25 most exciting young footballers to watch in 2025

Over the next 12 months, a fresh crop of footballers will establish themselves atop the men's game. Here, theScore rings in 2025 with our annual look at some of the sport's most talented youngsters - aged 21 and under - who are set to flourish in the new year. Players who made our list in previous years have been excluded.

Previous selections: 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024

Samu Aghehowa 🇪🇸

Club: FC Porto | Age: 20 | Position: Striker

The imposing Spanish striker, who adopted his surname after going by "Omorodion" earlier in his young career, has been on an absolute tear since joining Porto this past summer from Atletico Madrid. Aghehowa has 18 goals in 19 matches across the Primeira Liga and Europa League. A proposed transfer to Chelsea collapsed just weeks before his eventual move to Portugal, which now looks like a blessing.

Carlos Baleba 🇨🇲

Club: Brighton & Hove Albion | Age: 21 | Position: Midfielder

Baleba is expected to be the next big-money departure from Brighton. He often drops deep, where he kickstarts attacks with ambitious runs and probing passes forward. Baleba could win more tackles, but his anticipation and strength suggest this area of his game will improve. "There is a big hype about Carlos at the moment that is justified," Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said in December.

Eliesse Ben Seghir 🇲🇦

Club: Monaco | Age: 19 | Position: Winger

The revered Monaco pipeline continues to house some of the game's most exciting prospects. George Ilenikhena and Maghnes Akliouche warrant mention as part of that contingent, but Ben Seghir has the potential to be one of the club's best-ever exports. A playmaking winger who can also thrive in central areas thanks to his magnetic ball control, the teenager is already enjoying the best statistical season of his blossoming career.

Ayyoub Bouaddi 🇫🇷

Club: Lille | Age: 17 | Position: Midfielder

Bouaddi made his Champions League debut earlier this season on his 17th birthday. The opposition? Real Madrid. If he was nervous, it didn't show. The midfield prodigy dominated against Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Eduardo Camavinga, immediately announcing himself as one of French football's next gems. Technically excellent with the ball, Bouaddi exhibits calmness, understanding, and leadership qualities that belie his youth.

Conor Bradley 🇬🇧

Club: Liverpool | Age: 21 | Position: Right-back

Bradley's dedication and leadership qualities in his mid-teens astonished Northern Ireland's youth coaches, but even they must've been surprised when the country's prized asset unnerved Kylian Mbappe in November. The Real Madrid attacker appeared shell-shocked when Bradley hit him with a great challenge as he bore down on Liverpool's goal. The tackle prompted a deafening chant of the right-back's name around Anfield.

Francesco Camarda 🇮🇹

Club: AC Milan | Age: 16 | Position: Striker

Camarda is the next great hope for Italian soccer. After racking up nearly 500 total goals at various youth levels for AC Milan, he became the youngest player in Serie A history when he made his first appearance in the top flight at 15 years and 260 days old. He then led Italy to last year's European Under-17 Championship title, where he was named the tournament's top player. Camarda's next milestone, a first Serie A goal, surely isn't far away.

Tyler Dibling 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Club: Southampton | Age: 18 | Position: Winger

There's been little for Southampton supporters to get excited about this season, but at least Dibling's direct running and willingness to take people on can get them off their seats. He's not just an attacking force, either. He attempts and successfully executes more tackles than Jan Bednarek, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and Kyle Walker-Peters - regulars in the Saints backline - per 90 minutes of Premier League action.

Pau Cubarsi 🇪🇸

Club: Barcelona | Age: 17 | Position: Center-back

Lamine Yamal, highlighted on last year's list, garners most of the attention, but Barcelona's other 17-year-old sensation deserves just as much praise. Cubarsi is a foundational piece who looks capable of anchoring Barca's backline for the next 15 years. He's already played just under 2,000 total minutes this season - only three teammates have been on the pitch more - and provides a calming, reassuring presence.

Ben Doak 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Club: Middlesbrough | Age: 19 | Position: Winger

Ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp described Doak as a "special boy" during the 2022-23 season, highlighting his confidence and dribbling ability as particularly impressive. The Scot is already delivering on his huge potential. Doak tore Josko Gvardiol apart during a Nations League win over Croatia in November, and he's proven he's already far too good for the Championship through his exploits on loan at Middlesbrough.

Patrick Dorgu 🇩🇰

Club: Lecce | Age: 20 | Position: Full-back/winger

Dorgu could make the leap to one of Europe's bigger clubs as early as January. The Dane's versatility is his calling card. He can play on either side of the field and is equally capable of operating as a full-back, wing-back, or attack-minded winger, depending on his team's specific needs in any given match. That kind of adaptability and functionality is becoming increasingly rare as players are pigeonholed into particular roles from a young age.

Desire Doue 🇫🇷

Club: PSG | Age: 19 | Position: Attacking midfielder

Doue has already made his eye-catching big-money transfer, joining Paris Saint-Germain from Rennes for €50 million this past summer. Now he's starting to show why PSG were so intent on making him a key part of their French-focused youth movement. A fleet-footed attacking midfielder who looks just as comfortable sliding out to wider attacking positions, Doue will be a mainstay in the French capital for years to come.

Jhon Duran 🇨🇴

Club: Aston Villa | Age: 21 | Position: Striker

Duran's opening two months of the season were scarcely believable. He recorded six goals in his opening nine appearances, scoring five of those after starting the game on the bench. His late, long-distance lob over Manuel Neuer to beat Bayern Munich in October was the best of the bunch. Duran's next challenge is establishing himself ahead of Ollie Watkins as Aston Villa's first-choice striker.

