Ranked! The 50 most exciting teenagers in world football

30. Myles Lewis-Skelly

Club: Arsenal
Nation: England
Age: 16

Hale End is becoming a breeding ground for midfield talent in the wake of Jack Wilshere. Myles Lewis-Skelly might become the best yet.

No, really. MLS is too raw to know exactly how to control a game yet: he's brash and bold but he's naturally artistic on the ball. He has unbelievable pace, vision, he can dribble like a winger and he's a good ball-winner, too. He has elements of a No.10, No.8 and No.6 – and he's just 16. 

He's essentially a playdough player, ready to mould into anything and mentally, he's reportedly got a drive and leadership that Bukayo Saka himself had. No wonder Arsenal took him away to their warm weather camp in Dubai in December: he could be the next big superstar that no one's ever heard of. 

29. Castello Lukeba

Club: Olympique Lyonnais
Nation: France
Age: 19

Why are all Lyon starlets suddenly slept on? Castello Lukeba has shown more than enough to be one of the most highly-rated defenders in Europe yet the vultures aren't circling to give him Champions League football. 

At 19, he's a vital component of Lyon's defence, able to defend deep or pushed forward and he's solid on the ball. Left-footed, too – and a leader at youth level. Who would be shocked if he became a £50m centre-back by the age of 25? 

28. Momo Cho

Club: Real Sociedad
Nation: France
Age: 18

Replacing Alexander Isak was always going to take a special player – and with physicality apt for a lad named Mohamed-Ali and the crispest of finishing, Momo Cho (he's rebranded) has an interesting background. Born in France, raised in England, with the expressiveness, pace and finishing that either nation would want in their ranks. Now in a fantastically impressive Real Sociedad side and still only 18, he's only going in one direction. 

27. Alex Scott

Club: Bristol City
Nation: England
Age: 19

No, not that one. 

Plenty of teams play a 3-4-3 but fascinatingly for Bristol City fans, No.7 Alex Scott can play wing-back or in midfield. His vision, balance and low centre of gravity make him a threat in a variety of spaces on the pitch, with Nigel Pearson mainly using him in transition to get up the pitch. 

But just imagine what he could do in a possession-based side. He makes every move count: Scott could be unbelievably good when matures a little more. 

26. Paul Wanner

Club: Bayern Munich
Nation: Germany
Age: 16

It's not the name of a superstar but Austrian-born Paul Wanner certainly has the beginnings. Playing for Bayern Munich at the age of 16 is not to be sniffed at. An artist in tight spaces, either centrally or wide, Wanner is one of those youngsters who seems just as quick on the ball as off. 

Typically for a German footballer, giving him the ball is like locking it in a safe – and his eye for the spectacular is enough to convince any Die Roten fan to give him the breaks in the first team already. 

25. Giorgio Scalvini

Club: Atalanta
Nation: Italy
Age: 18

It was Paolo Maldini who once claimed that if he had to tackle, he had already made a mistake. The idea behind the quote was not that good defenders don't tackle but that great ones are already in the right position to intercept. 

There's an exception to every rule, though – and though Giorgio Scalvini was born months after countryman Maldini lifted the Champions League in Manchester, he makes tackling an art form. Almost two metres tall and having represented Italy at every level – including senior, now – his outstretched lunges from the back look almost choreographed. His reading of the game is excellent, he makes back-three football fun in his lanky darts forward and it's going to be fascinating to see how he adapts to a four-at-the-back formation one day. 

His passing is good too, he loves stepping out for a Maguire-like run and in recovery, he seems to activate gadget legs. Atalanta have done it again.

24. Ethan Nwaneri

Club: Arsenal
Nation: England
Age: 15

The Premier League's youngest-ever player was so young, in fact, that he had to get changed on his own when he made his senior debut. Not yet 16 – yet he gave Mikel Arteta "an instinct" to deploy him as a sub.

No.8s were diminutive when Pep Guardiola reinvented the game with Xavi and Iniesta. However, Nwaneri has the potential to be a duel-winning, physical presence in that position – yet still able to find a killer ball across the field: his ball striking is ferocious, he moves well in possession and his maturity is already apparent. That Brentford cameo will be far from a one-off. 

23. Alejandro Balde

Club: Barcelona
Nation: Spain
Age: 19

Alejandro Balde was a late call-up for the injured Jose Gaya at the World Cup. He was a like-for-like replacement for Jordi Alba as the Spanish destroyed Costa Rica and gave a glimpse into what they could be like in the future. Really, that substitution was indicative of his own pathway.

Full-backs aren't just Gary Nevilles in Catalonia and Balde's trajectory to replace the legendary Alba looks set. He has Bissau-Guinean heritage like Ansu Fati and electric heels to match: more like an orthodox left-winger at times but unafraid to romp in-field, he could become one of the finest left-backs at the club in time. 

22. Ayman Kari

Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Nation: France
Age: 18

It's not just than Ayman Kari is physically elite already, strong enough on the ball to venture through midfield – or even that his passing range and ball-winning is superb, either. It's that everything about the teen is minimalist. 

Kari operates with ultimate efficiency, like he's watching himself from the stands. He has the air of a La Masia graduate in his decisiveness and intelligence but far from going for the flashy at any point, he uses his superpowers for good. He's reserved, able to keep flow and never overplays. 

Vertically, too, he's phenomenal. He's a one-man midfield able to win the ball and play the final pass. He has degrees of each of France's great midfield generals, from Vieira to Pogba, all in his play. He could dominate for the next decade if he's used correctly. 

21. Joao Veloso

Club: Benfica
Nation: Portugal
Age: 17

Portugal are blessed right now. They have Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Neves and Bernardo Silva to pick from in midfield. In a few years, they might have all three in one.

That's how good Joao Veloso looks. He has the confidence to stop dead on the ball, to attempt rabona crosses or to shoot from 40 yards. He has pace, tight control, a sumptuous array of passes in his locker and he's taller than most in his age range, too. But perhaps most staggeringly, the midfielder's decision-making looks like that of a player 10 years his senior. He is going right to the top – sooner rather than later.