The stars of the future
Around the globe with football’s next generation
Jeff Gross
presented by 
There are a small handful of players in the world that even people who don't follow soccer are familiar with. The likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo can sell things to people who have never watched a full 90 minute match, while players like Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez have recently joined their ranks.
Waiting in the wings are dozens of other similarly talented players, who might have the right combination of talent and excellent circumstance to become big names on a similar scale. While those players are usually attackers, this list potential future global superstars features a bit of a balance. After all, a Franz Beckenbauer or Paolo Maldini does pop up once in a generation.
Here, we present 10 of the best young players in the world poised for future superstardom. Notably, this list does not include Neymar, who was already a household name globally before he moved to Barcelona, or players from the Premier League, who you can read about in our Premier League Top 25 feature.
-
Thanks to Italy's co-ownership rules, Domenico Berardi is getting an opportunity to develop into a top class player away from Juventus, rather than sitting on their bench and making sporadic appearances. He's in his third season as a professional with Sassuolo, and the Bianconeri will be hoping he makes a step up both on and off the field this season, leading to a future first team place in Turin.
Berardi scored 11 goals in Serie B during his first season as a pro, then 16 in Serie A last season. On the other side of the coin, he's also been suspended for fighting with Livorno goalkeeper Vincenzo Fiorillo and was banned from international football for eight months after he declined a call-up to the Italy Under-19 national squad and didn't give a reason for doing so.
If Berardi is going to establish himself as a star for Juventus and Italy, he'll have to become a more consistent player. He stunned everyone by scoring all four goals in a 4-3 win over AC Milan last season, but that game and his hat trick against Sampdoria accounted for 25 percent of his goals. He's gone missing for weeks at a time, which is understandable for a 20-year-old, but he won't displace Carlos Tevez if he's experiencing regular dry spells in front of goal.
up -
This summer, there were grumblings that David Alaba thinks of himself as a central midfielder, not as a left back, and that he might be willing to leave Bayern Munich for a team that agrees with him if he's not going to get time there for the Bavarians. Because Pep Guardiola is weird and thinks world class fullbacks should play central midfield, Alaba's been playing a lot of central midfield to start this season.
While it's slightly insane to play the best left back on earth at a position that is not left back — and, a note, the best left back in the world is 22 years old! — it's a testament to Alaba's ability that he doesn't look out of place there. He struggled when Bayern used him as a fill-in midfielder a few seasons ago, but he looks much more competent in the role this time around.
Meanwhile, Austria have played Alaba as a central attacking midfielder, in front of a double pivot, and have played him as an attacking left winger as well. And Pep's used Alaba as a left-sided central defender in a back three, too. Basically, he can do anything. This could ultimately lead to him being the great underappreciated player of his generation, but he's one of the best nonetheless.
up -
The attacking midfielder factory keeps churning out stars at Schalke. Following in the footsteps of Mesut Özil, Ivan Rakitic, Lewis Holtby and Julian Draxler, Max Meyer is the new next big thing to come out of Gelsenkirchen. The hype train started rolling when he was named the best player at the UEFA Under-17 Championships in 2011, and he's lived up to all his early accolades so far in his career.
Now 19, Meyer has established himself firmly as a first choice player at Schalke, and he's talented enough that Die Königsblauen are likely willing to cash in big on Julian Draxler next summer. He's performed so well as of late that he's been handed the central attacking midfield role, while Draxler has been shifted out to the wing.
Meyer's signed to Schalke through 2018, so he's likely to spend a couple more seasons with them before moving on to bigger and better things, like the stars that came before him. He's going to be given every chance to be the centerpiece of a Champions League team over the next few seasons, so the sky's the limit for him.
up -
A year ago, hardly anyone that didn't follow Barcelona's youth academy closely was familiar with Munir El Haddadi. Even though he attracted interest from other big clubs in Europe, the 19-year-old didn't get his chance to play for Barcelona B until March of last season. He made the most of that opportunity, though, scoring four times before the end of the season.
That earned Munir a place in Barcelona's preseason squad this summer, and once again, he took the chance he was given, racking up goals and assists left and right. With Neymar struggling with injuries and Luis Suarez suspended, Munir was thrust right into Barcelona's first team, and he scored a goal on his La Liga debut. That led to him getting his first call-up and cap for the Spanish national team.
Rarely, in a world where youth match reports and even internet streams of youth games are available to everyone, does a player rise from obscurity to stardom in a matter of months. It certainly doesn't happen when the player in question plays for Barcelona. But their new tricky winger has done just that, and if he's already a valuable first team contributor for the Blaugrana, his ceiling is limitless.
up -
The World Cup gave Memphis Depay an excellent platform to show off his skills to the world, and he's been nothing but phenomenal since. The Dutch winger was one of the best young players at the World Cup and appears to have taken his game to a new level since then.
Despite interest from fairly big clubs this summer, Depay opted to stay at PSV Eindhoven for another season and signed a contract extension that gave him a considerable raise. He's unlikely to see out that contract, though it's merely a vehicle for Depay to get paid more now and PSV to get a bigger fee for him when they sell.
