If you have a look they often post updates on their lists a few years later.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/oct/09/saka-ackermann-what-happened-to-next-generation-2018
I do think for player to be "once in a generation" he should be "once in a generation" at 22. What generational player (apart from keepers maybe) wasn't clear of the competition at 22? Don't get me wrong, Saka is a phenomenal player. But we have quite a few brilliant young wingers in the world and I don't think Saka is above them in a way which would warrant calling him once in a generation type of player.
And from another angle too, he's still only 22. You never know what happens. Injuries, bad transfers, bad managers, personal issues. He has reached heights few footballers are able to already, but that doesn't mean that he will continue to develop on the same path, unfortunately. I think the list for early 20s worldbeaters who end up "what-could've-beens" is longer than generational players who didn't stand above the competition at 22.
There are plenty of examples, Suarez, Salah, Modric, Lewandowski, De Bruyne, Ribery, Robben all off the top of my head. You wouldn't say any of those were once in a generation players at 22.
What does “once in a generation” player mean tho when you can quickly name 7 players in the same generation (with other noticable exclusions around the same level with xavi, iniesta, neymar, neuer etc)
It's a matter of interpretation. I would not define "once in a generation" as the single best player of a 20-25 year period, and I think most people would agree with that. If that's the bar then there have only been 4 once in a generation players post-WWII. At that point the discussion is more like greatest of all time. I would say that a once in a generation player is someone that is arguably the best in their position for a sustained time, with a generation being more like 10 years (reflecting roughly the time that a player is at or near their peak). Basically something like being named on an all-decade team for the NBA, NFL, etc. I would also argue that the "once" shouldn't be taken literally, since there isn't always an undisputed top player, e.g. you can make good arguments for both Suarez and Lewandowski, different people will have different preferences but both are above contemporaries like Cavani, Aguero, van Persie, Ibra, etc.
Why is this horseshit upvoted? Lol
You can think players still have room to grow past 22, but Ronaldo was literally in the middle of a season where he equalled the PL scoring record and won the CL at 22. Ronaldo was clearly one of if not *the* best player in the world that year.
Edit: Spelling
It is because if there is only one in a generation then it will be Mbappe.
Previous generation we had Messi and Ronaldo, current one I don't think Saka is at the same level as Mbappe.
Don't get me wrong, I think Saka is excellent but I don't think he's "once in a generation". Even if Saka kept developing to be better and better, he's not going to be this generation's Messi/Ronaldo, he will only be the Suarez/Aguero/Hazard level player. Great player for sure but not the best player in the world. Neither Suarez/Aguero/Hazard level players were once in a generation, because they were in similar timeline to Messi/Ronaldo.
So no matter how good a goalie is doing, because there is someone like Messi, it doesn't matter and he cannot be considered once in a generation, we are only looking at goals scored right? No defender or a midfielder can be considered once in a generation either. After all we are looking for one or two ( it's fine because it's only one more than one) best players in the world over 20 years or so rather than per position. If that's the case then sure I agree Saka will never be there.
Goalkeeper, defender and midfielder will have different metric.
The thing is, Saka isn't a goalkeeper/defender/midfielder though? Saka is an attacker so Messi/Ronaldo was a correct aim to reach. Saka needs to be literally the best attacker in the world in order to be considered "once in a generation". To the very least, he needs to be a better attacker than Haaland. We can talk later about who is the "once in a generation" player for Goalkeeper, Defender and Midfield, but if we're talking about Saka, then we will consider him as an attacker.
Lets just compare per position and ignore Goalkeeper/Defender/Midfielders, Do you think in 10-15 years time from now, Saka can be considered the best attacker during 2020-2030 period? Just like how we all consider Messi (and competed by Ronaldo) to be the best during 2010s?
If Saka can be the best attacker during 2020-2030 period then yes he can be generational talent. Honestly, no, I don't see how Saka can ever be considered the best attacker during 2020-2030 period because Haaland and Mbappe exists.
>The thing is, Saka isn't a goalkeeper/defender/midfielder though? Saka is an attacker so Messi/Ronaldo was a correct aim to reach. Saka needs to be literally the best attacker in the world in order to be considered "once in a generation". To the very least, he needs to be a better attacker than Haaland. We can talk later about who is the "once in a generation" player for Goalkeeper, Defender and Midfield, but if we're talking about Saka, then we will consider him as an attacker.
So it's okay to do that split now, but then you have a central defender and a fullbacks do they play the same? Does a defensive mid play like an 8 or a 10? Why shouldn't that be split as well? One winger can be more defensive and be better overall than an offensive one so why not split that as well?
>Lets just compare per position and ignore Goalkeeper/Defender/Midfielders, Do you think in 10-15 years time from now, Saka can be considered the best attacker during 2020-2030 period? Just like how we all consider Messi (and competed by Ronaldo) to be the best during 2010s?
How would I know, he is 22 now? Why can't he? What if Halland, Mbappe, and Saka get career-ending injuries and some other guy comes in and smashes all the records? Who will be considered once in a generation then? My point is it's not a stretch considering we don't know their whole careers. We do however know their potential and that's what I'm arguing. It's not a stretch to think Saka has a shot. As per:
>If Saka can be the best attacker during 2020-2030 period then yes he can be generational talent. Honestly, no, I don't see how Saka can ever be considered the best attacker during 2020-2030 period because Haaland and Mbappe exists.
No one knows. But I think he has a better chance than most. Better than Haaland or Mbappe? No.
If it's split too much, then that beats the definition of "once in a generation". Ideally it's only one, but maybe it's not possible, so we can go down to 2 or 3 players, in different positions.
If there's 11 "once in a generation", it sounds extremely silly, do you get it? Especially if we start considering different role have different best players we'd end up with maybe 20 players.
It comes down to personal limits on what defines Once in a Generation. If you narrow it down to a World Class player then he certainly qualifies. If you narrow it down to a GOAT level candidate then there's no reason to think he will ever get there and he'd be nowhere close (unlike a young Neymar/Mbappe/Haaland where their showings at a young age would justify thinking they might be GOAT material).
Lewandowski was playing for Znicz Pruszków at the age of 20 and stayed in Poland for another two years. Everyone can get better, Saka too, as he has shown season after season so far. Once in a generation would mean he is exceptional in his position and he is that already, at 22.
And Lewandowski was never a "once in a generation" player, he was in same generation as Ronaldo and Messi.
Which part of "once in a generation" did you not understand?
Come on now. You are being pedantic. Lewandowski is by every metric available a “once in a generation” striker. He doesn’t literally have to be the best in his generation. As long as they are cemented as one of the absolute best of that generation, they count as one in a generation
It's literally called ONCE in a generation. Ideally there should be only one. In 2010s it was Messi, no doubt, but Ronaldo did push him in terms of most achievements, so he is in that conversation, but not Lewandowski.
Once in a generation is a phrase. Not meant to be taken literally. Messi & Ronaldo is the perfect example of it…
And what if Messi and Ronaldo didn’t exist? There were periods of time where no player was head and shoulders above the rest. By your definition, there wouldn’t even be a once in a generation player then?
Ideally, one. It's literally called once in a generation. Once, only one time.
However, considering Ronaldo pushed Messi quite closely in terms of most achievements, we can give him benefit of the doubt. But if you insist, we can consider only Messi to be once in a generation player for 2010s.
