CIES Football Observatory

Monthly Report 98 / December 2024

SCOUTING REPORT
BEST U21 PLAYERS WORLDWIDE
2 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98
 INTRODUCTION

This report presents the players from 65 leagues (see appendix) born
in 2004 or later who performed the best during the ongoing season or
the one just completed for leagues organised over the calendar year.
The footballers have been divided into twenty categories according to
the main position played and their technical characteristics, as further
detailed below. Goalkeepers and centre forwards were divided into two
categories, centre backs into three, full/wing backs and wingers into four,
and midfielders into five.
The rankings were established according to a performance
index on a 100-basis considering players’ activity in six areas of the
game: ground defence, aerial play, distribution, chance creation, take on
and finishing (Wyscout data). The methodology used to measure perfor-
mance in each of these domains is explained in this report. This study
highlights the 20 players per category with the best performance index,
as well as their transfer value estimated from a property statistical model
detailed in this article.
In addition, for each outfield player, the report presents a radar chart to
illustrate his activity level, expressed as a percentile, in relation to his
teammates for each of the six areas of play analysed. A value of 50, by
way of example, reflects a median level of activity in the area concerned
compared with all the footballers of the employment team. Any higher
value indicates relative over-activity, while any lower value reflects un-
der-activity.
The methodological apparatus put in place enables us to produce rel-
evant scouting reports for any player segment in a rapid and efficient
manner. What is more, our expertise in assessing from a scientific per-
spective player transfer values allows any football stakeholder active in
the transfer business to integrate this aspect into their analysis of existing
market opportunities. This report is thus packed with information that can
help clubs, agents and other investors identify interesting players from
both a sporting and financial point of view.
Estimated transfer values are displayed in millions of euros. As fair prices
vary according to the financial strength of buyers, they are presented in
the form of intervals. The lower limit refers to the price for the projected
likely buyer, while the upper one indicates the fair price for a wealthier
buyer than the projected one. These values refer to the transfer indemnity
including eventual add-ons and the purchase of the whole transfer rights.

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 3

 SHORT-PASSES GOALKEEPERS

The first category of goalkeepers is made up of those whose

pass length is shorter than the average measured for players in
this position. French U21 international Guillaume Restes (Tou-
louse) tops the ranking with the best value overall: 83.2 out of
100. Unlike outfield players, this score does not refer to technical
gestures, but is calculated by weighting the official game minutes
played with the sporting level of the matches (see this note).

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Guillaume Restes 19.7yrs Toulouse FC(FRA) 83.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 James Beadle 20.3yrs Sheffield Wednesday(ENG/2) 75.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Slawomir Abramowicz 20.4yrs Jagiellonia Bialystok(POL) 67.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Chris Brady 20.7yrs Chicago Fire(USA) 67.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Ármin Pécsi 19.7yrs Puskás Akadémia(HUN) 67.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Thomas Gillier 20.5yrs Universidad Católica(CHI) 63.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Lovro Štubljar 20.3yrs NK Celje(SVN) 63.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Maciej Kikolski 20.7yrs Radomiak Radom(POL) 60.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Max Weiss 20.4yrs Karlsruher SC(GER/2) 59.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Jan Koutný 20.1yrs Sigma Olomouc(CZE) 59.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Aleks Bozhev 19.3yrs CSKA 1948(BUL) 57.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Viktor A
 ndersson 20.6yrs IFK Värnamo(SWE) 57.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Gavin Beavers 19.5yrs Real Salt Lake(USA) 57.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Berkant Bayrak 19.8yrs HB Køge(DEN/2) 56.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Dimitrije Stevanović 20.2yrs Radnički Niš(SRB) 56.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Ewen Jaouen 18.9yrs US Dunkerque(FRA/2) 56.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Mike Penders 19.3yrs KRC Genk(BEL) 56.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Elis Bishesari 19.5yrs IFK Göteborg(SWE) 55.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Diogo Fernandes 19.7yrs FC Porto B(POR/2) 52.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Matthias Pieklak 18.2yrs Lommel SK(BEL/2) 51.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

4 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 LONG-PASSES GOALKEEPERS

Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro (AZ Alkmaar) has the highest

score among goalkeepers whose pass length is longer than the
average measured for players in this position. The Dutchman is
ahead of Brazilian Mycael Pontes (Athletico Paranaense) and
American Gabriel Slonina, currently at Barnsley, in England’s
League One, on loan from Chelsea. Standard Liège’s Belgian
Matthieu Epolo ranks fourth. The youngest player in the top 10
is another American: Andrew Rick of Philadelphia Union (18.8
years).

