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Age: 17
Position: Attacking midfielder
Standout skills: Game intelligence, close control, creativity
When Gilberto Mora made his debut at the age of 16, he was already seen as someone destined for greater things. On Friday, he became the country’s youngest-ever debutant at the World Cup, aged just 17 years and 240 days, coming on as a substitute. The attacking midfielder is unlike any Mexican player in the recent past, possessing the rare ability to drive the attack between the lines, with an excellent close control, showing composure on the ball well beyond his age.
Mora made his club debut at the age of 15, for the Mexican club, Tijuana and was the youngest goal-scorer in Liga MX. A year later, he became the youngest to secure an international trophy, with El Tri winning the Gold Cup. One thing was for certain by then, he belonged to the international level, and to be in Mexico’s World Cup squad was just the first step.
What makes him even more special is the fact that the 17-year-old can score with both his feet, including scoring long-range goals. Mora resembles Pedri with his first touch and the way he spins around with the ball on his feet. With Mora, it is not a matter of if but a matter of when, as the 17-year-old will sooner or later, make headlines.
Age: 21
Position: Attacking midfielder
Standout skills: Vision, ball-carrying, eye for goals
Nico Paz is 21 but the ones who have watched him closely will attest to the fact that he’s already one of the best midfielders in world football. But the reason why not a lot of people might not know him is because he plays for the Italian club, Como, which is making the inroads to become European giants. In 2016, aged 11, Paz joined Real Madrid’s academy, and also made his senior appearance for the club, at the age of 17. But opportunities came rarely for the young midfielder despite him scoring for the club in the Champions League clash against Napoli.
That’s when the offer to join Como came by, and the midfielder took it with both hands, becoming the engine of the Italian club under midfielder Cesc Fabregas. Unlike his dad, Pablo Paz, the young Nico is a typical No.10, in the sense that he is known for his dribbling, playmaking and shooting abilities. The 21-year-old has an eye for goal, and when given space, his left foot can be deadly for the opponents. If Enzo Fernandez was the breakthrough player during Argentina’s successful 2022 World Cup campaign, Paz could be the star this time around, with his all-round ability, especially with his ability to pass through the defensive lines.
Age: 19
Position: Winger
Standout skills: Dribbling, speed, shooting
Until 2025, Yan Diomande was still a part of the reserves for the La Liga side, Leganes. But a year later, Diomande now has become the talk of the town, with his silky skills for the Bundesliga side, RB Leipzig. The club paid 20 million euros for his services, and the rest seems like history, as he is now at the centre of all interests for top Premier League clubs, including Liverpool. Unlike the previous two on the list, Diomande is out-and-out a winger, who slips and slides past the defenders with his skills.
In his debut season in Germany, Diomande was named as the Rookie player of the year, having scored 12 goals and assisted eight times. The 19-year-old is also quite pacy, and has the ability to shoot off both his feet. He isn’t afraid of shooting either, as witnessed in the Bundesliga when he scored goals for fun, having dribbled past the defenders on the right side.
However, he is all set to begin on the left-wing for Ivory Coast in the upcoming World Cup campaign, with the 23-year-old Manchester United winger Amad Diallo starting on the right wing, providing the African side plenty of raw pace and quality upfront.
Age: 21
Position: Winger
Standout skills: Tactical flexibility, make deep runs, goals
Norway will go into the World Cup as a dark horse, with a solid front three, which includes Alexander Sorloth, Erling Haaland and Antonio Nusa. While Sorloth and Haaland have already shown their quality in European competitions, 21-year-old Nusa is the lesser known commodity of the strong front line.
Back in 2022, Nusa showed signs of what he’s capable of during his time with Club Brugge, when he scored on his Champions League debut in a 0-4 win away at Porto, becoming the second-youngest goal scorer in the competition’s history. However, he had to wait till his move to Leipzig, where he had his breakthrough year, forming a crucial attacking partnership with Diomande.