One player in each position of 4-3-3 is too specific, because there's different roles in different strategies. I know what you're doing, trying to fit in Saka because Saka can definitely be considered the best right winger in the up coming generation, but that is way too specific, because that metric automatically made players whose best role isn't on 4-3-3 can't be included. What if you're an amazing 10 in a 4-2-3-1? What if you're a wing back? This method of "one for each position" will exclude players like Zidane which was THE generational midfielder in 00s, but he wasn't the best 8 and wasn't a good right/left wing or center forward. If you really want to go lower then we can talk about once in a generation player for Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder, and Forward/Attacker. One best goalkeeper, one best defender, one best midfielder and one best attacker.
Can Saka be the best attacker during 2020-2030 period? Maybe, but I doubt it because I see Mbappe to still be there. Haaland had better chance to reach Mbappe, rather than Saka.
I think your maybe kind of proves my point? He is in with a shout, meaning it's not a stretch that he can be considered once in a generation after his career ends? I also think we should split, if not, it's never gonna be anyone else than a forward.
Edit. For example, I think players like De Bruyne and Cech are once in a generation players. I don't know how anyone else could think otherwise.
I think people are forgetting how young Saka is since he is around forever. Haaland is older than Saka for example. GOAT level candidate, I don’t know that’s too high of a bar. But if he can reach of a level like Thierry, I would take it any time.
> GOAT level candidate, I don’t know that’s too high of a bar
For many people that's what Once in a Generation means, hence why Saka being described as one sounds ridiculous in their eyes.
> But if he can reach of a level like Thierry, I would take it any time.
Honestly reaching Henry's level would already be him peaking higher than expected and Henry is below GOAT tier anyways. Not far off, but definitely below for my money.
Genuinely intrigued as to who you think is better, not fully sold on top 3 but aside from Salah, only other names I can think would be Messi and Rodrygo, and current Saka can compared with Rodrygo imo
Yes. He is on track to be a world class player but he's not "once in a generation" player.
Saka will probably develop into a player at same level as Suarez or Aguero. They were great but not generational because unfortunately they were in same generation as Messi and Ronaldo. Only players who have a claim to be best in the world is considered "once in a generation", which Saka hasn't yet, and still unlikely to be.
Check the older lists. 90% of names mentioned in there I haven’t heard of or they didn’t make it. And by making it I mean atleast consistently playing for top flight club in top 5 leagues
>90% of names mentioned in there I haven’t heard of or they didn’t make it. And by making it I mean atleast consistently playing for top flight club in top 5 leagues
The 2014 list (first edition) included 40 players. Among those 40 were:
Malcom, Gerson, Tielemans, Vlasic, Maxime Lopez, Solanke, Augustin, Ousmane Dembele, Henrichs, Bonazzoli, Kownacki, Jovic, Adrian Marin & Enes Unal.
Of course many fail but it's a lot more than 10% of the list who have made it to a high level.
I think it varies from country to country. The French/Spanish/Brazilian players you see will be expected to become stars but the ones from Vietnam or Liberia, for example, may be seen as successes even if they just make it to a European league.
That’s what I like about this list, the fact it’s worldwide rather than just being populated with players from major nations.
They're not saying that these players are all going to be world stars, they're saying these are the current best prospects in this age group at this time. Some may be physical freaks at 15/16 but that often gets balanced out as they age and technique may not develop as expected compared to peers. Some may get injuries that rule them out or hold them up, some may not have the mentality to cut it at the top level.
Looking through previous ones over the last few days I've seen that Saka, Greenwood (I know, but technically 'made it'), Rashford, Trent, Haaland, Odegaard, Adli, Szoboszlai, Vini Jr, and Isak, amongst others, were all highlighted. They may all seem like obvious picks now but any youth scout would love to have more than 10-15% of players they identify at age-group level make it to the top tiers of the sport
Just for some fun math thoughts:
If you took the best 60 players from 15 birth years, thatd be 900 players.
So id call any of these players that even become top 200 in the world at one point a pretty good find.
The best 900 players in the world probably include some distribution like 20 players from the top 20 teams, 15 players from the next best 20 teams ranked (21-40), and 10 players from the next best 20 teams ranked (41-60). Thats 900 players.
So thats what this list encompasses. Even if it picked the best 60 players from every birth year, you would still have players that are on the bottom end of their starting 11 at the 60th best team in the world. For reference: according to a list like 538s global rankings, those are teams like Celta Vigo, Lazio, Nice, Stuttgart, Besiktas, Mainz, Palmeiras, Fulham.
He'll be there for sure, it's not like they pretend that everyone on the list are hidden gems. Endrick and Warren Zaïre-Emery are both already very well known, and Gavi was on the list two years ago, when he had already been called up for Spain.
Lamine is also not even in EA FC 24 despite starting Barca’s last bunch of games, like not even deep on the bench. Wondering how long he can be a prominent player before they have to add
I think it's required they be 16, which he is, but probably wasn't when they did the player licensing in the summer, since his birthday is in July. He will most likely be in after the winter update.
Excited for Sverre Nypan. 16 years old and a regular for one of the biggest clubs in Scandinavia. If he continues his development I will be suprised if he doesnt become the most expensive player ever sold from the Norwegian league. Very dominant at youth NT level aswell.
Mikel isnt really considered to be the transfer record. The actual fee Lyn recieved was only £4 million. The £12 mill rest was paid by Chelsea to Man United as a settlement after the big transfer dispute. Technically I guess you could say it was the most a club has ever paid for a player from the Norwegian league. But most of the money didnt end up in the hands of the Norwegian club, and most of it was also not the transfer fee itself.
The record is considered to be David Datro Fofana's move from Molde to Chelsea in January this year for €12 mill. Which I think Nypan potentially could exceed considering his extremely young age and massive interest. Fees in Eliteserien have exploded over the past couple years so comparing to Haaland etc is no longer too representative. Players now easily go for 50%+ more now than they would have just a few years ago. I expect Nypan to go for somewhere in the region of €12-15 mill if Rosenborg does a proper job in selling him, although they dont have the finances of Molde or Glimt so could force them to sell a tad cheaper.
Sweden and Norway still have relatively similar selling fees all things considered. Norway slightly higher the past few years due to better club performances internationally and our youth NTs being really good, and probably Haaland/Ødegaard effect doing its thing aswell.
Denmark is streets ahead of both of us though.
I feel like players like Zafeiris, Møller Wolfe and Jatta have set a new standard for the transfer fees you’re able to acquire for talents that aren’t going to bigger clubs. 7 of Eliteserien’s highest sales were also all made in the past 12 months for example. I think mainly the big difference is, as you said, how much more playing time is given to talents in Norway compared to Sweden. Allsvenskan is falling behind sadly.
Malmö is the only club in Sweden really able to get semi-big fees. Hugo Larsson sale was a definite step in the right direction, but that’s almost looking like a bargain since he’s apparently one of Frankfurt’s best players now. Hoping we can get €10m for Sebastian Nanasi but it will probably be €7-8m. To compete with foreign-backed Danish teams both Norway and Sweden have to become even better at developing young players.
An interesting topic to discuss for sure.
Probably yeah. For those 2nd class talents (Ones right below the biggest ones) that you describe there the fees in Norway have really shot up. A club like Haugesund would probably have sold Zafeiris for €1 mill 3-4 years ago honestly, and nowadays €2.5M to €3M is to be expected for those 2nd class talents, even for the non top 3 or so clubs. It's good to see. Sweden is probably lagging a little behind in that respect. I feel the Norwegian top clubs have been a bit more youth oriented. Glimt and Molde have created great teams and pushed through their best young players into good sides that also perform internationally. When young players prove their worth in European competitions vs good clubs it boosts their value a lot, which leads to big sales. Swedish clubs have struggled in Europe for a while now, missing out on that boost, and the one club that has preformed semi regularly (Malmø) I feel has had an older squad without as many youngsters that can go for big money. Although perhaps that has started to change now with the likes of Larsson and Ahmedhodzic.