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro 20.4yrs AZ Alkmaar(NED) 68.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Mycael Pontes 20.7yrs Athletico Paranaense(BRA) 67.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Gabriel Slonina 20.5yrs Barnsley FC(ENG/3) 64.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Matthieu Epolo 19.8yrs Standard Liège(BEL) 62.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Bogdan Moskvichev 20.5yrs FK Orenburg(RUS) 57.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Andrew Rick 18.8yrs Philadelphia Union(USA) 54.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Ivan Pakholyuk 20.5yrs Kolos Kovalivka(UKR) 54.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Martin Dala 20.6yrs Fehérvár FC(HUN) 54.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Lazar Kaličanin 20.5yrs FK Čukarički(SRB) 52.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Dominik Ťapaj 20.5yrs MFK Ružomberok(SVK) 52.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Lukas Jungwirth 20.5yrs LASK(AUT) 51.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Martin Delavallée 20.7yrs RSC Charleroi(BEL) 51.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Barnabás Simon 20.7yrs Paksi FC(HUN) 51.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Tom Bramel 19.3yrs SBV Vitesse(NED/2) 51.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Kjell Peersman 20.5yrs Lierse Kempenzonen(BEL/2) 49.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Lazar Balević 17.2yrs FK Napredak(SRB) 48.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Szymon Weirauch 20.7yrs Lechia Gdańsk(POL) 48.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Gonçalo Ribeiro 18.8yrs FC Porto B(POR/2) 47.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Muhammadyusuf Sobirov 18.6yrs FK Sogdiana(UZB) 47.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Magnus Ree 20.6yrs Viking FK(NOR) 42.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 5

 FULL DEFENCE CENTRE BACKS

Full defence centre backs account for the third of this posi-
tion’s players with the highest contribution to their team’s game
in ground defence with respect to distribution. RC Lens’ Uzbek
international Abdukodir Khusanov ranks first with an index of
81.8 out of 100, ahead of Italy’s Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina)
and Belgium’s Matte Smets (Genk). Yasin Özcan (Kasimpa-
sa, 18.6 years) and Vitor Reis (Palmeiras, 18.8 years) are the
youngest players in the top 10.

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Abdukodir Khusanov 20.7yrs RC Lens(FRA) 81.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Pietro Comuzzo 19.7yrs ACF Fiorentina(ITA) 81.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Matte S
 mets 20.9yrs KRC Genk(BEL) 79.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Vitor R
 eis 18.8yrs SE Palmeiras(BRA) 78.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Cristhian Mosquera 20.4yrs Valencia CF(ESP) 77.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Yasin Özcan 18.6yrs Kasimpaşa SK(TUR) 77.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Anrie Chase 20.6yrs VfB Stuttgart(GER) 77.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Aarón Anselmino 19.5yrs Boca Juniors(ARG) 76.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Tomás Avilés 20.8yrs Inter Miami(USA) 76.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Nils Zätterström 19.6yrs Malmö FF(SWE) 76.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Tobías Ramírez 18.0yrs Argentinos Juniors(ARG) 76.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Iván Román 18.3yrs CD Palestino(CHI) 75.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Dominik Prpić 20.5yrs Hajduk Split(CRO) 75.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Ilay Feingold 20.2yrs Maccabi Haifa(ISR) 75.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Lautaro Di Lollo 20.7yrs Boca Juniors(ARG) 74.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Sadibou Sané 20.4yrs FC Metz(FRA/2) 74.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Noah Allen 20.5yrs Inter Miami(USA) 74.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Stefan Leković 20.8yrs Crvena Zvezda(SRB) 73.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Seydou Sano 20.0yrs Al-Gharafa SC(QAT) 73.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Juan Arias 20.8yrs Atlético Nacional(COL) 73.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

6 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 The shape of Abdukodir Khusanov’s chart shows that the Uz-
bek is mainly involved in ground defence (88th percentile with
respect to all RC Lens players). At Fiorentina, Pietro Comuzzo
plays an important role also in the aerial play area (84th per-
centile). Matte Smets, meanwhile, is less involved in ground de-
fence (71st percentile), but slightly more in distribution (57th),
which brings him closer to the profile of allrounder centre backs.

