduate, who is on loan at Celta de Vigo, has been groomed extremely well by manager Luis Enrique. Without a shadow of a doubt, he has been Cetla’s best player thus far and has delivered a string of impressive performances. 4 goals & 4 assists in 24 appearances might not sound very impressive but the Brazilian has deployed his exquisite passing skills in the best possible manner, creating the most chances (37) for Celta at a pass completion rate of 82 %.

His standout performance came against Getafe at home, where he scored the only goal for Celta to draw level in what was a stalemate. The younger Alcantara has shown a lot of promise and the Blaugrana realize that they have a world class player at such a young age. His magnificent run of form has made heads turn and might alert a handful of potential bidders. However, the Catalans have already let his brother transfer to the European Champions Bayern Munich and the Catalans will be looking to hold on to him at any cost.

#4 4. Jese Rodriguez, Real Madrid

Jese is an exciting talent who has made his way into the most expensive squad in the world, via the youth ranks of the Real Madrid Castilla. Jese was promoted to the main squad owing to an impressive campaign for the Castilla in the 2012-13 season, smashing 22 goals in 38 appearances, finishing 2nd in the top scorers chart. An amazing run of form for the U20 national team, supplemented by Higuain’s exit helped him climb up the pecking order.

He is best known for his lightning-quick acceleration, exquisite positioning and finishing. His goal in the 2-1 loss in the El Clasico game, marked the beginning of his purple patch. Since then, he has risen to the occasion in the big games, scoring against top-notch teams like Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Villareal apart from others. He has 5 goals to his tally in the last 6 starts and is proving that his goal scoring streak was no fluke.

#5 Marc Bartra, Barcelona

It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that after Puyol & Pique, Marc Bartra is the best centerback produced by La Masia. The defensive abilities he possesses made his promotion to the main squad inevitable, as he was too good for the Liga Adelante. The Catalan giants' failure to sign a centerback in the summer added to his good fortune and the tables turned for Bartra under Tata Martino.

He made his 1st appearance of the season in a 4-1 massacre against Real Sociedad, replacing the injured Mascherano and eventually went on to score to seal the win. The injury to the Argentine centerhalf added to the defensive woes of the Catalans and Martino was left with no one but Marc. However, Bartra proved his doubters wrong when he was given the opportunities, showing tremendous character. He has proved that he can provide serious competition to the Mascherano, putting up a series of laudable performances and has had his share of minutes since then.

Interceptions and tackling are areas where he excels and can offer a good deal in the air. His best performance thus far this season, was against Celtic where he showed tremendous temperament dealing with Georgios Samaras, in front of a sold-out Celtic Park. His national team call-up for a friendly against Equatorial Guinea was the icing on the cake, for what has been a dream season for the Catalan so far.