The 50 best young players in world football, according to the Telegraph

With the Under-20 World Cup and the Under-21 European Championships taking place this summer, football fans have had the opportunity to keep a close eye on future stars. 

With no senior World Cup or European Championships taking place - and the Confederations Cup not being taken too seriously - there has been an increased interest in the youth tournaments. 

But we haven’t had to wait until this summer to see some the football's hottest prospects in action.  We’ve saw the emergence of some incredible young players last season as they made a name of themselves on the European - and world - stage. 

Some of those players could be making big-money moves this summer having been identified as the next big thing.  However, some are already at top clubs and will continue their progress as they attempt to reach the very top. 

But who are the best young players in football right now? 

Well, the Telegraph have compiled a list naming 'The 50 best young players in world football.’ 

To qualify, all players have to be aged 21 or under at the end of the 2016/17 season. 

The 50 best young players

Check it out:

50 | Predrag Rajkovic | GK | 21 | Maccabi Tel Aviv

49 | Kuki | AMC | 19 | Malaga

48 | Andrija Zivkovic | AMC | 20 | Benfica

47 | Dominic Solanke | ST | 19 | Liverpool

46 | Marlos Moreno | FW | 20 | Manchester City

45 | Carlos Soler | CM | 20 | Valencia

44 | Benjamin Henrichs | CB | 20 | Bayer Leverkusen

43 | Ante Coric | AMC | 20 | Dinamo Zagreb

42 | Niklas Sule | CB | 21 | Bayern Munich

41 | Patrik Schick | FW | 21 | Sampdoria

40 | Maximillian Meyer | AMC | 21 | Schalke

39 | Vinicius Junior | FW | 16 | Real Madrid

38 | Presnel Kimpembe | CB | 21 | PSG

37 | Matthijs de Ligt | CB | 17 | Ajax

36 | Kelechi Iheanacho | ST | 20 | Manchester City

35 | Renato Sanches | CM | 19 | Bayern Munich

34 | Dani Ceballos | CM | 20 | Real Betis

33 | Wilfried Ndidi | CM | 20 | Leicester

32 | Mahmoud Dahoud | CM | 21 | Borussia Dortmund

31 | Malang Sarr | CB | 18 | Nice

30 | Mauricio Lemos | CB | 21 | Las Palmas

29 | Giovani Lo Celso | AMC | 20 | PSG

28 | Riechedly Bazoer | DM | 20 | Wolfsburg

27 | Moise Kean | ST | 17 | Juventus

26 | Ruben Neves | DM | 20 | Porto

25 | Jonathan Tah | CB | 21 | Bayer Leverkusen

24 | Davinson Sanchez | CB | 21 | Ajax

23 | Alejandro Grimaldo | LB | 21 | Benfina

22 | Kasper Dolberg | AMC | 19 | Everton

21 | Timo Werner | FW | 21 | RB Leipzig

20 | Theo Hernandez | LB | 19 | Atletico Madrid

19 | Youri Tielemans | CM | 19 | Monaco

18 | Christian Pulisic | RW | 18 | Borussia Dortmund

17 | Julian Brandt | Winger | 21 | Bayer Leverkusen

16 | Andreas Christensen | CB | 21 | Chelsea

15 | Julian Weigl | CM | 21 | Borussia Dortmund

14 | Alex Iwobi | Winger | 21 | Arsenal

13 | Thomas Lemar | AMC | 21 | Monaco

12 | Anthony Martial | FW | 21 | Manchester United

11 | Gabriel Barbosa | FW | 20 | Inter Milan

10 | Marcus Rashford | FW | 19 | Manchester United

9 | Andre Silva | ST | 19 | AC Milan

8 | Gianluigi Donnarumma | GK | 18 | AC Milan

7 | Marco Asensio | AMC | 21 | Real Madrid

6 | Kingsley Coman | Winger | 21 | Bayern Munich

5 | Leroy Sane | FW | 21 | Manchester City

4 | Dele Alli | AMC | 21 | Tottenham

3 | Ousmane Dembele | FW | 20 | Borussia Dortmund

2 | Gabriel Jesus | FW | 20 | Manchester City

1 | Kylian Mbappe | FW | 18 | Monaco

So there we have it.  The Telegraph believe Mbappe is the best young player in world football right now. 

And it seems Real Madrid agree.  They are reportedly keen to smash the world transfer record for the striker that helped Monaco win Ligue 1 and reach the Champions League semi-finals. 

He may have only had one full season at the very top but 26 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions - including six goals in nine matches in the Champions League - suggests he has the potential to be a world beater. 

Keep an eye on each of these 50 players, though, because they all have the potential to make it very far in football. 

Report author of article

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