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Mon 01 November 2021 | 11:30

Top 10 Teenagers in Champions League 2021-22

From Michael Owen to Erling Haaland, the Champions League always was the best scene for young talents to show off their promises and be established as world-class players in the football world.

Starting them young has long been part of football and some clubs do it better than others. Down the years, we’ve seen wonder kids come and go, like Barcelona’s Bojan Krkić, some leaving a great impression, and some even growing that impression to become a football icon, like Clarence Seedorf.

There’s no bigger stage in club football than the Uefa Champions League many of the game’s elite goalscorers have graced it during history. From

Patrick Kluivert

with Ajax to Kylian Mbappe, the competition always embraced young talents and keeps on the habit.

We list the ones who have impressed so far this season in our list of

top 10 teenagers in Champions League 2021-22

.

All You Need to Know About Top 10 Teenagers in Champions League 2021-22

Listing the

best under-20 players in the world 2021

and its most important club scene, here, in top 10 teenagers in Champions League 2021-22, we meet many talents to keep our eyes on during this season of the Champions League. Some faces like Rodrygo and Vinicius are familiar, while others become more visual as we step forward through the season.

10- Nicolas Seiwald

  • Age: 20

  • Position: Centre-Midfielder

  • Club: Red Bull Salzburg

  • Nationality: Austrian

First on our list of top 10 teenagers in Champions League 2021-22 is the Austrian midfielder,

Nicolas Seiwald

.

Making his professional debut playing for Red Bull Salzburg's feeder team, Liefering in 2019, the 20-year-old midfielder has established himself as a regular for the Austrian giants in both Champions League and Austrian Bundesliga.

In this season of Champions League, the youngster has started all of his club’s Group G fixtures and averaged a 7.09 rating, contributing an assist in his side’s 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg.

The teenager also made 12 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga and contributed three assists. He wears number 13 at his club and is heightened at 1.79 meters. Nicolas Seiwald has also amassed 18 ball recoveries so far, also producing his first attacking return of the competition on Matchday 3 with the assist for his side's first goal.

9- Rodrygo

  • Age: 20

  • Position: Winger

  • Club: Real Madrid

  • Nationality: Brazil

Being long-established among the

best soccer players under 25 2021

, the Brazilian continues to perform as he featured in all three of Real Madrid’s Group D fixtures. Even though 2 of those three appearances come from the bench, Rodrygo has scored two Champions League goals for his side and averaged a 7.41 rating.

Rodrygo

has both very good speed and good dribbling, and he plays football very simply and fluently, and unlike his Brazilian counterpart Vinicius Jr., He does not do extra work with the ball. In 2020, he was nominated for the Golden Boy but failed to win the title.

The 20-year-old joined Real Madrid in 2019 from Santos, Brazil, with a contract worth 45 million euros. He has scored important goals for Real Madrid and most of his goals have been from close to the opponent's penalty area. However, he is more involved in positioning and assisting, and is more interested in teamwork and passing than dribbling and losing the ball.

"I have a certain affection for this competition,"

Rodrygo said about the Champions League.

"I always provide goals and assists, so I hope I can continue like this."

8- Jurriën Timber

  • Age: 20

  • Position: Defender

  • Club: Ajax

  • Nationality: Netherland

The Ajax defensive phenomena has filled Matthijs de Ligt’s boot perfectly since he joined the Ajax seniors from their U21 team last season.

The 20-year-old defender has featured in starting squad of all of Ajax’s Champions League fixtures this season and has helped his side to keep two clean sheets, scoring a 7.51 average rating in the Champions League this season.

Timber

was selected to the Netherlands squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He made his debut for the team on 2 June 2021 in a friendly against Scotland and made three appearances for the Dutchmen.

The 1.79 meters defender is very strong at dribbling and strong at passing, tackling, and concentration. These qualities made him a regular at Ajax wearing the number 2 shirt.

7- Alphonso Davies

Age: 20

Position: Full-back

Club: Bayern Munich

Nationality: Canada

Long being recognized as one of the best soccer players under 25 2021, Davies is the seventh player in the ranking of

top 10 teenagers in Champions League 2021-22

.

