Europe is the global hotbed of the brightest and the most talented young players.
Almost every year, you have a new kid announce himself to the world with top drawer performances and then become highly sought-after by the mega-rich clubs.
These players constitute the lifeblood of football; the young guns with immense potential to take everything by storm and write themselves into the history books in the future.
The present crop of youngsters on the continent has many such players, but here's how they'd feature in an all-star combined XI:
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan)
Donnarumma has been around the block for so long that it's easy to forget he’s still only 21. Perhaps, that’s because he had his breakthrough at a tender age of 16.
Even then, the pressure and public scrutiny that came with playing for a club as reputable as AC Milan didn’t deter him from stepping up to the plate, and the youngster hasn’t looked back since.
With 200 appearances under the belt already, Donnarumma has long established himself as the undisputed choice in goal for the Rossoneri, also setting numerous records and milestones along the way.
Widely regarded as the heir to Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon, the Milan shot-stopper has edged himself ahead of Salvatore Sirigu on the international front too, and is likely to be an integral part of the Azzurri set-up for the better part of the next decade.
Right-back: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
With the Premier League and Champions League titles in the bag already, the Liverpool defender has won more at the age of 21 than what most of his peers could only dream of.
An injury to first-choice Nathaniel Clyne in the build-up to 2017/18 season paved the way for him to take up the right-back role which he rotated with Joe Gomez initially, before nailing down the spot himself.
Alexander-Arnold didn’t look back thereafter and instead, fashioned an absolutely meteoric rise to stardom. He’s laid 10+ assists in the Premier League in each of the last two seasons, thereby becoming the first-ever defender in the competition’s history to pull off such a feat.
With intelligence and craft that goes well beyond his age, the right-back is also adept at set-piece deliveries and chance creation, whilst also establishing himself as a preferred starter in Gareth Southgate's England squad too.
Centre-back: Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig)
The competition for places in France's squad is so intense that an up-and-coming star like Upamecano hasn’t even received a call-up. However, his talents cannot be ignored anymore.
In three and a half years with RB Leipzig, the 21-year old has already clocked 83 appearances in the Bundesliga and is widely considered one of the best in the circuit.
At 6ft 1 in, he has an imposing presence at the back whilst also being strong in the air, averaging 2.8 aerial duels this season. He’s completed 89% of his passes and remains crucial to forging attacks from the back, as evidenced from his average of five long-balls per game.
Upamecano’s performances have attracted interest from Arsenal, who’re reportedly eyeing to bring the star to North London this summer. Negotiations about his price are still on, but he’d be an invaluable addition to the side which has been blighted by shambolic defending this season.
Centre-back: Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus)
One of the most expensive signings of the season at €75 million, De Ligt didn’t really hit the ground running with Juventus. He struggled to settle in at first and appeared out of depth, but as the season progressed, his performances gradually improved.
Now, the ex-Ajax star is almost indispensable. The Old Lady’s monumental collapse against AC Milan in his absence in a recent tie is a testament.
Winner of 2018’s Golden Boy award, he is technically gifted, times his tackles to perfection, and also possesses great vision and a sense of positional awareness which helps him deny pacey forwards.
As his commendable 89% pass success would suggest, De Ligt has been crucial to building from the back but has also demonstrated his offensive side too from time to time, netting thrice in Serie A this season.
Left-back: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)
The Bavarians witnessed an array of young guns come to the fore this season, but Alphonso Davies was the cream of the crop. After starting the first few games from the bench, he soon forced his way into the side and managed a whirlwind breakthrough.
He was a key figure in Bayern’s domestic double success, making a huge impact at both ends of the pitch. An excellent passer of the ball, Davies was involved in 10 goals in all competitions whilst also winning the Bundesliga rookie of the year award.
His electrifying speed, however, is the Canadian’s biggest quality. With the ability to run at a pace that would even put The Road Runner to shame, he clocked the fastest speed recorded in the German top-flight at 36.51 kms last month.
The enduring image of his stellar campaign however, would be the lung-bursting sprint at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea which culminated with an assist for Lewandowski, and which also left the world in complete awe of him.
Right-midfielder: Achraf Hakimi (Inter Milan)
The Nerazzurri have acquired a real gem with the signing of Achraf Hakimi. He was on loan at Borussia Dortmund from Real Madrid for the last two years, during which he earned a reputation of one of the best full-backs in the Bundesliga and beyond.