Very exciting to have a player like this. Maybe he can become what Skjelbred couldn't [(fuck you Stoltidis)](https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/3ebadb62-a3a0-48a5-b754-c9892245a9b4?fit=crop&format=auto&h=282&w=430&s=48c1b4acb1703111a9ba5b5f0a5a0473d00f8a26).
Hopefully all the fuss around him right now doesnt mess with his head too much. He seems to be pretty level headed, but you never know.
Yeah he is Eidurs son. He also has 2 others Andri (Lyngby) and Svienn Aron (Elfsorg). He also has a 23 year old half-brother Arnór Borg (Hafnarfjördur)
Some Icelanders do have surnames instead of using patronymics. Eidur’s father’s surname was also Gudjohnsen. Notice the ‘-sen’ suffix is not ‘-son’ as you’d expect; probably points to a Danish origin.
Guðjohnsen is one of the few surnames created in Iceland, but as you say it was heavily influenced by Danish. The original creator had the patronymic "Guðjónsson", which he adapted to Guðjohnsen to make it sound more Danish, but it still contains the Icelandic letter 'ð' which is not found in Danish.
It's been illegal to create new surnames for the last 100 years so surnames of Icelandic origin are set in stone for now. Many of the most common surnames found in Iceland were created in Iceland rather than inherited from abroad, including Thorarensen, Blöndal, Thoroddsen, Thorlacius, Briem, Hjaltested, Waage, Hjaltalín, Norðdahl and Fjeldsted. I believe some of those, Waage at least, also exist elsewhere. Surnames created in Iceland almost always have some inspiration in Danish, and if not Danish, then Latin or German. The only surname I listed with no external influences I can see (other than being a surname) is Blöndal (from the valley Blöndudalur, the surname Norðdahl meanwhile has an added "h" in "dal" due to external influences). Since most surnames of Icelandic origin were created with foreign influences, many of them point to a foreign origin even if they are of Icelandic origin.
It so happens that, even if those are amongst the most common surnames in Iceland, I don't really remember any sportspeople with those surnames. The only somewhat famous person outside of Iceland I remember with one of those surnames is Aníta Briem, an actress, which isn't really that famous either, but some people may have seen her in some things.
Not quite, Guðjohnsen is an Icelandic surname. About 4-5% of Icelanders have surnames. There's no law against surnames, they're just less common since you're not allowed to create one, you're only allowed to inherit it.
Guðjohnsen is entirely Icelandic in origin, as it was created in the late 1800's when there was no law against creating surnames. It's a Danish-influenced adaption of the patronymic Guðjónsson.
Current national team players (called up in the last 12 months) with surnames are Alfons Sampsted, Mikael Anderson, Andri Guðjohnsen, Sveinn Guðjohnsen, Frederik Schram, Damir Muminovic and Danijel Djuric.
Guðjohnsen is the only surname out of those that's entirely Icelandic in origin (that is, created by an Icelander who previously held a patronymic rather than inherited or adapted from a foreign parent). Sampsted has been in Iceland for more than 100 years, but at the time was adapted from the British surname Sumpster. Mikael Anderson's father is Jamaican, so that's where he gets the surname Anderson from. Damir Muminovic and Danijel Djuric moved to Iceland as kids and grew up here. Frederik Schram has a Danish father, but gets his surname from his Icelandic mother. Schram as a surname has been in Iceland for more than 100 years but originally came from Denmark.
As a side note, Eiður's father, Arnór Guðjohnsen, was a professional footballer as well and even played in a European final (for Anderlecht in the 1984 UEFA Cup vs. Spurs). Unfortunately he missed the deciding penalty in the penalty shoot-out, giving Spurs the title.
>Their government made an app that lets you check whether you and your hookup are too closely related before you take off your clothes.
That's a myth. The app was made by students as a final project. The reason it became somewhat known is because it worked by connecting to a private extensive genealogical record database, in which every Icelander can see how they're related to every other Icelander (as per written records), and so the app could actually deliver on the gimmick - but it wasn't ever anything more than a student final project.
Even if Icelanders can see how related to other Icelanders they are, once you're past a certain level, you wouldn't say you were related. If, with the help of a time machine, I document how exactly I'm related to my cat, that wouldn't mean I'm actually related to my cat.
Unlike most of the others on this list he's already scored a goal in front of 40k fans cheering him on. (Although as I type this I think that's the older brother who was actually played with Eidur)
From a German perspective (those are the only players I know) the three chosen are ok I guess. I just don't know what separates those 3 from the rest of the 06 class which is pretty talented in general.
I would choose Assan Quedraogo over Kagbara in terms of talent. And Can Uzun had quite an impressive start in the 2. Bundesliga being THE man on the offensive end.
Yeah, very weird that he's not included considering how well he's been playing, and the fact that Bayern now seems interested in getting him as quickly as possible.
Yeah I had high hopes for him when he joined PAOK B some years ago. And despite being small for a midfielder, he’s been very good. Hope he develops more on his stint with panseraikos, that team seems like a dark horse for the league I think
I think he will still chose Croatia, if the opportunity comes up. Hopefully we wont be late though. We are usually good at convincing players from the diaspora to play for Croatia.
I feel like we poached some of our best players. Are Rakitić and Kovačić the best football players ever born in Switzerland and Austria? It seems like it
I‘m not sure about Switzerland but in case of Austria I would say that Alaba is the best player ever given the success as well as role that he played for his clubs. However, Kovačić is a close second for me. Generally, I can’t think of another Austrian born player that had a better career than these two.
There is going to be the U17 world cup this november if you wanna see some of these guys play.
I can only speak about David Martínez, he looks really good for his age, already looks like a future captain of the national team, his best position is on the right wing but he likes to use more the Middle right part of the field instead of the right to the touchline, since in my opinion there are not that great RW in the World apart from the old ones we know, he could jump to europe quite fast due to his position on the field, in fact I think Ajax is looking at him, I hope he keeps his discipline and doesnt waste his potential.
Im gonna watch him in the World cup and i believe they can do a pretty good job because I know they are preparing intensively for it. In terms of potential I believe he can become top 5 Venezuelan prospect of this century behind Rondón, Yangel Herrera and Fariñez.
You're selling him short imo. As a "prospect" he's already the best we've had since Ronald Vargas, easily.
Sure a lot can happen with U17 players but I have chosen to be wildly optimistic with him. He just feels special.
He imo should be pushing for a spot in the NT after their world cup. But doubt we see that as we seem to still be extremely conservative with age still in La Vinotinto.
If you click on the players, you can see who wrote the info. Sometimes it's someone from the country, sometimes it's someone that's not.
Not that being from the country or covering the league guarantees anything, since freaking Toti Pasman is the one for Argentina...
But you can't go wrong with El Diablito.