Even though his childhood started in a refugee camp,

Alphonso Davies

became a well-known star in the football world. Playing as a left-back or winger on the pitch, Davies is famous for his dribbling, flair, excellent speed, acceleration, feints, passing, and creativity. Davies holds the title of the first player of the 2000s, which is a player in a Major League Soccer match.

Davies' unique style of play has made him a young player with highly promising in the media. Being at the zenith of his career, as a player for Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Davies got the name of the "club's Player of the Year 2018" and won the "Whitecap's Goal of the year" trophy.

A searinlgy quick full-back, the Canadan's ability on the ball should not be forgotten. Tearing Barcelona apart with absolute ease in the 2020 Champions League quarter-final, Davies proved he can move inside to wreak havoc too.

Making two Group E appearances for Bayern Munich this season, Davies helped the Bavarians to keep clean sheets in both of the games against Barcelona and Dynamo Kyiv and has averaged a 7.46 rating.

6- Jude Bellingham

  • Age: 18

  • Position: Midfielder

  • Club: Borrusia Dortmund

  • Nationality: England

Next in our list of top 10 teenagers in Champions League 2021-22 is Dortmund’s English wonderboy,

Jude Bellingham

.

Starting an EFL Cup match against Portsmouth on August 6, 2019, made him the Birmingham City's youngest ever first-team player at the age of 16 years, 38 days, breaking Trevor Francis' record of 16 years 139 days set in 1970. The teenager continued to develop after he earned a €23m transfer to Dortmund in 2020.

The midfielder, who heights 1.86 meters, has started all three of Dortmund’s Group C fixtures and has contributed 1 goal and two assists. Averaging a 7.48 rating in those matches, the 18-year-old midfielder has been a cornerstone for the German giants and is continuing to become even better.

A box-to-box midfielder, the English teenager is strong at dribbling and passing and has an amazing concentration. Dortmund boss, Marco Rose, said on the English midfielder’s talent:

"He's the most mature, most serious 18-year-old I've ever seen.

"Jude is already one of the leaders. He's already one of the loudest on the team. I've already told him 25 times this year that I just love him.”

5- Curtis Jones

  • Age: 20

  • Position: Midfielder

  • Club: Liverpool

  • Nationality: England

Liverpool’s #17 is the next entry in our list of top 10 teenagers in Champions League 2021-22 as well as the best under-20 players in the world 2021.

As a box-to-box midfielder, Jones was a standout in football due to his attacking prowess. Scoring four goals and providing five assists in 34 appearances last season, Jones is above the average in both Expected Assists and Expected Non-Penalty goals, a fact that helps Jones outperform most of his peers in this sense.

The youngster has made two Champions League appearances for the Reds this season. Providing two assists, the midfielder has averaged a 7.55 rating and still growing as a talented player through Jurgen Klopp’s favor. The 20-year-old was selected as the man of the match in Liverpool’s 5-1 victory over Porto.

Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on

Curtis Jones

, saying:

“Curtis is 19 until he enters the pitch. And that’s how they all have to be. Most of the time when a player is 19 you say he’s allowed to make this mistake or that mistake. Every player is allowed to make mistakes, that’s no problem. But when we speak about the kids we forget Curtis, constantly. Because we don’t see him as a kid anymore.

“But he is. He just has to work hard. Working hard will keep him grounded. It’s all great, and if he does that then the future could be pretty bright.”

4- Ryan Gravenberch

  • Age: 19

  • Position: Defensive Midfielder

  • Club: Ajax

  • Nationality: Netherlands

Among the best under-20 players in the world in 2021 is Ajax’s defensive midfield star,

Ryan Gravenberch

.

Rising through the ranks of Ajax academy, Gravenberch wears the number 8 jersey for the Eredivisie giants and has established himself as a regular for Erik ten Hag’s side.

Gravenberch became the youngest ever Ajax player to play in the Eredivisie at 16 years and 130 days, surpassing the record of 16 years and 242 days set by Clarence Seedorf. In addition, He was called up to Netherlands senior squad in November 2020, making his debut on 24 March 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Turkey, and was included in two of their Euro 2020 fixtures last summer.