Full defence centre backs: activity in relation to teammates

Abdukodir Khusanov Pietro Comuzzo Matte S

 mets
- RC Lens (FRA) - ACF Fiorentina (ITA) - KRC Genk (BEL)
- End of contract: 2
 027 - End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 028
- Estimated value (€M): 17.2-20.3 - Estimated value (€M): 22.3-26.4 - Estimated value (€M): 11.2-13.0

Vitor Reis Cristhian Mosquera Yasin Özcan Anrie Chase Aarón Anselmino Tomás Avilés
SE Palmeiras Valencia CF Kasimpaşa SK VfB Stuttgart Boca Juniors Inter Miami
€1
 5.6-18.1M €1
 9.4-23.0M €1 4.6-17.0M €9 .0-10.5M €1
 2.2-14.1M € 12.2-14.2M

Nils Zätterström Tobías Ramírez Iván Román Dominik Prpić Ilay Feingold Lautaro Di Lollo
Malmö FF Argentinos Juniors CD Palestino Hajduk Split Maccabi Haifa Boca Juniors
€5
 .3-6.0M € 3.8-4.3M €1
 .8-2.0M € 2.0-2.2M €2
 .1-2.4M € 3.2-3.6M

Sadibou Sané Noah Allen Stefan Leković Seydou Sano Juan Arias
FC Metz Inter Miami Crvena Zvezda Al-Gharafa SC Atlético Nacional
€5
 .6-6.5M € 2.9-3.2M €4 .9-5.7M €5 .8-6.7M €1 .4-1.5M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 7

 ALLROUNDER CENTRE BACKS

Allrounder centre backs are the third of players in this position

whose contributions to their team’s game in ground defence and
distribution differ the least. Barcelona’s Spanish full international
Pau Cubarsí (17.8 years) clearly stands out from the crowd, with
the best index of all central defenders combined: 90.2 out of 100.
He ranks ahead of two Belgian Pro League players: Ecuadorian
Joel Ordóñez (Brugge) and Serbian Jan-Carlo Simić (Ander-
lecht).

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Pau Cubarsí 17.8yrs FC Barcelona(ESP) 90.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Joel Ordóñez 20.6yrs Club Brugge(BEL) 79.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Jan-Carlo Simić 19.5yrs RSC Anderlecht(BEL) 79.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Ousmane Diao 20.4yrs FC Midtjylland(DEN) 77.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Kota T
 akai 20.2yrs Kawasaki Frontale(JPN) 77.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Samson Baidoo 20.6yrs RB Salzburg(AUT) 76.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Rav van den Berg 20.4yrs Middlesbrough FC(ENG/2) 76.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Ondřej Kričfaluši 20.6yrs FK Teplice(CZE) 75.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Dramane Koumaré 19.8yrs Al-Ain FC(UAE) 74.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Bogdan Slyubyk 20.8yrs Rukh Lviv(UKR) 73.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Fallou Fall 20.6yrs Fredrikstad FK(NOR) 73.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Alexios Kalogeropoulos 20.3yrs Volos FC(GRE) 73.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Tomás Král 20.0yrs Mladá Boleslav(CZE) 73.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Lucas Högsberg 18.4yrs FC Nordsjælland(DEN) 72.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Bram Lagae 20.8yrs KV Kortrijk(BEL) 72.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Bojan Kovačević 20.5yrs Cádiz CF(ESP/2) 72.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Juan Rodríguez 19.5yrs Boston River(URU) 72.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Aleksej Vukičević 19.4yrs OFK Beograd(SRB) 71.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Brahim Traoré 20.8yrs SM Caen(FRA/2) 71.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Tyler Bindon 19.8yrs Reading FC(ENG/3) 70.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

8 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 Pau Cubarsí’s activity radar in the context of FC Barcelona’s
game shows above average involvement in distribution (77th
percentile), aerial play (85th) and ground defense (69th). Joel
Ordóñez is less involved in his team’s game overall, while
Jan-Carlo Simić’s playing profile at Anderlecht is closer to that
of Pau Cubarsí at Barcelona. The Serb has a particularly high
value in ground defence (86th percentile).

