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With the FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland just one day away from starting, I’ll be taking a look at the top five talents to keep a close eye on as the tournament progresses.
In recent tournaments we’ve seen the likes of Dominic Solanke, Viktor Kovalenko, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Paul Pogba, and many more come to the surface and make a name for themselves.
This year’s top players range from countries like USA, east to Portugal, and even north to Norway.
5. Erling Håland – Norway
The 6’3, 18-year-old Norwegian striker began his playing career in the second division playing for Bryne, before making a move to Molde in 2017. Playing 39 times for them, he scored 14 goals and was even linked with a move to Manchester United last summer. In Jan. 2019, he made a move to Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg where he got one goal in two appearances. In the national team set up, Håland has had 40 caps across all youth teams, scoring 21 goals.
4. Gedson Fernandes – Portugal
Gedson Fernandes is a 5’11, 20-year-old Portuguese midfielder who can play on the wings, or even down the middle supporting the striker. He has made 22 appearances for Benfica and played a crucial role in his club’s run to the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals where they lost to Eintracht Frankfurt. The youngster comes into this tournament like a veteran; he’s made 63 caps for his national team across all youth teams and has even been capped by the senior team twice.
3. Ezequiel Barco – Argentina
Ezequiel Barco is a 5’5, 20-year-old winger who has shown heaps of potential early on in his career. He was signed by MLS club Atlanta United from Independiente for $15 million USD, a league record in America. In his first season at the club he went on to win MLS Cup and get into the All-Star team. Barco has scored eight goals in 34 games for the American club and has featured eight times for the U20 Argentina side.
2. Timothy Weah – USA
Timothy Weah is a 6’0 striker and the son of former Balon d’Or winner George Weah. The 19-year-old plays for Paris Saint-Germain, but spent the second half of the season out on loan at Scottish champions Celtic. Before going out on loan, Weah made five appearances for PSG where he scored once, and he scored three goals in 13 games for Celtic. A cool fact about Weah is that he has featured eight times for the senior national team where he scored on his debut, but has never appeared for the U20 side.
1. Diego Lainez – Mexico
Now getting to number one on the list; Diego Lainez comes into the tournament at 18-years-old and is touted as one of the most highly-rated teenagers. The 5’6 winger played 39 games for Club America, scoring five goals before moving to La Liga side Real Betis this year. Since joining Betis, the Mexican has made 12 appearances for the club. Lainez is typically on the left wing and is left footed who plays beyond his years with lots of maturity. His game is similar to Mexican winger Hirving Lozano of PSV, and Germany’s nightmare from the World Cup in 2018. Coming into the tournament he has made four caps for the senior national team.
Other notable players to keep an eye on are Moussa Sylla (France), Moussa Diaby (France), Diogo Dalot (Portugal), and Konrad de la Fuente (USA).
Pierre's Footy Talk 