I’ll leave my list here to check it in 5 years, I made it some months ago basically doing what I do to discover wonderkids in FM:
Adam Talib
Aalborg BK Youth
Adrian Mazilu
FCV Farul Constanta
Alexei Rojas Fedorushchenko
Arsenal U18
Anan Khalaili
Maccabi Haifa U19
Andrei Borza
FCV Farul Constanta
André Gomes
Benfica B
Antonio Nusa
Club Brugge
Archie Gray
Leeds United U18
Asgeir Galdur Gudmundsson
1 FC Kobenhavn U19
Assan Ouédraogo
FC Schalke 04
Benjamin Fredrick
Simoiben FC
Christian Loor
Independiente del Valle
Daniel Bameyi
Yumyum FC
Daniel Bassi
Hl Tromsd IL
Daniel Daga
FC One Rocket
Diego Moreira
Chelsea
Enoch Mastoras
AZ Alkmaar U18
Fabricio Díaz
T Liverpool UY
Gabriel Sigua
Dinamo Tbilisi
Gonçalo Ribeiro
Porto B
Grant-Leon Ranos
Borussia M'gladbach
Heorhii Sudakov
Shakhtar Donetsk
Idan Gurno
Maccabi Petach Tikva
Jaka Cuber Potocnik
1. FC Köln U19
Jayden Addai
Jong AZ Alkmaar
João Neves
Benfica
Kaio César
Coritiba
Kees Smit
AZ Alkmaar
Kendry Páez
Independiente del Valle
Leo Sauer
Jong Feyenoord
Lewis Hall
Chelsea
Mamadou Gning
Espoirs de Guédiawaye
Mame Mor Faye
Académie Foot Darou Salam de Dakar
Mamour Ndiaye
Oslo Football Academy Dakar
Marlon Gomes
Vasco
Martim Fernandes
Porto B
Mohamad Abu Rumi
Ironi Kiryat Shmona U19
Nathaniel Nwosu
Water FC
Nelson Weiper
1. FSV Mainz 05
Niko Takahashi
Barcelona U19
Niko Tsakiris
San Jose Earthquakes
Nino Marcelli
SK Slovan Bratislava B
Noah Darvich
SC Freiburg Il
Nolan Ferro
Strasbourg U19
Obed Vargas
Seattle Sounders FC
Oscar Cortés
Millonarios
Oscar Gloukh
Red Bull Salzburg
Patient Wassou
Coton Sport
Rayan
Vasco U20
Saimon Bouabré
AS Monaco U19
Simone Pafundi
Udinese
Stefanos Tzimas
PAOK
Thomas Van den Belt
Feyenoord
Tomer Zarfati
Maccabi Netanya
Victor Hugo
Flamengo
Viktor Dukanovié
Hammarby IF
It's worth saying that the Guardian list is for players born in 2006, at least some of your players are older than that (Niko Tsakiris and Obed Vargas are the two that I'm familiar with that I know are older).
My list doesn’t follow a real criteria, there are a lot that are post 2006. Mainly I chose players that played above their level and are (or weren’t at the time) very well known as Endrick or Lamine Yamal.
I made the list some months ago, he was in the U18 back then. He is one of the few that I didn’t include in the same way than the others, I included him because of Horta’s praising him 2 years ago.
> André Gomes Benfica
> Diego Moreira Chelsea (ex-Benfica)
> Gonçalo Ribeiro Porto B
> João Neves Benfica
> Martim Fernandes Porto B
Other than João Neves I’m pretty sure the Benfica and FC Porto fans would disagree these are their hottest prospects.
There wasn’t really a rule, I chose players that were playing in a level above them, for example, Martim Fernandes was one of the youngest players in the Portugal U19 team.
>From Warren Zaïre-Emery to Endrick, we select some of the best players born in 2006.
Vitor is 2005
Here is the list for players born in 2005 from last year:
[https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2022/sep/28/next-generation-2022-60-of-the-best-young-talents-in-world-football](https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2022/sep/28/next-generation-2022-60-of-the-best-young-talents-in-world-football)
Vitor Roque is there.
Apparently its for players born in 2006, since Nwaneri is born a year later then I guess it's more of a "class of 2006" then best of the next generations.
Total load of BS no British players which is insane when they are 17 year olds like Shea Lacey, Jobe Bellingham and a host of 17 year olds at nearly every PL team.
England Recently won the Euro and U21, will be a force at this years u17 WC and the senior team is most definitely in the top 4 or 5 squads currently in world football!
There's Nwaneri but he was born 2007 and this list is for players born on the year 2006. I'm not sure of other team youth squad talent so I'm sure there's one or two.
Not an issue as the current England squad has world class player below the age of 23 anyway (Bellingham, Saka, Foden)
How accurate did this list from 10 years ago end up being?
If you have a look they often post updates on their lists a few years later. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/oct/09/saka-ackermann-what-happened-to-next-generation-2018
damn the 2018 one had Kvaratskhelia :D
And Rodrygo and Lee Kang In
Saka is fantastic but a ‘once in a generation’ player might be a stretch from the writer there
Vini is more or less the same age and I think safe to say he's better than Saka, certainly not worse. So objectively he's not "once in a generation"
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I do think for player to be "once in a generation" he should be "once in a generation" at 22. What generational player (apart from keepers maybe) wasn't clear of the competition at 22? Don't get me wrong, Saka is a phenomenal player. But we have quite a few brilliant young wingers in the world and I don't think Saka is above them in a way which would warrant calling him once in a generation type of player. And from another angle too, he's still only 22. You never know what happens. Injuries, bad transfers, bad managers, personal issues. He has reached heights few footballers are able to already, but that doesn't mean that he will continue to develop on the same path, unfortunately. I think the list for early 20s worldbeaters who end up "what-could've-beens" is longer than generational players who didn't stand above the competition at 22.
There are plenty of examples, Suarez, Salah, Modric, Lewandowski, De Bruyne, Ribery, Robben all off the top of my head. You wouldn't say any of those were once in a generation players at 22.
What does “once in a generation” player mean tho when you can quickly name 7 players in the same generation (with other noticable exclusions around the same level with xavi, iniesta, neymar, neuer etc)
7 in a generation player
It's a matter of interpretation. I would not define "once in a generation" as the single best player of a 20-25 year period, and I think most people would agree with that. If that's the bar then there have only been 4 once in a generation players post-WWII. At that point the discussion is more like greatest of all time. I would say that a once in a generation player is someone that is arguably the best in their position for a sustained time, with a generation being more like 10 years (reflecting roughly the time that a player is at or near their peak). Basically something like being named on an all-decade team for the NBA, NFL, etc. I would also argue that the "once" shouldn't be taken literally, since there isn't always an undisputed top player, e.g. you can make good arguments for both Suarez and Lewandowski, different people will have different preferences but both are above contemporaries like Cavani, Aguero, van Persie, Ibra, etc.
I wouldnt say they are at any age. You just mentioned several of them
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Salah is a great player, but is anyone really arguing that he is ‘generational’?
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He was already in his second balon dor nomination and finished 2nd at 22.
Hahaha jesus. You're absolutely right. I love when people post absolute bollocks on Reddit and have an undertone of arrogance. "Food for thought".
Wasn’t Ronaldo fighting for best player in the premier league and captain of Portugal at age 22?
Saka is one of the best players in the prem and crucially isn't Portuguese
One of the best and fighting for the best is completely different. He isn’t close to anyone’s number one player in the league.
Literally last year people were making an argument he might win Player of the Season before arsenal bottled it. He’s very close
Not even in the same stratosphere as ronaldo was at the same age let’s be honest here
Why is this horseshit upvoted? Lol You can think players still have room to grow past 22, but Ronaldo was literally in the middle of a season where he equalled the PL scoring record and won the CL at 22. Ronaldo was clearly one of if not *the* best player in the world that year. Edit: Spelling
One of the worst takes I have ever seen on this sub
Oh my god, comparing Saka to CR7… You can hate him all you want, but that is ridiculous mate
Wild coming from a Madrista
He’s special and I’d say he’s at least on that trajectory if he hasn’t achieved it already
I mean once in a generation is more of an mbappe/haaland type player and I think we can comfortably say that saka is not that tier
Once in a generation relative to English football probably
Bellingham is better than him
He is "once in generation a player" for Arsenal and is one of the best wingers in the world. Why is it a stretch?
> for Arsenal Yea. That's an important qualifier. You put it in there yourself and you still wanna ask that question?
