The Champions League is back, and with it comes a host of under-21 players looking to impress. Some, such as Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha (17) and Arsenal’s Max Dowman (15), are so young that it may take some time for them to develop fully. Others, like Chelsea’s Estêvão and Real Madrid duo Franco Mastantuono and Dean Huijsen, moved for large transfer fees over the summer and are already well-known across Europe.
So here’s a collection of U21 players who have yet to make a breakthrough, but will view this season’s Champions League as the perfect place to do so.
– O’Hanlon: Ranking UCL field: PSG, Barcelona or Liverpool?
– Ogden: Champions League storylines to watch this season
– Johnson: A reminder of how the new UCL format works
Vasilije Adzic, 19, AM, Juventus
The Montenegro international’s reputation had grown almost mythological among scouts when playing for Buducnost in his home country at the start of his career. After signing for Juventus 18 months ago — and being dubbed the biggest talent to come out of the Balkan nation since Stevan Jovetic — Adzic remained largely out of sight, but that changed in the 4-3 victory over Internazionale in the Derby d’Italia on Saturday when he came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner with a thunderous 30-yard strike.
Technically accomplished and a wonderfully crisp passer, Adzic possesses excellent vision and is always looking for options when in possession. He likes to carry the ball forward through the defensive line and get into a position to use his well-documented shooting ability. Overall, the 19-year-old has all the attributes to turn into one of the top attacking playmakers in Serie A.
Jobe Bellingham, 19, CM, Borussia Dortmund
Bellingham followed his brother Jude’s career path and joined Dortmund for around €30 million from Sunderland this summer, but it wasn’t the smoothest of starts as his father drew some negative headlines in the early weeks of the Bundesliga season. Still, the England U21 international will be looking to bridge the gap between the Championship and Champions League football in a matter of months, and the signs are promising after he impressed at the Club World Cup.
Taller and more physically imposing than his famous brother, Bellingham’s long stride, drive and composure in midfield mean he is able to carry the ball through the defensive lines or arrive late in the box as a scoring threat. Still a work in progress defensively and in terms of his decision-making, he will relish the chance to develop at Dortmund and already looks built for the European stage.
Marc Bernal, 18, DM, Barcelona
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Barcelona have long been trying to find a successor to legendary midfielder Sergio Busquets from their La Masia academy, and Bernal might be the closest option to date. The 18-year-old started the first three LaLiga fixtures last season, but tore his ACL on Aug. 27 and has only just returned to action after 383 days out.
Standing 6-foot-4, Bernal’s composure on the ball and positional discipline are immediately notable, while the way he dictates the rhythm of the game from the No. 6 position — circulating possession with quick touches, while intelligently plugging gaps when defending — is also impressive for his age. Bernal is more than just a metronome, though, as he has a highly developed footballing IQ and often plays progressive passes from deep to start attacks.
Lucas Bergvall, 19, CM, Tottenham Hotspur
Bergvall looks set to enter the Champions League scene with the same quiet authority that has characterized his career to date. The Sweden international chose Spurs over Barcelona when leaving Djurgården in February 2024, and his swift adaptation to the demands of a sometimes chaotic team (in the pre-Thomas Frank era) has made him stand out.
On his day, Bergvall looks capable of dictating the entire rhythm of midfield with his composure on the ball and eye for line-breaking passes. Physically robust yet agile, he protects the ball well and often carries it forward with purpose. Though he’s still working on his defensive positioning and adding a touch more aggression to his game, he should get plenty of minutes this season despite increased competition in midfield.
Francesco Esposito, 20, ST, Inter Milan
In a league not known for offering many opportunities to young players early in their careers, Esposito has had to bide his time at Inter. But fresh from a prolific loan spell at Spezia, where his 17 league goals made him Serie B’s second-top scorer last season, he came back to Inter with momentum this summer and was recently handed his first senior Italy cap against Estonia.
Mobile and strong, “Pio” sports a higher technical foundation than many traditional No. 9 strikers and doesn’t just thrive in the box. He can also find the net from distance with his powerful right foot. Last season he averaged 0.42 xG per 90 minutes, which is impressive in the notoriously low-scoring Serie B.
Nnamdi Collins, 20, CB, Eintracht Frankfurt
While Frankfurt stars Jean-Mattéo Bahoya and Can Uzun deserve mentions, it is commanding center back Collins who stands out, as he has enjoyed a rapid ascent from establishing himself as a regular last season to being rewarded with his first senior Germany cap this month.
The Dortmund academy graduate is taking his game to the next level. He is dominant in aerial duels and has a high sprint/recovery speed, and he is assertive in one-vs.-one situations. Last season, he recorded an outstanding 74% success rate in defensive duels in the Bundesliga. He also is capable of bringing the ball out of the back well.
Jorthy Mokio, 17, DM/CB, Ajax
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Mokio, the latest gem to come from the famous Ajax academy, already looks destined for great things. In the brief glimpses offered last season, the Belgium international displayed the composure and ball-playing class associated with previous Ajax prodigies. And he has all of Europe’s top clubs on a transfer alert.
Whether he will ultimately settle in midfield or defense is still open, but his skill set should serve him well regardless. The left-footed Mokio is elegant on the ball, quick, technically brilliant, progressive with his distribution and calm under pressure. Though his defensive game still has some rough edges — positioning, body use and assertiveness in duels remain areas for improvement — the foundations for success are unquestionably there.
Gianluca Prestianni, 19, AM/FW, Benfica
Prestianni has attracted the attention of scouts ever since breaking through at Velez Sarsfield and with the Argentina under-17 side in 2022, though he has yet to fully establish himself in European football after a €9 million move to Benfica last year. But, after only a handful of appearances last season, his fine start to this domestic campaign indicates that a proper breakout is in the offing.
Operating as a No. 10 midfielder in behind the striker, or as an inverted playmaker from the left, Prestianni thrives on rapid take-ons, quick shifts of direction and incisive through balls. At 5-foot-5, he has a low center of gravity, making it hard for opponents to dispossess him, and his knack for drifting between the defensive lines allows him to initiate neat passing combinations with his teammates in dangerous areas.
Dastan Satpaev, 17, ST, Kairat Almaty
Chelsea’s relentless search for emerging talent around the world is perhaps best illustrated by the signing of Satpaev. Signed from Kazakhstan Premier League club Kairat for around €4 million, the teenage forward will arrive in London next summer when he turns 18, having already established himself as a senior international.
Satpaev offers an intriguing makeup of qualities: pace to threaten space in behind the defense, neat close control, sharp take-on skills and a powerful shot with either foot. His willingness to roam makes him difficult for defenders pin down, as he often drifts into threatening positions in the final third, and it’s still too early to determine whether he’ll end up as a central striker or an incisive, inverted winger.
Paul Wanner, 19, AM, PSV Eindhoven
On the back of an excellent season on loan at Heidenheim — six goals and six assists in 41 appearances, including a key 95th-minute pass that helped secure the club’s survival — the Bayern Munich academy graduate stood out as one of the most promising young midfielders in the Bundesliga. So Bayern’s decision to sanction a €15 million move to PSV this summer was probably a tough one, though likely based on their abundant competition for places in attacking midfield.
Elegant on the ball and confident driving forward, the left-footed Wanner negotiates tight spaces well and dribbles with purpose, and his vision and positional intelligence are well above average for a 19-year-old. The next step is to gain the consistency that will allow him to influence the game over 90 minutes to a higher degree.