Estevao 🇧🇷

Club: Palmeiras | Age: 17 | Position: Winger

Estevao and Kendry Paez - who, like Moises Caicedo, hails from the Independiente del Valle talent factory - are joining Chelsea in 2025, but the former is likeliest to make an instant impact after sparkling in Brazil's top flight. Estevao, who turns 18 in April, won the Breakthrough Player and Best Striker awards in Serie A after 13 goals and nine assists for Palmeiras.

Jamie Gittens 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Club: Borussia Dortmund | Age: 20 | Position: Winger

Dortmund tempted Gittens from Manchester City in 2020. After his recent match-winning performances in Germany and Europe, the winger indicated he could outdo Jadon Sancho, who made the same switch three years earlier. Gittens has completed the second-most take-ons in the Bundesliga with 41. That's six less than Florian Wirtz, but Gittens has played the equivalent of over three-and-a-half fewer games than the Bayer Leverkusen standout.

Jorrel Hato 🇳🇱

Club: Ajax | Age: 18 | Position: Defender

As more teams try to implement systems that focus on ball retention and building out from the back, defenders who are comfortable while under pressure in possession are becoming increasingly important. Hato, a natural center-back who has spent much of the current campaign playing left-back for Ajax, certainly fits that bill. The teenager models his game after ex-teammate Jurrien Timber, and it's easy to see the similarities.

Milos Kerkez 🇭🇺

Club: Bournemouth | Age: 21 | Position: Left-back

In a matter of seconds, Kerkez can pinch the ball off an opponent, charge up the pitch, and slap a cross toward one of Bournemouth's attackers. Cherries midfielder Marcus Tavernier described the energetic Kerkez as a "mad man" soon after his arrival in 2023, and the left-back has since worked out how to start and finish games with that same giddy intensity.

Diego Luna 🇺🇸

Club: Real Salt Lake | Age: 21 | Position: Attacking midfielder

Luna is coming off his breakout campaign in Major League Soccer, winning the 2024 Young Player of the Year. His 20 goal contributions - eight goals, 12 assists - helped Real Salt Lake record their best-ever points tally in the regular season and earned him an All-Star nod. The American-born midfielder hasn't yet ruled out pledging his international allegiance to Mexico, adding yet another intriguing storyline to the longstanding CONCACAF rivalry.

Franco Mastantuono 🇦🇷

Club: River Plate | Age: 17 | Position: Attacking midfielder

A left-footed Argentine playmaker turning heads in his homeland and tipped as the country's next footballing jewel? Cue the comparisons. Expectations have been sky-high for Mastantuono since he made his River Plate debut at 16 years old. The attacking midfielder can't officially join a European club until he turns 18 in August, but the battle for his signature is already fierce, with Real Madrid touted as a potential future destination.

Joao Neves 🇵🇹

Club: PSG | Age: 20 | Position: Midfielder

At just 20 years old, the do-everything midfielder is already one of the first names on the team sheet for Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique; he's played more minutes than any midfielder at the club so far this season. Frankly, Neves might already be Portugal's best player in the center of the pitch. Always looking to progress the ball with either quick, incisive passes or dribbles, he's also feisty and combative and never shirks his defensive duties.

Ethan Nwaneri 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Club: Arsenal | Age: 17 | Position: Attacking midfielder

Nwaneri's magnificent strike in October's League Cup clash at Preston North End felt like his breakout moment. However, Mikel Arteta's at-times reluctant rotation policy and perhaps some confusion over the attacking midfielder's exact role - he's been tipped as a potential No. 9 - has restricted Nwaneri to only substitute appearances in the Premier League. Don't be fooled, though. Nwaneri will make a huge impact soon.

Aleksandar Pavlovic 🇩🇪

Club: Bayern Munich | Age: 20 | Position: Defensive midfielder

Thomas Tuchel's frustrations with his lack of options at No. 6 - exacerbated by the boardroom's failure to sign Joao Palhinha during his tenure - worked in Pavlovic's favor, as the midfielder made 22 appearances across Bundesliga and Champions League play in the 2023-24 season. The four-time German international remains an important cog for Bayern Munich under Vincent Kompany despite breaking his collarbone in October.

Nico Paz 🇦🇷

Club: Como | Age: 20 | Position: Attacking midfielder

Paz won't be at Como much longer. An elegant left-footed playmaker who roams across the field seeking the ball and spaces to exploit, the Argentine bet on himself by leaving Real Madrid in search of consistent playing time this past summer. It turned out to be a wise decision. He's since earned rave reviews in Serie A and made his international debut, setting up a Lionel Messi goal in his first senior appearance for the Albiceleste.

Chris Rigg 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Club: Sunderland | Age: 17 | Position: Midfielder

Rigg has pinched some of the limelight from Jobe Bellington - younger brother of Real Madrid's Jude - at Sunderland. His backheeled, tight-angle finish against Middlesbrough in September garnered nationwide attention, but the high intelligence and technical ability that led to that slick improvisation, and his versatility and willingness to improve, explain why Europe's top clubs have been tracking him years before that goal.

Savinho 🇧🇷

Club: Manchester City | Age: 20 | Position: Winger

Manchester City's wretched form has made the transition from La Liga to the Premier League much harder for Savinho. Confidence has ebbed away from Pep Guardiola's side - Savinho himself has suffered - and the verve and creativity with which City usually attack is lacking. Still, Savinho's bewitching play against Arsenal in September and match-winning performance at Leicester City on Sunday hint at his huge potential.

Leny Yoro 🇫🇷

Club: Manchester United | Age: 19 | Position: Center-back

Manchester United have misfired a lot in the transfer market, but it's telling that few have questioned the club potentially paying as much as €70 million for Yoro after add-ons. The Frenchman played as a striker and midfielder before settling in the backline at Lille, where he became one of the world's standout defensive prospects through his ability to read the game and elegantly stride upfield.