Allrounder centre backs: activity in relation to teammates

Pau Cubarsí Joel Ordóñez Jan-Carlo Simić

- FC Barcelona (ESP) - Club Brugge (BEL) - RSC Anderlecht (BEL)
- End of contract: 2
 027 - End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 029
- Estimated value (€M): 61.8-64.8 - Estimated value (€M): 20.1-23.7 - Estimated value (€M): 14.3-16.8

Ousmane Diao Kota Takai Samson Baidoo Rav van den Berg Ondřej Kričfaluši Dramane Koumaré
FC Midtjylland Kawasaki Frontale RB Salzburg Middlesbrough FC FK Teplice Al-Ain FC
€8
 .8-10.1M € 3.6-4.1M € 9.8-11.3M €1
 0.0-11.6M €2
 .0-2.2M € 0.8-0.9M

Bogdan Slyubyk Fallou Fall Kalogeropoulos Tomás Král Lucas Högsberg Bram Lagae
Rukh Lviv Fredrikstad FK Volos FC Mladá Boleslav FC Nordsjælland KV Kortrijk
€3
 .2-3.5M € 0.7-0.8M €1 .3-1.4M € 1.1-1.2M €1 .6-1.8M € 2.0-2.2M

Bojan Kovačević Juan Rodríguez Aleksej Vukičević Brahim Traoré Tyler Bindon
Cádiz CF Boston River OFK Beograd SM Caen Reading FC
€4 .3-5.0M € 0.9-1.0M €2
 .1-2.3M €1 .7-1.9M €1
 .7-2.0M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 9

 BUILD-UP CENTRE BACKS

Build-up centre backs account for the third of players in this po-
sition whose contribution to their team’s game in distribution is
the highest compared to that in ground defence. Dynamo Ky-
iv’s Taras Mykhavko tops the list. The Ukrainian is ahead of the
youngest player in the top 10, Croatian Luka Vušković (West-
erlo, on loan from Tottenham, 17.7 years), and Dutchman Wout-
er Goes (AZ Alkmaar). Fifth-placed Brazilian Douglas Mendes
(RB Bragantino) is the top ranked player active outside Europe.

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Taras Mykhavko 19.5yrs Dynamo Kyiv(UKR) 82.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Luka Vušković 17.7yrs KVC Westerlo(BEL) 77.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Wouter Goes 20.4yrs AZ Alkmaar(NED) 77.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Dean Huijsen 19.6yrs Bournemouth AFC(ENG) 76.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Douglas Mendes 20.4yrs RB Bragantino(BRA) 75.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Vitaliy Kholod 20.8yrs Rukh Lviv(UKR) 73.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Nathan Zézé 19.4yrs FC Nantes(FRA) 72.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Nikolai Hopland 20.3yrs SC Heerenveen(NED) 72.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Samuli Miettinen 20.4yrs KuPS(FIN) 72.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Mikayil Faye 20.3yrs Stade Rennais(FRA) 71.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Adam Dohnálek 20.4yrs Sigma Olomouc(CZE) 71.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Ahmed Sidibé 20.8yrs FC Koper(SVN) 71.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Jean Pedroso 20.8yrs Karpaty Lviv(UKR) 71.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Ayman El Wafi 20.5yrs FC Lugano(SUI) 70.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Maro Katinić 20.6yrs Sharjah FC(UAE) 70.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Kaare Barslund 20.6yrs IF Brommapojkarna(SWE) 70.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Marko Ristić 20.0yrs Olimpija Ljubljana(SVN) 69.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Tobias Slotsager 18.9yrs Odense BK(DEN/2) 69.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Jorne Spileers 19.8yrs Club Brugge(BEL) 68.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Martin Gjone 19.5yrs Sandefjord Fotball(NOR) 68.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

10 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 The activity radars of the three highest ranked build-up centre
backs show notable differences in their involvement by register
of play. Taras Mykhavko is the most heavily involved in distribu-
tion and aerial play (94th percentile compared to teammates in
both cases), Luka Vušković is the most active in chance crea-
tion (63rd) and finishing (50th), while Wouter Goes has the high-
est relative contribution in take on (46th percentile).