And that fee is going to be enormous. Depay was very good in his first season as a first choice starter last year, netting 16 goals in 43 appearances, but he's been truly unstoppable to start this campaign. He already has 8 goals in just 6 appearances, and PSV are looking like Eredivisie favorites.
Sorry Tottenham fans, but it looks like Depay made the right decision by signing a new deal instead of pushing for a move. He's going to be courted by Europe's elite next summer.
up -
Atlético Madrid had almost no choice but to cash in on Diego Costa and Felipe Luis over the summer, but the one star that they were unwilling to field offers for was Spanish midfielder Koke. The 22-year-old started to become an important player for Atléti two seasons ago, but it was last season that he finally blossomed into a fully-fledged star.
While Koke usually plays on the left for the Rojiblancos, he's not a traditional winger or inside forward. He was thought of as more of a central or attacking midfielder during his younger days, and is a pretty unique type of wide playmaker. He's much better at holding onto the ball and passing on the ground than just about anyone in the world at his position, but he's picked up some elements of wing play as well, and is pretty good at both crossing and cutting in to shoot on his right foot.
It's not obvious what Koke's position is going to be long term — he plays in the center for the Spanish national side — but it is obvious that he's one of the most talented and versatile young players in the world. He also adds the bonus element to his side of being spectacular at set pieces, and he's only going to get better at them as he gets older.
up -
At just 22 years of age, Son Heung-Min is already the centerpiece of Bayer Leverkusen and the South Korean national team. He's in his third season as one of the Bundesliga's elite players, and he could make a jump to a bigger club this summer if a large enough offer comes in. While he's already in the Champions League, that theoretical move should put even more spotlight on a player that's slowly becoming too well thought of to be the Bundesliga's best kept secret.
Son is comfortable anywhere in attacking midfield or up top, but has been at his best for both club and country as an attack-minded left winger. He's adept at shooting and crossing with both feet, but particularly impressive at cutting inside and scoring with his right. His size and control make him tough to knock off the ball, he's an excellent dribbler, and he has the pace to get a step on most defenders.
Over each of the last four seasons, Son has improved his game considerably. Last season, he became a much better passer and racked up the best assist total of his career. He's slowly but surely becoming a better defensive player as well, and could become one of the world's most complete wingers in short order.
up -
Once upon a time, Real Madrid bought the best young players in the world at all positions, not just attacking midfield. Between Galacticos eras, Madrid picked up an 18-year-old central defender by the name of Raphaël Varane, and he cracked the first team more quickly than anyone could have imagined.
Fast forward a couple of years and Varane is not quite first choice for Los Merengues, but the 21-year-old is still generally regarded as the best young central defender in the world. Carlo Ancelotti seems to have a bit less of an affinity for the Frenchman than Jose Mourinho did, but he made 23 appearances last season, and it looks like he's being given more opportunities this campaign.
Varane still needs to improve on the speed of his decision-making, but otherwise, he has all the tools to become the best central defender in the world. He's physically imposing in every way at 6'3" with a big build and a lot of pace for his size. Add in some impressive tactical awareness for someone of his young age and limited experience, and there's no reason to believe Varane won't be a star at the Bernabeu.
up -
Over the past three seasons, Marc-Andre ter Stegen established himself as one of the Bundesliga's best goalkeepers. But Borussia Mönchengladbach didn't have the financial resources to keep him around long term, so he made the big jump to the most logical place for him — Barcelona.
Long time starter Victor Valdes left the Blaugrana last season, leaving a void between the sticks. Ter Stegen is a technically solid keeper who is comfortable outside of his own penalty area, so he should fit in at Barcelona perfectly, and eventually become their top keeper for a decade or so.
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has decided not to thrust ter Stegen into the spotlight instantly and is rotating him instead. So far, veteran goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has started Barcelona's league matches, and will probably do so for a while. But by next season, ter Stegen should be starting all of Barcelona's big matches, while Bravo eases into a role similar to the one played by Jose Manuel Pinto for six years.
up -
Somehow, terrifyingly, Paul Pogba is only 21 years old. He's already so good that he's generally preferred to Claudio Marchisio for Juventus and Blaise Matuidi for France, two excellent, model pros that their teams were very happy to have starting before Pogba came along. The Frenchman has come out of relative obscurity to become one of the best players on earth in just a couple of years, and it's now clear that he has the tools to become the world's best central midfielder. He's just as much an attacker as he is a destroyer, he's a better athlete than anyone he comes up against and he's got a rocket of a shot that can beat any keeper from 40 yards if he hits the target.
In a move that was under the radar at the time, but has become famous as Pogba himself has become famous, Pogba moved from Manchester United to Juventus on a free transfer in 2012. He asked for more playing time at United and Alex Ferguson wouldn't promise it to him. Ferguson's first contract offer was a lowball one, so Pogba decided to leave. Since then, United have shuffled average central midfielders around and fallen off a cliff, while Juventus have established themselves as essentially the only team that matters in Italy.
At some point, Juventus will either need to commit a ridiculous amount of money to Pogba or sell him for an even more ridiculous amount of money. Either way, it should mark a move to one of the world's elite for Pogba or a new commitment to returning to competing for Champions League titles. Whatever happens, Pogba will be the centerpiece of one of the world's best teams by the time his mid-20s roll around.
up
See More:
