Ahead of the Game: Identify Child Football Prodigies here

P sure Eden Hazard was on their list last year so dunno why he's there again. Actually quite a few repeat players. Oops, and Joel Matip had a shocker at the weekend.

Also love that there is a club side in Bolivia called 'The Strongest' too.

Ailsa will be pleased to see that they've woken up and smelt the Wanyama at last.

And Tello makes the list. €10m buy-out clause for those interested in a Xmas bargain.

no Tony Watt no credibility

They mentioned him when talking about how they came to compile the list, he was thisss close to making it apparently, there's another Celtic kid on there tho I think.

Adam Matthews is a surprise inclusion. Unsung full back currently finding his opportunities limited with Lustig ahead of him in a 4-4-2 but seems to get the nod if we play 3-5-2 against deep-sitting domestic opposition. He has been preferred at left-back to actual left-footed left-backs at times this season so the manager clearly rates him - he did well there against Barca in the thankless task of continually chasing out to close down a wide player who has no intention of crossing the ball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9S_E2NgSM8

not a child per se but i have been reading about a young chap by the name of ~ paul digby ~ whom i would like to hereby nominate for ilf adoption. 18 years of age, born in sheffield, bred in barnsley, and by god surely the future of modern english central midfield

http://www.barnsley-chronicle.co.uk/user_home/24/image/1845.jpg

oh yeah and he's 6ft 5 btw

you'd have to say the rugby union experience will stand to him.

Hell yeah, Diggers. What do we do with him? Is he ready for the full Jenk?

He came on for the injured David Perkins in the 33rd minute - 33, ironically, being his squad number also.[5]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/09/09/romeo-beckham-arsenal-football_n_3893024.html

idk if romeo beckham has actually signed on at arsenal youths or just said the same thing as every ten year old arsenal fan, that he wants to play for them one day. either way, heres yr next jordi cryuff.

man, David Beckham really has life sorted out

this chelsea kid on loan at mk dons patrick bamford looks an interesting prospect, tall but doesnt really play like it, mobile enough with fairly subtle technique... cross between flo and gudjohnsen sorta

is that one for the jabulani thread idk

McEachran was a pioneer there, what became of him?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BWd1vmJIAAESZmK.jpg

that every single one of them is a full international and most of them are worth > £10m is an extremely rare occurence

i remember talking to someone who played in the 1997 under 17 world cup and they were reminiscing about playing vs xavi and casillas etc, but if you look at the spain squad there are a lot of people who ended up playing for cadiz or albacete or whatever

was it ronaldinho

English side Chelsea and Spanish giants Real Madrid are among those battling it out for the signature of Nigeria youth international striker Macauley Chrisantus.

The 17-year-old finished as top-scorer at the Under-17 World Cup which ended in South Korea last week.

But the two clubs face stiff competition from a number of other top European sides who are also interested in the lanky striker.

His agent Adam Muhammad confirmed that Liverpool, Ajax, Arsenal and Marseille are among the many clubs interested in Chrisantus.

Muhammad told BBC Sport: "We have received at least 12 very serious offers from some of the top clubs in Europe like Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool for Chrisantus."

2012– Las Palmas 35 (10)

I thought dos Santos was going to be the best player in the world after watching him and Vela take apart Brazil in the 2005 under 17s

Anderson actually won player of the tournament though

lol

the dude i was talking to played for new zealand who ended up with a creditable -22 goal difference

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/11/08/sports/BARCELONAsilo/BARCELONAsilo-articleLarge.jpg

Ben Lederman, 13, is the first United States-born player invited to train at La Masia

Anderson actually won player of the tournament though

lol

― Number None, Tuesday, 15 October 2013 17:12 (3 weeks ago) Bookmark

i wonder what kind of defensive midfielder ronaldinho would be now if fergie had signed him

wasn't Fergie's fault he broke his leg tbf

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/claudio-nancufil-the-new-lionel-messi-attracting-interest-from-barcelona-and-the-premier-league-at-the-age-of-eight-8967619.html

Manchester City have won the battle for Brahim Abdelkader Diaz.