Starting all three of Ajax’s Group C fixtures, the 19-year-old midfielder has averaged a rating of 7.6, providing an assist.

An incredible passer, the 1.9-meters midfielder is incredibly strong at aerial duels as well as taking long shots from outside the box.

3- Karim Adeyemi

  • Age: 19

  • Position: Forward

  • Club: Red Bull Salzburg

  • Nationality: Germany

The Champions League prodigy so far this season is undoubtedly Salzburg’s

Karim Adeyemi

, who has scored three goals to help his side top the Group G of the competition and has already caught the eyes of Liverpool, Dortmund, and Bayern Munich as their transfer target.

Joining the Austrian giants from U'haching for a €3.35m fee in 2018, Adeyemi looks like the most recent success Salzburg, a club known for providing a springboard for young attacking talents. The Munich-born winger is now tipped to be the next to be mentioned on a list that includes Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland and Liverpool's Sadio Mane.

The teenager has already earned three Germany appearances and been a regular for Red Bull this season. In 11 Austrian Bundesliga appearances, Adeyemi has incredibly scored 10 goals and has averaged a 7.58 rating in the Champions League.

After winning the U21 Euros with Germany and winning the Golden Fritz Walter Medal for young talents in Germany, Adeyemi also made his debut for Germany's first team, scoring on his debut against Armenia, and his performances suggest that he's on his way to secure a move elsewhere.

2- Antony

  • Age: 21

  • Position: Winger

  • Club: Ajax

  • Nationality: Brazil

Since joining the Eredivisie giants from São Paulo for a €15.75m fee in 2020, Antony is perhaps one of the most surprisingly mature players coming through in Europe. He has written a book, “From Overcoming a Real Dream”, and he is the father of a young boy and became Ajax’s best performer in our list of

top 10 teenagers in Champions League 2021-22

.

Undoubtedly among the best soccer players under 25 2021, Antony was situated on the right wing and showed an exceptional level of close control. In a similar vein to Eden Hazard, Antony can change direction very quickly, which makes defending against him difficult.

Rather than hugging the touchline, he is beginning to drift all over the pitch in Erik Ten Hag’s system and has established himself as a key player for Ajax.

Starting all three of Ajax’s Champions League fixtures this season, the Brazilian was key to the Dutch giants' incredible form providing two assists and a goal, netting a 7.86 average rating.

If Antony continues his impressive talent in the Champions League, then he could easily be on the move again within two years. The 21-year-old Brazilian represents one of the best jewels in the crown of Dutch football.

1- Vinícius Júnior

  • Age: 21

  • Position: Winger

  • Club: Real Madrid

  • Nationality: Brazil

Finally, on top of our list of top 10 teenagers in Champions League 2021-22 is the familiar face of Vinicius Junior. The 177-centimeter player plays as a striker who, despite his young age, has managed to become one of the most successful players in Brazil as many of the critics are already comparing him with Neymar.

Before joining the Los Blancos for a €45m fee, Vinicius played in 69 games for his former team Flamingo.

Vinicius

' style of play is such that he tends to move forward and generally passes less. He is more inclined to dribble and dribble and passes less. Of course, this does not mean that he does not pass.

This feature of speed and dribble is mostly used by Brazilian players such as Robinho, Ronaldinho, Neymar, Douglas Costa, and other Brazilian players, but Vinni's different from them in that he has weak finishing power and is strongly criticized by the fans. He has a low age and he can fix this, but he has not changed during his time at Real Madrid.

Starting all three of Real Madrid’s group fixtures so far this season, the 21-year-old is fast-forwarding to stardom as he was the Spanish giants' best player in the competition scoring two goals and providing an assist. In addition, in 10 La Liga appearances, he made this season the Brazilian has scored five times and provided two assists.

Vinicius Junior got plenty of headlines after the Clasico win over Barcelona last week as he continued his marvelous form. He never stopped asking for the ball, he's more consistently involved in games than he used to be, and coach Carlo Ancelotti has cited his best quality as being his willingness to keep trying, even when things don't come off. It wasn't his most effective night, but his efforts still deserve recognition.

Now that you read our list of Top 10 Teenagers in Champions League 2021-22, you might as well like to read these articles by Sportmob.

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