Across 71 appearances for the club, he has already scored ten times, including five in the recently concluded season, where he also assisted four times. Nicknamed the ‘Norwegian Neymar’, Nusa has the innate ability to stretch defences, make deep runs behind the defence, and tactical flexibility to operate on either of the wings. At the international level, he’s already lived up to that reputation, with eight goals and nine assists, including scoring a stunning goal for the country on his debut back in 2024. Two years later, he is a crucial part of Norway’s plans in the ongoing World Cup campaign.
Age: 18
Position: Striker
Standout skills: Sharpshooter, target man, penalty-box player
Lethal goal-scoring machine. The ones who have watched Hamza Abdelkarim would testify to those exact words, as the 18-year-old is already building up his repertoire as one of the best young strikers to watch out for. Interestingly, the tall Egyptian forward began his footballing career with the Malaysian club, FC Kuala Lumpur before moving to the Egyptian side, Al Ahly, where he spent five years honing his skills.
In the winter of 2025, the tall striker earned himself a move to Barcelona Atletic, the reserve side of the famous European club, FC Barcelona. It was there where the 18-year-old impressed one and all, with a goal on his debut against SD Huesca, and later also scored a crucial hat-trick for the club, which was enough for the club to sign him permanently for 1.5 million euros.
Abdelkarim is nicknamed as the ‘Egyptian Haaland’, thanks to his poacher ability with the ball, which was on display for the country during the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup, where he scored in an impressive display against Angola. At 18, he’s already good with both his feet, and equally a predator with his head inside the penalty box, with an eye always on the goal. Can he live up to these tall expectations.
Age: 19
Position: Forward
Standout skills: Dribbling, Goal-scoring machine, Speed
Rayan brings the Brazilian flair to this list, with the 19-year-old forming quite an attacking force alongside the French striker Eli Junior Kroupi at the Premier League club, Bournemouth. The 19-year-old’s tale is quite interesting, with Rayan having already tallied 280 goals in the Brazilian age-group club systems by the time he turned 11. He didn’t stop there either, scoring 29 goals in 34 games for Vasco da Gama’s U17 side in 2022.
Days after he turned 16, the forward was also named in Vasco’s senior squad, making him one of the youngest players in this century for the club. Across his 99 appearances for the Brazilian giants, Rayan scored 25 goals, and became a crucial part of the senior setup before Bournemouth came calling for his services.
The Cherries signed him up for a massive sum of 25 million pounds, rising to 30 million pounds, after all potential add-ons. Rayan did not disappoint it one bit, scoring five times across 15 appearances for the club in his debut season despite the Premier League being one of the toughest places for a player from outside the English club system. The 19-year-old ended up scoring in three consecutive games for the Cherries, becoming the 16th teenager to achieve that feat in the Premier League.Bara Sapoko Ndiaye (Senegal)
Age: 18
Position: Midfielder
Skills: Speed, Strength, Strong positional skills
Born in 2007, Bara Sapoka Ndiaye is the latest sensation to come out of Senegal, with the midfielder already representing Bayern Munich at the club level in European competitions. Originally a product of the Gambinos Stars Africa, Ndiaye is a typical box-to-box fielder who rose rapidly to enjoying his status in Munich’s first team, having impressed the Bavarian giants earlier in October 2024 when he played for its U19 side. Just a year before joining Munich, the midfielder trialled for the Swiss Super League side Grasshopper Zurich, where he also played against Munich in a friendly.
The midfielder joined Munich in January 2026 on loan for the rest of the season, and has already become part of the club’s first team setup. Ndiaye has strong positional skills, with an excellent ability to turn away from the opponents on the ball, and is a proper link between the midfield and the attack. In addition to all of that, he’s quick, and we really meant it, as the 18-year-old was clocked at more than 36 km/hr, which is great for recovery and counter-attacks.
During his time with Munich, the midfielder already signalled his intentions of representing Senegal one day, and with him being included in the World Cup squad, that day isn’t too far away.