10 of the Biggest Teenage Sensations in European Football Right Now

Remember the names Breel Embolo, Victor Osimhen and Kingsley Coman.

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the global football agenda for the past decade and while the world will mourn their sooner-than-you-think career end (Ronaldo just turned 31, ladies and gentlemen), that sadness won't last forever and there's already a league of talent tipped to stake their claim as future Ballon d'Or contenders.

In age of Vine highlight reels and Twitter hype, football wonderkids are always on the radar – and we promise that not all of them will fail to reach their potential and become an apprentice of Freddy Adu.

Who's up next? We've looked way beyond Football Manager stats to bring you the 10 teenagers who will dominate European football's next generation.

1. Kingsley Coman

Club: Bayern Munich

Position: Winger

FIFA 16 rating: 69

At the age of 19, Kinglsey Coman has already played for three of the biggest clubs in the world: PSG, Juventus and Bayern Munich. On face value, any player bounced around so frequently at a young age would scream 'attitude issues' but Coman's growing involvement in first team affairs each and every year would indicate otherwise.

After a breakthrough season at Juve, Coman moved to Bayern on a two-year deal last summer and in a team that boasts attacking talent like Lewandowski, Ribery, Robben and Muller, he's still managed to make 20 appearances, scoring four goals. He was runner-up to Anthony Martial for the 2015 'Golden Boy' award and made his international debut last November on the night of the Paris terror attacks and he's a sure bet to make the EURO 2016 squad, where he could have a breakthrough tournament.

2. Alen Halilović

Club: Barcelona

Position: Midfielder

FIFA 16 rating: 73

Before Martin Odegaard, Alen Halilović was the most pulsating teenager in world football and after tabloid speculation linked him to the biggest clubs in football he inked a five-year deal with Barcelona in May 2014 in a deal worth €2 million. Before his move to Calalonia, the diminuitive dribbler broke records as the youngest player for Croatia and Dinamo Zagreb, where he also broke the record as the youngest goalscorer in the history of Croatia's top tier.

Halilović moved to Sporting Gijon on a season-long loan last summer, where he's made a big impression after scoring four goals from midfield in 20 games. The young star may not be the Lionel Messi – no one needs that pressure – but it wouldn't be the strangest thing in the world to see him outlast his international team mate, Ivan Rakitic, in Barcelona's midfield.

3. Breel Embolo

Club: FC Basel

Position: Striker

FIFA 16 rating: 76

Admittedly, Switzerland doesn't have the best tradition of breeding football superstars, but Breel Embolo might just be the first of them. He made his debut for Basel just after he'd turned 17, and by the end of that season he'd won the Swiss League and established himself as a regular already. The season after, he scored ten times in the league and played all of Basel's Champions League games, chipping in with one goal in the group stages. All this, and he's still only 18. 

After two years of clubs keeping an eye on him, it was this summer that Embolo became one of Europe's most in demand players. Because of his strength and pace, he looks like a natural fit for the Premier League, and Tottenham were widely rumoured to be about to drop £10 million on him. That didn't happen, but it shouldn't be too long until Embolo's banging them in for a club bigger than Basel. 

4. Victor Osimhen

Club: VfL Wolfsburg

Position: Striker

FIFA 16 rating: N/A

Victor Osimhen is the goalscoring sensation who powered Nigeria to a record fifth U17 World Cup last December and after being chased by a host of top European teams following the tournament, he's joined German giants Wolfsburg where he's likely to get the type of game time that should propel him to the next level.

Osimhen scored an incredible 10 goals to help Nigerian win the world youth crown last year – picking up the tournament's Golden Boot – and his goals demonstrated pace, power and precision in front of goal. He's already been hailed as the 'next Drogba' by African media and his career so far shows that sort of claim isn't overhyped.

 

5. Dele Alli

Club: Tottenham Hotspur

Position: Midfielder

FIFA 16 rating: 72

It's been a breakthrough season for Dele Alli. The 19-year-old Spurs man was moved to North London last summer with the aim of slowly bringing him into the Premier League fold. A nutmeg over Luka Modric on his Spurs debut against Real Madrid showed everyone at the club just how special he could be.

Fast forward six months and Dele Alli has scored seven times in the league – including a Goal of the Season contender against Crystal Palace – made his England debut and is almost a certain starter for the Three Lions at EURO 2016 this summer. It's crazy to think he cost just £5 million.

6. Martin Odegaard

Club: Real Madrid

Position: Midfielder

FIFA 16 rating: 69

Martin Odegaard became football's great hope when he signed for Real Madrid in January 2015, where he's earning a reported £80,000 per week at just 17-years-old. After stealing headlines all over the internet when he made his professional debut in Norway at just 15, Odegaard trained with clubs including Liverpool and Manchester United, making him the most hyped teenager in football since Freddy Adu a decade ago.

Real Madrid are doing a good job of managing expectations with the fleet-footed star, though. He's made just one senior appearance so far, in the final game of last season, and it was actually pretty symbolic. The man heralded as Real's next big thing replaced their current big thing, Cristiano Ronaldo, in the perfect photo opportunity for the Bernabeu's changing of the guard.

7. Gerson

Club: AS Roma

Position: Midfielder

FIFA 16 rating: N/A


18-year-old attacking midfielder Gerson is one of the players tasked with rescuing Brazil's national team following the humiliation of the 2014 World Cup. After making his senior debut for Fluminense at 17-years-old, the starlet scored four wonderfully taken goals in Rio de Janeiro's Campeonato Carioca competition, marking him out as one to watch for some of the biggest clubs in Spain.

Whilst Real and Atletico Madrid hesitated to make any concrete approaches, AS Roma struck first in January 2016 – signing Gerson for a huge €15 million. The Brazil national team beckons.

8. Youri Tielemans

Club: Anderlecht

Position: Midfielder

FIFA 16 rating: 76

Youri Tielemans is one of the brightest talents in world football with a habit of scoring wondergoals. The powerful 18-year-old midfielder made his debut for Anderlecht in 2013 and became Belgium's youngest Champions League player the same year.

In 106 senior appearances for Anderlecht, he's already scored 14 goals including a handful of long-range thunderbastards that are perfect fodder for viral Vines.

9. Ruben Neves

Club: FC Porto

Position: Defensive midfielder

FIFA 16 rating: 74

At just 18-years-old, Ruben Neves has already enjoyed a record-breaking career. He's already Porto's youngest ever league scorer, Portugal's youngest Champions League player (smashing Cristiano Ronaldo's record) and the youngest ever Champions League captain. A composed midfielder in the Xabi Alonso mold, Neves is already captaining his boyhood club on a regular basis.

Porto reportedly slapped a £29 million tag on Neves in the winter transfer window but if he keeps up this unprecedented level of success – he's pretty much a dead cert to feature for Portugal in France next summer – he could leave Primeira Liga for a lot more.

10. Gianluigi Donnarumma

Club: AC Milan

Position: Goalkeeper

FIFA 16 rating: N/A

After three matches without a win in Serie A, AC Milan ditched their experienced stopper Diego Lopez and threw an untested 16-year-old in between the sticks. 90 minutes later, following a 2-1 win against Sassuolo, Gianluigi Donnarumma was hailed as the "future of Italian football" by the man he kept out of the team that day.

16 league games later and Donnarumma has established himself as Milan's first-choice goalkeeper. He's already got an impressive highlight reel of saves, including a brillaint reflex save in Milan's 3-0 win over fierce rivals Inter – Donnarumma's first Milan derby. Italy has finally found the next Buffon.

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