2016 was a year of endless football action. We witnessed Euro 2016, the Copa America Centenario, World Cup qualifiers and the Rio Olympics to go along with the usual domestic and continental club competitions.
We also saw a host of youngsters taking center stage with their respective sides due to the corresponding opportunities. With that being said, here are five youngsters poised to have a breakout year in 2017.
21-year-old winger Yasin Ben El-Mhanni made his Newcastle United debut in the FA Cup on Wednesday, but what made the story truly remarkable was that El-Mhanni was already a household name amongst those who frequently watch football freestyle videos on YouTube.
Going into Sunday’s match against Everton, Pep Guardiola was faced with the dilemma of having neither of his preferred midfield options available for selection. After Ilkay Gundogan’s cruciate ligament injury in December and Fernandinho’s suspension, the unlikely pairing of Pablo Zabaleta and the once discarded Yaya Toure were left to enact the Guardiola philosophy.
Christian Pulisic scored another goal for Borussia Dortmund in a friendly over the Bundesliga winter break, notching the opener in his sides 3-0 victory over Belgium’s Standard Liege.
For Pulisic, it was his second goal in two games following his strike against PSV Eindhoven last weekend.
Here’s a player to keep an eye on: 19-year-old Italian youth international Riccardo Orsolini. Orsolini plays his football for Ascoli in the Italian Serie B. According to his extremely vague Wikipedia page, the boy has got “excellent dribbling” abilities. You’re goddamn right he does.
Celtic’s Karamoko Dembele, the 13-year-old prodigy who made headlines when making his debut for Celtic’s U-20 side, has triggered an international arms race between England and Scotland as both countries look to secure his services at the youth level.
On May 23, 2015 Martin Ødegaard became the youngest player ever to play for Real Madrid. Just 5 months and six days after his 16th birthday, the young Norwegian talent came on for Madrid’s current superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in the 57th minute, and the hype surrounding him began to build to a fever pitch.
57' Last Substitution for Real. OUT @Cristiano In Odegaard. He makes his first appearance with the team
Liverpool fans were probably the only people who really cared who Ben Woodburn was before this season started, but they were very excited about him.
After the youngster scored against Leeds United in the EFL Cup Tuesday, though, the cat's out of the bag. Woodburn, at 17 years and 45 days old, broke the record held by Michael Owen (17 years and 143 days) for youngest-ever Liverpool goalscorer.
Here are the match highlights:
Down a goal and with only 10 men on the pitch, Fiorentina looked to their promising American youngster Josh Perez to help level the score against Inter Milan on Monday. The USA youth international made his Serie A debut for the Viola in the 75th minute. He almost made an immediate impact.
For some, this moment would get the best of them; youngsters often look skittish and lack confidence in their club debuts. However, this was not the case for the young American, who skillfully collected the ball on the top of the box and cut onto his left foot as he shaped to shoot.
Mateo Messi was born on September 11, 2015. The youngest child of Lionel Messi and Antonella Roccuzzo, the 1-year-old is three years younger than his older brother, Thiago.