Build-up centre backs: activity in relation to teammates

Taras Mykhavko Luka Vušković Wouter Goes

- Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) - KVC Westerlo (BEL) - AZ Alkmaar (NED)
- End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 030 - End of contract: 2
 028
- Estimated value (€M): 8.7-10.0 - Estimated value (€M): 11.3-12.9 - Estimated value (€M): 8.2-9.4

Dean Huijsen Douglas Mendes Vitaliy Kholod Nathan Zézé Nikolai Hopland Samuli Miettinen
Bournemouth AFC RB Bragantino Rukh Lviv FC Nantes SC Heerenveen KuPS
€2
 5.8-30.7M € 5.6-6.3M €2
 .1-2.4M € 6.5-7.5M €1
 .4-1.6M € 0.6-0.6M

Mikayil Faye Adam Dohnálek Ahmed Sidibé Jean Pedroso Ayman El Wafi Maro Katinić
Stade Rennais Sigma Olomouc FC Koper Karpaty Lviv FC Lugano Sharjah FC
€9 .6-11.2M € 1.2-1.3M €0
 .5-0.6M € 1.3-1.4M €3
 .8-4.3M € 1.7-1.9M

Kaare Barslund Marko Ristić Tobias Slotsager Jorne Spileers Martin Gjone
IF Brommapojkarna Olimpija Ljubljana Odense BK Club Brugge Sandefjord Fotball
€1 .1-1.2M € 1.1-1.1M €0
 .7-0.8M €9 .8-11.4M €0
 .3-0.3M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 11

 DEFENSIVE LEFT FULL/WING BACKS

The defensive full/wing backs category includes players whose

activity rate in take on with respect to teammates is below the
median measured at the level of all wide defenders. Mainly used
as a left back, but also at ease as a central defender, Dutch in-
ternational Jorrel Hato (Ajax, born in 2006) has the best index
(84.7 out of 100), ahead of England’s Lewis Hall (Newcastle
United) and Belgium’s Matteo Dams (PSV Eindhoven).

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Jorrel Hato 18.7yrs AFC Ajax(NED) 84.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Lewis Hall 20.2yrs Newcastle United(ENG) 83.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Matteo Dams 20.7yrs PSV Eindhoven(NED) 80.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Elías Báez 20.1yrs CA San Lorenzo(ARG) 74.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Aaron Zehnter 20.0yrs SC Paderborn(GER/2) 73.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Jhoan Hernández 18.7yrs Millonarios FC(COL) 73.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Michal Gurgul 18.8yrs Lech Poznań(POL) 72.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Andrei Borza 19.0yrs Rapid București(ROM) 71.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Valentín Barco 20.3yrs Sevilla FC(ESP) 71.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Lukas Ullrich 20.7yrs Borussia M'gladbach(GER) 70.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Damian van der Haar 20.8yrs PEC Zwolle(NED) 69.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Adrián Chévez 20.8yrs Santa Ana FC(CRC) 68.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Leandro Viana 19.7yrs CR Vasco da Gama(BRA) 68.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Caleb Wiley 19.9yrs RC Strasbourg(FRA) 68.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Srdjan Kuzmić 20.8yrs Viborg FF(DEN) 68.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Nhoa Sangui 18.7yrs Stade de Reims(FRA) 67.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Peyton Miller 17.0yrs New England(USA) 67.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Hodei Arrillaga 20.5yrs SD Eibar(ESP/2) 66.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Filip Luberecki 19.6yrs Motor Lublin(POL) 66.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Marcos Navarro 20.5yrs Levante UD(ESP/2) 66.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

12 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 In the Ajax playing system, Hato is mainly called upon in the are-
as of aerial play (83rd percentile) and ground defence (82nd per-
centile). Lewis Hall plays the most active role of the three top-
ranked footballers in take on and distribution, reflecting a profile
approaching that of the attacking full/wing back category. Matteo
Dams, finally, is the least involved in attack, with particularly low
relative values in take on, chance creation and finishing.

