FourFourTwo’s 100 Best Teenagers in the World 2017: 30-21

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Bright young things in the top 30 include the hyped-up Norwegian who made his international debut at 15, and the Ligue 1 goalkeeper who's been first choice for Toulouse since he was 16

Words: Greg Lea, Mark White

30. Martin Odegaard (Heerenveen, on loan from Real Madrid)

Need to know: Odegaard is better known for his 2015 transfer to Real Madrid than any on-field contributions, but there’s no denying the Norwegian is a prodigious talent.

Currently on loan at Heerenveen in the Eredivisie, the 18-year-old is a creative presence in midfield, combining sharp passing with clever movement.

Many have expressed disappointment at his relative lack of progress since moving to the Spanish capital – it never helps when you make your senior international debut at 15 – but Odegaard still has plenty of time to fulfil his enormous potential.

Highlight so far: Odegaard enjoyed a first start for Real Madrid in November 2016, playing the full 90 minutes as los Blancos thrashed Cultural Leonesa 6-1. GL

29. Maxime Lopez (Marseille)

Need to know: He may be small in stature, but Marseille’s teenage playmaker has already made a big impression in the south of France. Lopez scored three goals and provided seven assists in Ligue 1 last term, with his tricky footwork and accurate distribution making him a key source of creativity for Rudi Garcia’s side.

Lopez has reportedly attracted admiring glances from Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid, but his medium-term future seems to lie at Marseille after he signed a contract extension in February.

Highlight so far: Lopez became the youngster Marseille player to score a Ligue 1 brace in 30 years when he struck twice in April’s victory over Caen. GL

28. Dennis Geiger (Hoffenheim)

Need to know: Hoffenheim manager Julian Nagelsmann was gushing when asked about Geiger in September: “He's an extraordinarily good footballer and I'm delighted for him… what I like so much about Dennis is that he has no fear and always wants the ball.”

Aggressive without possession and comfortable with it, Geiger is a midfield all-rounder who functions best in a box-to-box role. The 19-year-old has done a good job of replacing summer departure Sebastian Rudy, now of Bayern Munich, so far this season as Hoffenheim mount another charge towards the Champions League.

Highlight so far: Geiger scored the opening goal as Hoffenheim beat Schalke 2-0 in September, driving the ball into the bottom corner from 20 yards. GL

27. Dennis Bonaventure (Club Brugge)

Need to know: Bonaventure was, even in his native Nigeria, unknown when Zorya Luhansk discovered him at the Abuja Academy in March 2016.

Fast-forward 18 months and the unpredictable forward has been dubbed ‘The Nigerian Neymar’, forced the Super Eagles selectors to answer repeated questions about overlooking him, and been scouted by Manchester City, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco.

Bonaventure, a master at entrapping fouls, propelled Zorya to third place in the 2016/17 Ukrainian Premier League, and has made a sterling start in the black-and-blue striped No.42 shirt of Club Brugge.

Highlight so far: Five minutes into his Brugge bow, Bonaventure cut inside his man and rifled the ball into the bottom corner to give the Belgians a flying start to their Champions League qualifier against Istanbul Basaksehir. MW

26. Luka Jovic (Eintracht Frankfurt, on loan from Benfica)

Need to know: Jovic was just six when his father was being offered cash for him to cross the border from Bosnia-Herzegovina to Serbia each weekend, just to play football.

Red Star and Partizan then traded uppercuts for the signature of a kid being compared to Darko Pancev and Radamel Falcao. The former won and, though the forward outranked Dejan Stankovic to become their youngest ever goalscorer, he was sold to Benfica and is now on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Jovic has scored prolifically for Serbia’s youth sides.

Highlight so far: Aged 16, on the last day of the 2013/14 Serbian Superliga, Jovic squeezed home the goal that snatched Red Star a point at Vojvodina just 150 seconds after coming on. It was his pro debut – and enough to earn his team the Superliga title at Partizan’s expense. MW

25. Alban Lafont (Toulouse)

Need to know: Lafont is only 18, but the goalkeeper has already made 72 appearances for Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse – particularly impressive numbers for a young net-minder.  

The Burkina Faso-born France U20 international has kept clean sheets against the likes of Marseille, Nice and PSG, earning praise for quick reflexes, speed off his line and ball-playing ability.

Former France custodian Gregory Coupet is a fan, telling Canal Plus: “He’s a smart goalkeeper who reads the game well… a great career is ahead of him.”

Highlight so far: At 16 years and 310 days old, Lafont became the youngest goalkeeper in Ligue 1 history in November 2015, keeping a clean sheet against Nice on his debut. Nice. GL

24. Alexander Isak (Borussia Dortmund)

Need to know: Isak has had to remain patient for game time since his move to Borussia Dortmund in January, but there’s no doubt the Sweden international has got an extremely bright future ahead of him.

The comparisons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic go beyond Isak’s nationality: he’s a physical and technical centre-forward; quick, strong and confident in possession.

Isak also has the advantage of being able to either drop deep and link the play or run in behind, leaving defenders constantly guessing.

Highlight so far: Isak became Sweden’s youngest ever goalscorer when he struck in a 6-0 thrashing of Slovakia aged 17 years and 114 days. GL

23. Patrick Cutrone (Milan)

Need to know: Despite his club’s summer spending spree, Cutrone has succeeded in making the breakthrough at Milan this term.

The 19-year-old striker has been a rare bright spot amid the Rossoneri’s poor start to 2017/18, scoring three goals – two in Serie A, one in the Europa League – and impressing with his movement, touch and link-up play.

“Who’s impressed me the most? Cutrone. I knew about the others, but he’s impressed me so much,” recent signing Lucas Biglia said in September.

Highlight so far: Cutrone scored on his first Serie A start for Milan, netting a near-post header in the opening-day victory over Crotone. GL

22. Ismaila Sarr (Rennes)

Need to know: Sarr made headlines in the summer when he admitted to rejecting Barcelona in favour of Rennes, believing it was too early in his career to join one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Such self-awareness and maturity will stand the speedy and direct winger in good stead going forward, and the Senegalese has already established himself as a key player at Roazhon Park this campaign.

Highlight so far: Sarr scored the first goal in the 2-1 win against Nancy-Lorraine that effectively ensured Metz’s survival in Ligue 1 last term. GL

21. Xadas (Braga)

Need to know: Pirouettes, nutmegs, defence-piercing through-balls and a left boot capable of curlers and thunderbolts alike: it’s all in the armoury of Portuguese teen Xadas, who unlike many of his promising peers hasn’t been schooled at national giants Benfica, Porto or Sporting.

Braga is Xadas’s playground, though Portugal’s three superpowers, plus Lazio and Monaco, are all captivated by the 19-year-old. A couple of wonder goals from the playmaker – he never seems to score a simple strike – have helped Braga make a fine start to 2017/18.

Highlight so far: Xadas delivered a stellar performance in the last 16 at the 2017 U20 World Cup, scoring a fine first and even better second goal as Portugal beat hosts South Korea 3-1. MW

Get the list: 

FourFourTwo’s 100 Best Teenagers in the World 2017 

Charlie Carmichael