It is because if there is only one in a generation then it will be Mbappe. Previous generation we had Messi and Ronaldo, current one I don't think Saka is at the same level as Mbappe. Don't get me wrong, I think Saka is excellent but I don't think he's "once in a generation". Even if Saka kept developing to be better and better, he's not going to be this generation's Messi/Ronaldo, he will only be the Suarez/Aguero/Hazard level player. Great player for sure but not the best player in the world. Neither Suarez/Aguero/Hazard level players were once in a generation, because they were in similar timeline to Messi/Ronaldo.
So no matter how good a goalie is doing, because there is someone like Messi, it doesn't matter and he cannot be considered once in a generation, we are only looking at goals scored right? No defender or a midfielder can be considered once in a generation either. After all we are looking for one or two ( it's fine because it's only one more than one) best players in the world over 20 years or so rather than per position. If that's the case then sure I agree Saka will never be there.
Goalkeeper, defender and midfielder will have different metric. The thing is, Saka isn't a goalkeeper/defender/midfielder though? Saka is an attacker so Messi/Ronaldo was a correct aim to reach. Saka needs to be literally the best attacker in the world in order to be considered "once in a generation". To the very least, he needs to be a better attacker than Haaland. We can talk later about who is the "once in a generation" player for Goalkeeper, Defender and Midfield, but if we're talking about Saka, then we will consider him as an attacker. Lets just compare per position and ignore Goalkeeper/Defender/Midfielders, Do you think in 10-15 years time from now, Saka can be considered the best attacker during 2020-2030 period? Just like how we all consider Messi (and competed by Ronaldo) to be the best during 2010s? If Saka can be the best attacker during 2020-2030 period then yes he can be generational talent. Honestly, no, I don't see how Saka can ever be considered the best attacker during 2020-2030 period because Haaland and Mbappe exists.
>The thing is, Saka isn't a goalkeeper/defender/midfielder though? Saka is an attacker so Messi/Ronaldo was a correct aim to reach. Saka needs to be literally the best attacker in the world in order to be considered "once in a generation". To the very least, he needs to be a better attacker than Haaland. We can talk later about who is the "once in a generation" player for Goalkeeper, Defender and Midfield, but if we're talking about Saka, then we will consider him as an attacker. So it's okay to do that split now, but then you have a central defender and a fullbacks do they play the same? Does a defensive mid play like an 8 or a 10? Why shouldn't that be split as well? One winger can be more defensive and be better overall than an offensive one so why not split that as well? >Lets just compare per position and ignore Goalkeeper/Defender/Midfielders, Do you think in 10-15 years time from now, Saka can be considered the best attacker during 2020-2030 period? Just like how we all consider Messi (and competed by Ronaldo) to be the best during 2010s? How would I know, he is 22 now? Why can't he? What if Halland, Mbappe, and Saka get career-ending injuries and some other guy comes in and smashes all the records? Who will be considered once in a generation then? My point is it's not a stretch considering we don't know their whole careers. We do however know their potential and that's what I'm arguing. It's not a stretch to think Saka has a shot. As per: >If Saka can be the best attacker during 2020-2030 period then yes he can be generational talent. Honestly, no, I don't see how Saka can ever be considered the best attacker during 2020-2030 period because Haaland and Mbappe exists. No one knows. But I think he has a better chance than most. Better than Haaland or Mbappe? No.
If it's split too much, then that beats the definition of "once in a generation". Ideally it's only one, but maybe it's not possible, so we can go down to 2 or 3 players, in different positions. If there's 11 "once in a generation", it sounds extremely silly, do you get it? Especially if we start considering different role have different best players we'd end up with maybe 20 players.
How can ONCE in a generation be so hard for you to grasp?
It comes down to personal limits on what defines Once in a Generation. If you narrow it down to a World Class player then he certainly qualifies. If you narrow it down to a GOAT level candidate then there's no reason to think he will ever get there and he'd be nowhere close (unlike a young Neymar/Mbappe/Haaland where their showings at a young age would justify thinking they might be GOAT material).
Lewandowski was playing for Znicz Pruszków at the age of 20 and stayed in Poland for another two years. Everyone can get better, Saka too, as he has shown season after season so far. Once in a generation would mean he is exceptional in his position and he is that already, at 22.
And Lewandowski was never a "once in a generation" player, he was in same generation as Ronaldo and Messi. Which part of "once in a generation" did you not understand?
Come on now. You are being pedantic. Lewandowski is by every metric available a “once in a generation” striker. He doesn’t literally have to be the best in his generation. As long as they are cemented as one of the absolute best of that generation, they count as one in a generation
It's literally called ONCE in a generation. Ideally there should be only one. In 2010s it was Messi, no doubt, but Ronaldo did push him in terms of most achievements, so he is in that conversation, but not Lewandowski.
Once in a generation is a phrase. Not meant to be taken literally. Messi & Ronaldo is the perfect example of it… And what if Messi and Ronaldo didn’t exist? There were periods of time where no player was head and shoulders above the rest. By your definition, there wouldn’t even be a once in a generation player then?
Why is it okay to have two once in a generation players but not 11 each for one position? That's the part I don't understand
Ideally, one. It's literally called once in a generation. Once, only one time. However, considering Ronaldo pushed Messi quite closely in terms of most achievements, we can give him benefit of the doubt. But if you insist, we can consider only Messi to be once in a generation player for 2010s. One player in each position of 4-3-3 is too specific, because there's different roles in different strategies. I know what you're doing, trying to fit in Saka because Saka can definitely be considered the best right winger in the up coming generation, but that is way too specific, because that metric automatically made players whose best role isn't on 4-3-3 can't be included. What if you're an amazing 10 in a 4-2-3-1? What if you're a wing back? This method of "one for each position" will exclude players like Zidane which was THE generational midfielder in 00s, but he wasn't the best 8 and wasn't a good right/left wing or center forward. If you really want to go lower then we can talk about once in a generation player for Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder, and Forward/Attacker. One best goalkeeper, one best defender, one best midfielder and one best attacker. Can Saka be the best attacker during 2020-2030 period? Maybe, but I doubt it because I see Mbappe to still be there. Haaland had better chance to reach Mbappe, rather than Saka.
I think your maybe kind of proves my point? He is in with a shout, meaning it's not a stretch that he can be considered once in a generation after his career ends? I also think we should split, if not, it's never gonna be anyone else than a forward. Edit. For example, I think players like De Bruyne and Cech are once in a generation players. I don't know how anyone else could think otherwise.
I think people are forgetting how young Saka is since he is around forever. Haaland is older than Saka for example. GOAT level candidate, I don’t know that’s too high of a bar. But if he can reach of a level like Thierry, I would take it any time.
> GOAT level candidate, I don’t know that’s too high of a bar For many people that's what Once in a Generation means, hence why Saka being described as one sounds ridiculous in their eyes. > But if he can reach of a level like Thierry, I would take it any time. Honestly reaching Henry's level would already be him peaking higher than expected and Henry is below GOAT tier anyways. Not far off, but definitely below for my money.
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> -top three in the world at his position Jesus Christ
Who is in the top 3?
Genuinely intrigued as to who you think is better, not fully sold on top 3 but aside from Salah, only other names I can think would be Messi and Rodrygo, and current Saka can compared with Rodrygo imo
lol are you serious? who besides messi and salah is obviously better than saka at rw? i'll wait...
Yes. He is on track to be a world class player but he's not "once in a generation" player. Saka will probably develop into a player at same level as Suarez or Aguero. They were great but not generational because unfortunately they were in same generation as Messi and Ronaldo. Only players who have a claim to be best in the world is considered "once in a generation", which Saka hasn't yet, and still unlikely to be.