Defensive left full/wing backs: activity in relation to teammates

Jorrel Hato Lewis Hall Matteo Dams

- AFC Ajax (NED) - Newcastle United (ENG) - PSV Eindhoven (NED)
- End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 029 - End of contract: 2
 025
- Estimated value (€M): 50.1-52.5 - Estimated value (€M): 50.8-53.2 - Estimated value (€M): 2.6-3.0

Elías Báez Aaron Zehnter Jhoan Hernández Michal Gurgul Andrei Borza Valentín Barco
CA San Lorenzo SC Paderborn Millonarios FC Lech Poznań Rapid București Sevilla FC
€1 .1-1.3M € 1.9-2.1M €1  .6-1.7M € 1.4-1.5M €3
 .0-3.3M € 17.2-20.0M

Lukas Ullrich Damian van der Haar Adrián Chévez Leandro Viana Caleb Wiley Srdjan Kuzmić
Borussia M'gladbach PEC Zwolle Santa Ana FC CR Vasco da Gama RC Strasbourg Viborg FF
€2 .8-3.2M € 1.6-1.7M €0
 .3-0.3M € 0.9-1.0M €1
 2.0-13.7M € 1.2-1.3M

Nhoa Sangui Peyton Miller Hodei Arrillaga Filip Luberecki Marcos Navarro
Stade de Reims New England SD Eibar Motor Lublin Levante UD
€2 .2-2.6M € 3.3-3.8M €0
 .9-1.1M €0
 .6-0.7M €0 .9-1.0M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 13

 ATTACKING LEFT FULL/WING BACKS

The category of attacking left full/wing backs includes players

whose activity in take on in relation to teammates is above the
median measured for all wide defenders. The top three are Sen-
egal’s Malick Diouf (Slavia Prague), Argentina’s Julio Soler
(CA Lanús) and Ecuador’s Yaimar Medina (Independiente del
Valle). Only one player under the age of 19 features in the top
ten: Brøndby’s Dane Clement Bischoff (18.9 years).

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Malick Diouf 19.9yrs Slavia Praha(CZE) 81.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Julio Soler 19.7yrs CA Lanús(ARG) 79.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Yaimar Medina 20.0yrs Independiente del Valle(ECU) 78.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Román Vega 20.9yrs Argentinos Juniors(ARG) 78.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Tom Rothe 20.0yrs Union Berlin(GER) 77.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Mateo Chávez 20.5yrs Chivas Guadalajara(MEX) 76.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Clement Bischoff 18.9yrs Brøndby IF(DEN) 76.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Álex Valle 20.6yrs Celtic FC(SCO) 76.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Christian Mawissa 19.6yrs AS Monaco(FRA) 75.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Juan Martín Velázquez 20.0yrs CA Belgrano(ARG) 75.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Reed Baker-Whiting 19.6yrs Seattle Sounders(USA) 74.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Richard Akonnor 20.8yrs Al-Jazira Club(UAE) 74.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Ilya Rozhkov 19.6yrs Rubin Kazan(RUS) 73.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Diego Moreira 20.3yrs RC Strasbourg(FRA) 73.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Diego León 17.6yrs Cerro Porteño(PAR) 73.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Keita Kosugi 18.7yrs Djurgardens IF(SWE) 73.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Javier Mena 19.9yrs Rionegro Águilas(COL) 73.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Martim Marques 20.8yrs FC Lugano(SUI) 72.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Sam De Grand 20.1yrs Lommel SK(BEL/2) 71.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Runar Norheim 19.7yrs Tromsø IL(NOR) 71.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

14 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 Malick Diouf’s level of involvement in Slavia Prague’s attacking
play is particularly strong, with high values especially in take on
(77th percentile) and chance creation (71st). At Independiente
del Valle, Yaimar Medina is also heavily involved in all three are-
as of attack, reflecting, as for Diouf, extraordinary athletic ability.
Finally, Julio Soler at CA Lánus contributes more specifically to
the take on area (84th percentile).