The 14-year-old from Malaga has been dubbed ‘the new Messi’ and Sportsmail revealed in October that City were fighting Barcelona for his signature.

City have paid £300,000 up front for Diaz, with the final deal worth £2.4million depending on what he achieves at the club.

Luis Suarez’s agent Pere Guardiola, brother of Pep, has been involved in negotiations about a player who is touted to be worth between £30m-£40m once he develops.

http://imageshack.com/a/img7/8435/fjmz.jpg

Madchester revival combo The Flare Mules

Martin Ødegaard

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_%C3%98degaard

Apparently Celtic are chasing this lad. Already playing and scoring for his club at 15.

Barnsley midfielder and England Under 20 star Paul Digby was one of three players drafted in by England head coach Roy Hodgson today, to train with the senior national squad.

England captain Wayne Rooney was one of the first players to welcome the young trio to the training session.

joe gomez btw

Meanwhile, here's 11-year-old Michael Gyasi, snapped up by Chelsea this week.

― Ismael Klata, Saturday, 16 October 2010 10:45 (3 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Now at Leicester U15s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y5UrULk29U

His twitter account is fascinating both in its view into a future galacticos head and how junior awesomefest it is.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/ng-interactive/2014/oct/13/next-generation-2014-20-of-the-best-talents-at-premier-league-clubs

graun doing a 7-up type thing

lol at newcastle's peterborough-born pirlo wannabe "stefan broccoli"

ha im glad someone linked to that

seen a bit of dominic solanke and he does look the real deal imo

other than willock vaguely i havent heard of any of the rest

the only one i was aware of previously is the chelsea one solanke
its notable how among the cast of gawky adolescents, he already looks like an elite football player
no idea whether he is or not just his photo has that air of mesomorphic composure that makes you want to pay him 18k a week even before he has learnt to drive

matty hinchlcliffe the 17 yr old 'commanding centre half' (a type more specific than mere 'central defenders') with the receding hairline is some sort of realness infanta going on the full queen

yes i enjoyed him and his tiny round head on massive collar

solanke is as you describe, allstar all american prepack perfect jock kinda vibe (lol only a month older than utd's 9-yo rashford) but where usually the brit version will eventually translate that into physical simpleton (spurs' caulkeresque carter-vickers probably awaits this fate) he seemed uncallow and professionally adroit, unblinkingly first team ready

just geography i suppose but still so many of these kids are appealingly cliche wrt their parent clubs. "may initially be back on the flank a la wilfiried zaha and sean scannell" was probably a bit too cruel on the palace lad. dunno where we found our big phil jonesy side of ham mind

"is growing in stature under the tutelage of (...) Paul Furlong"

royston drenthe was always a bit kicknrush even when he won the best player award at the 2007 european championships but there is no way he should be playing for sheffield wednesday at 27, he was already a solid la liga player as a kid

was this prompted by his 101 sunday league skillz video yday

there is no way he should be playing for sheffield wednesday at 27

when he ran past our whole team to score at the valley a few months back it was slightly irritating for exactly this reason

Drenthe is the archetypal Dutch young gun that went abroad too soon imho. Went to Madrid, couldnae hack it, then played everywhere and nowhere (including Alania Vladikavkaz, and saying that with no disrespect). Embarrassing pleas wanting to join Feyenoord again every other year. I'm feeling for the guy.

His trick yday was nice though.

Indy Boonen

hey Coulibaly plays in Scotland now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFvN5IFBFLk

you know who else plays for Kilmarnock? George "another Wayne Rooney or Paul Gascoigne" Green.

Yeah, that was amazing.

Unrelated but nice to see that delightful Georgian pixie child Jano Ananidze seems to have come good this season too.

Doubly great as it spurred Celtic on to score six goals in reply.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/oct/24/alessando-cupini-roma-us-soccer-sensation-social-media