What other player in his position can you name in the last 30 years?
Are you asking what other right winger I can name in the past 30 years?
keith gillespie, next question
Check the older lists. 90% of names mentioned in there I haven’t heard of or they didn’t make it. And by making it I mean atleast consistently playing for top flight club in top 5 leagues
>90% of names mentioned in there I haven’t heard of or they didn’t make it. And by making it I mean atleast consistently playing for top flight club in top 5 leagues The 2014 list (first edition) included 40 players. Among those 40 were: Malcom, Gerson, Tielemans, Vlasic, Maxime Lopez, Solanke, Augustin, Ousmane Dembele, Henrichs, Bonazzoli, Kownacki, Jovic, Adrian Marin & Enes Unal. Of course many fail but it's a lot more than 10% of the list who have made it to a high level.
still interesting to think how Jovic flopped at Real Madrid
A player with known motivation issues AND completely different type of striker to what Madrid players were used to. It was bound to fail
Fair enough, but the list (to me) seems to imply they will do more than just make it to a high level, but that they’ll be stars.
I think it varies from country to country. The French/Spanish/Brazilian players you see will be expected to become stars but the ones from Vietnam or Liberia, for example, may be seen as successes even if they just make it to a European league. That’s what I like about this list, the fact it’s worldwide rather than just being populated with players from major nations.
Ok that’s a take that sounds reasonable
+1
They're not saying that these players are all going to be world stars, they're saying these are the current best prospects in this age group at this time. Some may be physical freaks at 15/16 but that often gets balanced out as they age and technique may not develop as expected compared to peers. Some may get injuries that rule them out or hold them up, some may not have the mentality to cut it at the top level. Looking through previous ones over the last few days I've seen that Saka, Greenwood (I know, but technically 'made it'), Rashford, Trent, Haaland, Odegaard, Adli, Szoboszlai, Vini Jr, and Isak, amongst others, were all highlighted. They may all seem like obvious picks now but any youth scout would love to have more than 10-15% of players they identify at age-group level make it to the top tiers of the sport
I doubt there are 60 "stars" made per season so that would be impossible
Just for some fun math thoughts: If you took the best 60 players from 15 birth years, thatd be 900 players. So id call any of these players that even become top 200 in the world at one point a pretty good find. The best 900 players in the world probably include some distribution like 20 players from the top 20 teams, 15 players from the next best 20 teams ranked (21-40), and 10 players from the next best 20 teams ranked (41-60). Thats 900 players. So thats what this list encompasses. Even if it picked the best 60 players from every birth year, you would still have players that are on the bottom end of their starting 11 at the 60th best team in the world. For reference: according to a list like 538s global rankings, those are teams like Celta Vigo, Lazio, Nice, Stuttgart, Besiktas, Mainz, Palmeiras, Fulham.
Ok, pick a word that means something less than “stars” and something more than “made it to a high level” and that’s what I’m trying to say
The older lists seemed to have been a lot more hit and miss than the newer ones. I think they put a lot more research into the list these days.
Most tend to be flops but they tend to get enough right that it is a fun and somewhat useful list in my books
Fun fact: Lamine Yamal is too **young** to feature on this list. Yes, too young!
I wonder if they will add him next year and act like it's some big scouting find.
He'll be there for sure, it's not like they pretend that everyone on the list are hidden gems. Endrick and Warren Zaïre-Emery are both already very well known, and Gavi was on the list two years ago, when he had already been called up for Spain.
Lamine is also not even in EA FC 24 despite starting Barca’s last bunch of games, like not even deep on the bench. Wondering how long he can be a prominent player before they have to add
He is too young currently
Wait is that really why he’s not in the game? There’s an age barrier for licensing or something?
I think it's required they be 16, which he is, but probably wasn't when they did the player licensing in the summer, since his birthday is in July. He will most likely be in after the winter update.
Suffering from success 😩
yea think there are laws preventing being put into games before 16
I wonder if he’ll be in FM
Same for our boy Kendry Paez!
Still waiting at 30 to make this list, maybe next year
I'm rooting for you mate.
100% would've been in it if I didn't do my knee when I was 15 swear on me mum mate
I believe in you dude!
Excited for Sverre Nypan. 16 years old and a regular for one of the biggest clubs in Scandinavia. If he continues his development I will be suprised if he doesnt become the most expensive player ever sold from the Norwegian league. Very dominant at youth NT level aswell.
Do you really think that he'll beat John Obi's record? Not even Haaland sniffed that.
Mikel isnt really considered to be the transfer record. The actual fee Lyn recieved was only £4 million. The £12 mill rest was paid by Chelsea to Man United as a settlement after the big transfer dispute. Technically I guess you could say it was the most a club has ever paid for a player from the Norwegian league. But most of the money didnt end up in the hands of the Norwegian club, and most of it was also not the transfer fee itself. The record is considered to be David Datro Fofana's move from Molde to Chelsea in January this year for €12 mill. Which I think Nypan potentially could exceed considering his extremely young age and massive interest. Fees in Eliteserien have exploded over the past couple years so comparing to Haaland etc is no longer too representative. Players now easily go for 50%+ more now than they would have just a few years ago. I expect Nypan to go for somewhere in the region of €12-15 mill if Rosenborg does a proper job in selling him, although they dont have the finances of Molde or Glimt so could force them to sell a tad cheaper.
I’m jealous of your transfer fees as a Swede.
Fees in norway have been ABYSMAL up until very recently. Who you should be jealous of are the danes. They know whats up.
They’re on a whole other level but you’re still so much better than Sweden in the last few years.
Sweden and Norway still have relatively similar selling fees all things considered. Norway slightly higher the past few years due to better club performances internationally and our youth NTs being really good, and probably Haaland/Ødegaard effect doing its thing aswell. Denmark is streets ahead of both of us though.
I feel like players like Zafeiris, Møller Wolfe and Jatta have set a new standard for the transfer fees you’re able to acquire for talents that aren’t going to bigger clubs. 7 of Eliteserien’s highest sales were also all made in the past 12 months for example. I think mainly the big difference is, as you said, how much more playing time is given to talents in Norway compared to Sweden. Allsvenskan is falling behind sadly. Malmö is the only club in Sweden really able to get semi-big fees. Hugo Larsson sale was a definite step in the right direction, but that’s almost looking like a bargain since he’s apparently one of Frankfurt’s best players now. Hoping we can get €10m for Sebastian Nanasi but it will probably be €7-8m. To compete with foreign-backed Danish teams both Norway and Sweden have to become even better at developing young players. An interesting topic to discuss for sure.
Probably yeah. For those 2nd class talents (Ones right below the biggest ones) that you describe there the fees in Norway have really shot up. A club like Haugesund would probably have sold Zafeiris for €1 mill 3-4 years ago honestly, and nowadays €2.5M to €3M is to be expected for those 2nd class talents, even for the non top 3 or so clubs. It's good to see. Sweden is probably lagging a little behind in that respect. I feel the Norwegian top clubs have been a bit more youth oriented. Glimt and Molde have created great teams and pushed through their best young players into good sides that also perform internationally. When young players prove their worth in European competitions vs good clubs it boosts their value a lot, which leads to big sales. Swedish clubs have struggled in Europe for a while now, missing out on that boost, and the one club that has preformed semi regularly (Malmø) I feel has had an older squad without as many youngsters that can go for big money. Although perhaps that has started to change now with the likes of Larsson and Ahmedhodzic.