After getting involved in six goals during the first season which was also curtailed by injuries towards the end, the Moroccan elevated his game further during the 2019/20 season. With five goals and 10 assists from 33 games, he was the most prolific defender in the top-tier.
Quick, dynamic, and versatile, Hakimi possesses an excellent dribbling quality and can also play long, accurate passes from the back. His big-game pedigree is evidenced from the braces he scored against Slavia Prague and Inter Milan in the Champions League to secure vital wins.
The 21-year old has all the makings of a modern-day footballing great, and under the tutelage of Antonio Conte at Inter, he could well establish himself as one.
Central midfielder: Martin Odegaard (Real Sociedad)
The Royals were one of the best surprises of the season, with the likes of Alexander Isak, Mikel Oyarzabal, Willian Jose, and Mikel Merino providing an attacking flair that made the Basque outfit so exciting to watch.
The biggest story of Sociedad's success though was Martin Odegaard, who truly came of age to keep the side within Champions League contention for most of the period before the shutdown.
Adept at taking set-pieces and offering an extensive passing range, the Norwegian wonderkid was directly involved in 10 goals (scored four and assisted six) from 29 games whilst also maintaining an admirable 89% pass success.
Odegaard's importance to La Real was clear when the team's slump in form coincided with his injury problems after the restart, which eventually culminated with them dropping out of the top-four. Now, he's set to extend his loan spell from Real Madrid by another year.
Left midfielder: Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Germany has a wealth of young attacking talents in their ranks, but none more talented than Kai Havertz. At only 17, he made his senior debut for Leverkusen in 2016, but truly broke out as one of the most exciting prospects in the 2018/19 season.
He struck 17 times in the Bundesliga, a tally that was bettered only by Robert Lewandowski and Paco Alcacer, to drag Die Werkself back into the Champions League and continued in the same vein this term too.
In 43 appearances, Havertz has 17 goals and nine assists. Touted to be an ‘Alleskonner’, a player who can do everything, by the German media, his performances have drawn him parallels to club greats like Michael Ballack and Arturo Vidal.
Technically gifted and comfortable with the ball on either foot, he became the youngest player to reach 100 Bundesliga appearances in December and is now on the verge of making a big-money move to Chelsea.
Left winger: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Not many can brag about winning the World Cup along with seven club titles and 117 goals under the belt by the age of 21, but Kylian Mbappe isn’t your typical footballer. He’s a prodigy. A precociously talented player who’s already on his way towards legendary status.
After breaking out with AS Monaco a couple of years ago, he made the mega-money switch to PSG in 2017 where Mbappe’s stock has gone through the roof.
And before the league was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic this year, he was having another fine campaign, netting 30 times in all competitions, 18 of which came in Ligue 1.
Considered to be France’s very own ‘golden boy’, Mbappe is a generational talent. His speed, versatility, finishing, and the ability to turn up in big games totally belie his age as the PSG superstar is heavily touted to lift the Ballon d’Or in the future.
Right winger: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
Die Borussen are always blessed with some of the brightest up-and-coming talents in their ranks, such as Jadon Sancho. Ever since he burst onto the scene in 2018, the young gun has been all the rage and is arguably the most sought-after player right now.
With 17 goals and 16 assists to his name this season, he was the driving force behind Dortmund’s title charge and only seems to improve each year. Now it's easy to understand why Manchester United are so keen on him.
Dortmund values him at no less than €120 million, which is the asking price they’ve set if the Red Devils were to pillage him away to Old Trafford this summer. As expensive it may seem, it's totally worth it for someone of Sancho’s ilk.
His qualities know no bounds, and having already forced his way into Gareth Southgate’s machinations, the 20-year old is also dubbed as England’s next big thing.
Striker: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
Borussia Dortmund ended the 2019/20 season on a whimper rather than a whoop as Haaland and co. took an absolute paddling to the tune of a 4-0 shellacking at the hands of Hoffenheim on the final day of the Bundesliga.
However, don’t let that one match deflect your attention from the absolutely ridiculous numbers which the Norwegian put up throughout the campaign otherwise.
After starring for RB Salzburg in the first half of the season, netting 28 times from 22 games, he continued his breakthrough with Der BVB after the January transfer and fired 16 more goals, 13 of which came in the league from just 15 appearances!
Haaland’s partnership with Sancho is widely considered as one of the most exciting right now, as the dynamic duo - if the latter stays put - can guide Dortmund to new heights in the next season.
