Top 10 in-form young footballers in 2019
190119 Fotboll, Bundesliga Soccer Football - Bundesliga - RB Leipzig v Borussia Dortmund - Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany - January 19, 2019 Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho in action with RB Leipzig's Ibrahima Konate REUTERS/Matthias Rietschel DFL regulations prohibit any use of photographs as image sequences and/or quasi-video © Bildbyrån - COP 7 - SWEDEN ONLY
Who are the best in-form young players in the world right now?
We are here to help you with the question.
All the best players start somewhere, but some seem to begin earlier than others. Some clubs have a thriving youth setup that’s constantly churning out a new generation of would-be world-beaters, if not always providing them with the platform to show what they can do.
Even teams that struggle to invest in their youth systems still manage to unearth the occasional superstar-in-the-making, however, and our list combines students from some of the world’s best academies with the standout performers elsewhere.
Here are the Top 10 in-form young footballers in 2019.
10. Kai Havertz
Peter Bosz’s arrival as Bayer Leverkusen head coach just before Christmas has had a galvanising effect on a number of his players.
Kai Havertz has certainly profited from the Dutchman’s possession-based approach. The teenager, operating in a midfield three, had scored in three of four leagues games last season.
9. Sofiane Alakouch
Nîmes began this season with a 3-0 defeat to French champions Paris Saint-Germain. Sofiane Alakouch has played in all three of the Ligue 1 games this season. The defender has scored only one goal in 2019, in a 1-0 win over Nantes.
The 20-year-old right-back has also been in great form defensively, with a whopping 41 tackles and interceptions combined in a record of five consecutive league appearances last season.
8. Tyler Adams
When RB Leipzig secured the signature of Tyler Adams from New York Red Bulls, few expected the 20-year-old to break into the starting line-up so soon. However, the USA international started in eight appearances in the Bundesliga least season, proves his ability in and out of possession in the middle of the park. He has been injured since March, though.
7. Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford has been in scintillating form since Ole Gunnar Solskjær took over at Manchester United in December. The England striker had scored 6 times in 2019 last season, with no player taking more shots since the turn of the year. The two goals against Chelsea have been the only ones during the new Premier League season.
6. Nicolo Zaniolo
Nicolo Zaniolo ended 2018 strongly, scoring his first senior goal in Serie A on Boxing Day, and he has stepped it up again in 2019. The 19-year-old has scored two more league goals for Roma and he also hit a match-winning brace in the Champions League against Porto. He has also set up two further goals in his five league starts in 2019.
5. Gianluigi Donnarumma
After an outstanding campaign in 2016-17, Gianluigi Donnarumma regressed last season and many began wondering if the young keeper had been overhyped. He started this season well and his form in recent months has been excellent. Remarkably still just 19 years of age, the Italy international has been key to Milan’s assault on the top four in Serie A, conceding just twice in five league appearances since the turn of the year.
4. Achraf Hakimi
When Real Madrid allowed defender Achraf Hakimi to leave the club on loan in the summer, Borussia Dortmund showed no hesitation in snapping up the Moroccan international. Real Madrid spent €35 million on Alvaro Odriozola, paving the way for Hakimi to leave, but while Odriozola has struggled at the Bernabeu, Hakimi has been a revelation in the Bundesliga.
Despite filling in on the left side for the majority of the season, the 20-year-old has attacked with great purpose, having a direct hand in six league goals. In 2019 alone he has made 10 tackles, 12 interceptions and completed 13 dribbles in four league appearances.
3. Ibrahima Konate
Having arrived at Leipzig on a free transfer in 2017, Ibrahima Konate did not take long to force his way into the first team. The centre-back has become an important part of a very strong defensive unit this season. T
he 19-year-old has started four of his side’s league matches since the turn of the year, scoring in the convincing win at Dusseldorf and weighing in with 10 tackles and 13 interceptions. His ability to bring the ball out from the back has also been increasingly evident, completing eight dribbles from the heart of the defence so far this year.
2. Jadon Sancho
If there were any doubts as to whether Jadon Sancho would be able to maintain his sparkling early-season form after the winter break in Germany, the English teenager has quashed them quite emphatically.
He has added another goal and two assists to his league tally in 2019 and become one of the first names on the teamsheet, creating 12 chances and completing a remarkable 29 dribbles in five appearances – six more than any other player in the Bundesliga.
1. Kylian Mbappe
To include Kylian Mbappe in a list of top youngsters almost seems unfair to the competition nowadays. He has only just turned 20, but the Paris Saint-Germain forward has been one of the very best players in the world for some time.
He proved as much on the grandest stage in Russia last summer and has continued to do so all season in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League. He has scored in each of his last three games for PSG, taking his tally to eight for 2019. He suffered an injury in late-August.