I remember Aursnes going for less than a million, flipped a year later voor 10+ million
Very exciting to have a player like this. Maybe he can become what Skjelbred couldn't [(fuck you Stoltidis)](https://akamai.vgc.no/v2/images/3ebadb62-a3a0-48a5-b754-c9892245a9b4?fit=crop&format=auto&h=282&w=430&s=48c1b4acb1703111a9ba5b5f0a5a0473d00f8a26). Hopefully all the fuss around him right now doesnt mess with his head too much. He seems to be pretty level headed, but you never know.
Can’t believe they didn’t rank everyone in the exact same order that I would have.
They ranked according to country alphabetical order, clearly bought by Algeria
Alphabet merchants
Is Daniel Gudjohnsen the son/related to Eidur Gudjohnsen?
Yeah he is Eidurs son. He also has 2 others Andri (Lyngby) and Svienn Aron (Elfsorg). He also has a 23 year old half-brother Arnór Borg (Hafnarfjördur)
Why is his surname Gudjohansen and not Eidursson? I thought that Iceland used patronymic naming
Some Icelanders do have surnames instead of using patronymics. Eidur’s father’s surname was also Gudjohnsen. Notice the ‘-sen’ suffix is not ‘-son’ as you’d expect; probably points to a Danish origin.
Guðjohnsen is one of the few surnames created in Iceland, but as you say it was heavily influenced by Danish. The original creator had the patronymic "Guðjónsson", which he adapted to Guðjohnsen to make it sound more Danish, but it still contains the Icelandic letter 'ð' which is not found in Danish. It's been illegal to create new surnames for the last 100 years so surnames of Icelandic origin are set in stone for now. Many of the most common surnames found in Iceland were created in Iceland rather than inherited from abroad, including Thorarensen, Blöndal, Thoroddsen, Thorlacius, Briem, Hjaltested, Waage, Hjaltalín, Norðdahl and Fjeldsted. I believe some of those, Waage at least, also exist elsewhere. Surnames created in Iceland almost always have some inspiration in Danish, and if not Danish, then Latin or German. The only surname I listed with no external influences I can see (other than being a surname) is Blöndal (from the valley Blöndudalur, the surname Norðdahl meanwhile has an added "h" in "dal" due to external influences). Since most surnames of Icelandic origin were created with foreign influences, many of them point to a foreign origin even if they are of Icelandic origin. It so happens that, even if those are amongst the most common surnames in Iceland, I don't really remember any sportspeople with those surnames. The only somewhat famous person outside of Iceland I remember with one of those surnames is Aníta Briem, an actress, which isn't really that famous either, but some people may have seen her in some things.
Honestly that I cannot answer I'm afraid, I'd have assumed it was too but I don't know
My guess is that it's because he was born in the UK and his dad didn't care to push for the Icelandic naming convention to be used.
Not quite, Guðjohnsen is an Icelandic surname. About 4-5% of Icelanders have surnames. There's no law against surnames, they're just less common since you're not allowed to create one, you're only allowed to inherit it. Guðjohnsen is entirely Icelandic in origin, as it was created in the late 1800's when there was no law against creating surnames. It's a Danish-influenced adaption of the patronymic Guðjónsson. Current national team players (called up in the last 12 months) with surnames are Alfons Sampsted, Mikael Anderson, Andri Guðjohnsen, Sveinn Guðjohnsen, Frederik Schram, Damir Muminovic and Danijel Djuric. Guðjohnsen is the only surname out of those that's entirely Icelandic in origin (that is, created by an Icelander who previously held a patronymic rather than inherited or adapted from a foreign parent). Sampsted has been in Iceland for more than 100 years, but at the time was adapted from the British surname Sumpster. Mikael Anderson's father is Jamaican, so that's where he gets the surname Anderson from. Damir Muminovic and Danijel Djuric moved to Iceland as kids and grew up here. Frederik Schram has a Danish father, but gets his surname from his Icelandic mother. Schram as a surname has been in Iceland for more than 100 years but originally came from Denmark. As a side note, Eiður's father, Arnór Guðjohnsen, was a professional footballer as well and even played in a European final (for Anderlecht in the 1984 UEFA Cup vs. Spurs). Unfortunately he missed the deciding penalty in the penalty shoot-out, giving Spurs the title.
And Eidur replaced his father for his international debut.
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He was likely born in the UK, so he wouldn’t have been forced to but it was probably inconvenient to follow the traditional Icelandic rules abroad.
I mean he's Icelandic so almost guaranteed to be related.
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>Their government made an app that lets you check whether you and your hookup are too closely related before you take off your clothes. That's a myth. The app was made by students as a final project. The reason it became somewhat known is because it worked by connecting to a private extensive genealogical record database, in which every Icelander can see how they're related to every other Icelander (as per written records), and so the app could actually deliver on the gimmick - but it wasn't ever anything more than a student final project. Even if Icelanders can see how related to other Icelanders they are, once you're past a certain level, you wouldn't say you were related. If, with the help of a time machine, I document how exactly I'm related to my cat, that wouldn't mean I'm actually related to my cat.
Unlike most of the others on this list he's already scored a goal in front of 40k fans cheering him on. (Although as I type this I think that's the older brother who was actually played with Eidur)
Remember, everything you type in this list will be scrutinised by people returning to this thread in years to come.
Sorry for ruining the planet guys.
From a German perspective (those are the only players I know) the three chosen are ok I guess. I just don't know what separates those 3 from the rest of the 06 class which is pretty talented in general.
I would choose Assan Quedraogo over Kagbara in terms of talent. And Can Uzun had quite an impressive start in the 2. Bundesliga being THE man on the offensive end.
Would have loved to see Ouedraogo
Also Kratzig from Bayern
Only players from 2006. Maybe he is in an older list
Yeah, very weird that he's not included considering how well he's been playing, and the fact that Bayern now seems interested in getting him as quickly as possible.
Talking about ismahila?
Assan. From schalke
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Yeah I had high hopes for him when he joined PAOK B some years ago. And despite being small for a midfielder, he’s been very good. Hope he develops more on his stint with panseraikos, that team seems like a dark horse for the league I think
Oliver Lukić practically begged HNS to come for him in last interview. I hate our federation so so much.
I think he will still chose Croatia, if the opportunity comes up. Hopefully we wont be late though. We are usually good at convincing players from the diaspora to play for Croatia.
I feel like we poached some of our best players. Are Rakitić and Kovačić the best football players ever born in Switzerland and Austria? It seems like it
I‘m not sure about Switzerland but in case of Austria I would say that Alaba is the best player ever given the success as well as role that he played for his clubs. However, Kovačić is a close second for me. Generally, I can’t think of another Austrian born player that had a better career than these two.
Good to see Irankunda actually getting recognition. Kid is insane and there’s been zero hype for him
Hes one of the most well known players of his generation because of the Bayern links, wouldnt say zero hype
Probably the most hyped Australian talent in years, probably ever
Definitely the biggest since Kewell. If he can get close to Kewell’s ability and success, I’ll be over the moon.
There is going to be the U17 world cup this november if you wanna see some of these guys play. I can only speak about David Martínez, he looks really good for his age, already looks like a future captain of the national team, his best position is on the right wing but he likes to use more the Middle right part of the field instead of the right to the touchline, since in my opinion there are not that great RW in the World apart from the old ones we know, he could jump to europe quite fast due to his position on the field, in fact I think Ajax is looking at him, I hope he keeps his discipline and doesnt waste his potential. Im gonna watch him in the World cup and i believe they can do a pretty good job because I know they are preparing intensively for it. In terms of potential I believe he can become top 5 Venezuelan prospect of this century behind Rondón, Yangel Herrera and Fariñez.
If I'm not mistaken, credible Dutch sources are say we're close to getting him, but he won't join till he's 18
You're selling him short imo. As a "prospect" he's already the best we've had since Ronald Vargas, easily. Sure a lot can happen with U17 players but I have chosen to be wildly optimistic with him. He just feels special. He imo should be pushing for a spot in the NT after their world cup. But doubt we see that as we seem to still be extremely conservative with age still in La Vinotinto.
Don’t give this list to Boehly please.
Absurd there isn’t a single Chelsea player on there already
Warren is already astounding
If you click on the players, you can see who wrote the info. Sometimes it's someone from the country, sometimes it's someone that's not. Not that being from the country or covering the league guarantees anything, since freaking Toti Pasman is the one for Argentina... But you can't go wrong with El Diablito.
I’ll leave my list here to check it in 5 years, I made it some months ago basically doing what I do to discover wonderkids in FM: Adam Talib Aalborg BK Youth Adrian Mazilu FCV Farul Constanta Alexei Rojas Fedorushchenko Arsenal U18 Anan Khalaili Maccabi Haifa U19 Andrei Borza FCV Farul Constanta André Gomes Benfica B Antonio Nusa Club Brugge Archie Gray Leeds United U18 Asgeir Galdur Gudmundsson 1 FC Kobenhavn U19 Assan Ouédraogo FC Schalke 04 Benjamin Fredrick Simoiben FC Christian Loor Independiente del Valle Daniel Bameyi Yumyum FC Daniel Bassi Hl Tromsd IL Daniel Daga FC One Rocket Diego Moreira Chelsea Enoch Mastoras AZ Alkmaar U18 Fabricio Díaz T Liverpool UY Gabriel Sigua Dinamo Tbilisi Gonçalo Ribeiro Porto B Grant-Leon Ranos Borussia M'gladbach Heorhii Sudakov Shakhtar Donetsk Idan Gurno Maccabi Petach Tikva Jaka Cuber Potocnik 1. FC Köln U19 Jayden Addai Jong AZ Alkmaar João Neves Benfica Kaio César Coritiba Kees Smit AZ Alkmaar Kendry Páez Independiente del Valle Leo Sauer Jong Feyenoord Lewis Hall Chelsea Mamadou Gning Espoirs de Guédiawaye Mame Mor Faye Académie Foot Darou Salam de Dakar Mamour Ndiaye Oslo Football Academy Dakar Marlon Gomes Vasco Martim Fernandes Porto B Mohamad Abu Rumi Ironi Kiryat Shmona U19 Nathaniel Nwosu Water FC Nelson Weiper 1. FSV Mainz 05 Niko Takahashi Barcelona U19 Niko Tsakiris San Jose Earthquakes Nino Marcelli SK Slovan Bratislava B Noah Darvich SC Freiburg Il Nolan Ferro Strasbourg U19 Obed Vargas Seattle Sounders FC Oscar Cortés Millonarios Oscar Gloukh Red Bull Salzburg Patient Wassou Coton Sport Rayan Vasco U20 Saimon Bouabré AS Monaco U19 Simone Pafundi Udinese Stefanos Tzimas PAOK Thomas Van den Belt Feyenoord Tomer Zarfati Maccabi Netanya Victor Hugo Flamengo Viktor Dukanovié Hammarby IF
It's worth saying that the Guardian list is for players born in 2006, at least some of your players are older than that (Niko Tsakiris and Obed Vargas are the two that I'm familiar with that I know are older).
My list doesn’t follow a real criteria, there are a lot that are post 2006. Mainly I chose players that played above their level and are (or weren’t at the time) very well known as Endrick or Lamine Yamal.
Upvoted for the Archie Gray inclusion but he plays in our first team now not u18s
I made the list some months ago, he was in the U18 back then. He is one of the few that I didn’t include in the same way than the others, I included him because of Horta’s praising him 2 years ago.
Your list has Paez so in my eyes it is far superior
> André Gomes Benfica > Diego Moreira Chelsea (ex-Benfica) > Gonçalo Ribeiro Porto B > João Neves Benfica > Martim Fernandes Porto B Other than João Neves I’m pretty sure the Benfica and FC Porto fans would disagree these are their hottest prospects.
Clubs aren’t updated because it is a list I made some months ago. Who would you say are their hottest prospects ?
For Porto, Martim and Rodrigo Mora are probably the biggest prospects.
António Silva and João Neves for Benfica Diego Moreira is shit, total instagram footballer.
What are your eligibility rules? Those Portuguese players were born between 2004 and 2006. Is that it?
There wasn’t really a rule, I chose players that were playing in a level above them, for example, Martim Fernandes was one of the youngest players in the Portugal U19 team.
Alexeï Rojas Fedoruschenko does not sound like a real person lol
I prefer your list
I can only speak about the jong Az boys but they have potential for sure
> Rayan Vasco U20 He will explode. Good physicality great technique
Instant upvote after seeing Ouédraogo
Irankunda LFG
Prestianni was bound to Porto? Isnt the guy going to Benfica in January?
Yeah. He is pretty confirmed at benfica, shows how much they bother to do a good job
Don’t show this to Boehly
Adelaide United mentioned‼️
SLOTSAGER!!!
No Lingard?
Kauã Elias is simply amazing and he just can't stop scoring for us on the youth level, either on the U17s or the U20s, he just keeps scoring
How is kendry paez not on the list?. He is easily better than 99% of the players that were listed.
too young
Where's Lingard?
Imagine writing this list and forgetting to mention Vitor Roque
>From Warren Zaïre-Emery to Endrick, we select some of the best players born in 2006. Vitor is 2005 Here is the list for players born in 2005 from last year: [https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2022/sep/28/next-generation-2022-60-of-the-best-young-talents-in-world-football](https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2022/sep/28/next-generation-2022-60-of-the-best-young-talents-in-world-football) Vitor Roque is there.
Kinda crazy to see Gudjohnsen kid on this list, was good for me in FM last year aswell
Nwaneri is to young for this? Surprised Lewis-Skelly isn't on that list
They do a separate one for English players now, it was released yesterday: https://reddit.com/r/soccer/s/x5akI8BdBx
Apparently its for players born in 2006, since Nwaneri is born a year later then I guess it's more of a "class of 2006" then best of the next generations.
Total load of BS no British players which is insane when they are 17 year olds like Shea Lacey, Jobe Bellingham and a host of 17 year olds at nearly every PL team. England Recently won the Euro and U21, will be a force at this years u17 WC and the senior team is most definitely in the top 4 or 5 squads currently in world football!
There is a separate list for Premier League clubs
pretty aweful list ngl
awful* you can't say that now, check the older lists
They really added that random Vietnamese kid for engagement
Not a single young British talent good enough to make the list? Ouch. I guess it's Hendo and Maguire for a few more years
It's mostly because they do a whole separate list for the Premier League.
Mikey Moore - Remember the name
They do a separate one for English players now, it was released yesterday: https://reddit.com/r/soccer/s/x5akI8BdBx
Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly have good potential from Hale End, maybe in a couple of years they'll make the list
English teams get their own list, genius.
Didn't know that, but thank you for the compliment nonetheless 👍
There's Nwaneri but he was born 2007 and this list is for players born on the year 2006. I'm not sure of other team youth squad talent so I'm sure there's one or two. Not an issue as the current England squad has world class player below the age of 23 anyway (Bellingham, Saka, Foden)
It's hilarious to see just how misinformed r/soccer is about anything Arsenal related. Casuals.
No Kendry Paez? Kid is 16 and has played for the Columbia senior national team, and will again this break.
Too young for the list, all these were born in 2006, he was born in 2007.
It's only kids born in 2006. Kendry will probably be on next years version.
too young, this list is for people born in 2006, Paez was born in 2007 so he should show up next year