Attacking left full/wing backs: activity in relation to teammates

Malick Diouf Julio Soler Yaimar Medina

- Slavia Praha (CZE) - CA Lanús (ARG) - Independiente del Valle (ECU)
- End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 026 - End of contract: 2
 027
- Estimated value (€M): 16.9-19.7 - Estimated value (€M): 6.3-7.3 - Estimated value (€M): 5.9-6.6

Román Vega Tom Rothe Mateo Chávez Clement Bischoff Álex Valle Christian Mawissa
Argentinos Juniors Union Berlin Chivas Guadalajara Brøndby IF Celtic FC AS Monaco
€4 .3-4.9M €1
 1.0-12.7M €3
 .9-4.5M € 2.3-2.6M €4
 .3-4.9M € 17.5-20.6M

JM Velázquez Reed Baker-Whiting Richard Akonnor Ilya Rozhkov Diego Moreira Diego León
CA Belgrano Seattle Sounders Al-Jazira Club Rubin Kazan RC Strasbourg Cerro Porteño
€1 .8-1.9M € 1.0-1.1M €1 .0-1.1M € 7.6-8.8M € 9.2-10.7M € 2.3-2.6M

Keita Kosugi Javier Mena Martim Marques Sam De Grand Runar Norheim
Djurgardens IF Rionegro Águilas FC Lugano Lommel SK Tromsø IL
€1 .6-1.8M € 1.3-1.4M €2
 .6-2.9M €1 .6-1.7M €1
 .8-2.0M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 15

 DEFENSIVE RIGHT FULL/WING BACKS

Heerenveen’s Oliver Braude tops the list for defensive right full/
wing backs. The Norwegian is ahead of Hajduk Split’s Croatian
Šimun Hrgović and FC Barcelona’s Spaniard Héctor Fort. Born
in 2006, the latter is also the youngest player in the top 10. Ecua-
dor’s Daniel de la Cruz (LDU Quito) is the highest ranked player
outside Europe, ahead of Uruguay’s Lucas Agazzi (Defensor
SC) and Colombia’s Yeferson Moreno (Junior FC).

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Oliver Braude 20.7yrs SC Heerenveen(NED) 76.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Šimun Hrgović 20.7yrs Hajduk Split(CRO) 73.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Héctor Fort 18.3yrs FC Barcelona(ESP) 73.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Daniel de la Cruz 20.7yrs LDU Quito(ECU) 73.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Zachary Athekame 19.9yrs Young Boys(SUI) 73.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Eivind Helland 19.6yrs SK Brann(NOR) 72.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Lucas Agazzi 19.5yrs Defensor SC(URU) 72.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Yeferson Moreno 20.8yrs Junior FC(COL) 71.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Tobías Rubio 20.3yrs Defensa y Justicia(ARG) 71.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Dilan Rojas 20.4yrs Deportes Iquique(CHI) 71.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Moussa Ndiaye 20.7yrs Al-Nasr SC(UAE) 71.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Kobe Corbanie 19.5yrs Royal Antwerp(BEL) 70.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Vukašin Djurdjević 20.8yrs FK Partizan(SRB) 70.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Kellen Fisher 20.5yrs Norwich City(ENG/2) 70.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Nahuel Arias 19.9yrs CA San Lorenzo(ARG) 70.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Ian Garguez 19.8yrs CD Palestino(CHI) 70.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Pau Navarro 19.6yrs Villarreal CF(ESP) 69.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Alan Núñez 20.1yrs Cerro Porteño(PAR) 69.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Mukhammadrasul Abdumazhidov 20.3yrs Pakhtakor FK(UZB) 69.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Carlos Sarabia 19.4yrs Millonarios FC(COL) 68.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

16 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 At Heerenveen, Oliver Braude plays a very important role in
both ground defence (98th percentile) and distribution (78th). At
Barcelona, Héctor Fort is also very much in demand defensive-
ly, but plays a smaller part in the build-up phase (33rd percen-
tile versus 78th for Braude). At Hajduk Split, Šimun Hrgović is
moderately active in all areas except aerial play, with a maximum
value in the take on area (57th percentile).

Defensive right full/wing backs: activity in relation to teammates

Oliver Braude Šimun Hrgović Héctor Fort

- SC Heerenveen (NED) - Hajduk Split (CRO) - FC Barcelona (ESP)
- End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 026
- Estimated value (€M): 4.0-4.5 - Estimated value (€M): 1.5-1.6 - Estimated value (€M): 11.9-13.3

Daniel de la Cruz Zachary Athekame Eivind Helland Lucas Agazzi Yeferson Moreno Tobías Rubio
LDU Quito Young Boys SK Brann Defensor SC Junior FC Defensa y Justicia
€1
 .0-1.1M € 3.4-3.8M €1
 .1-1.2M € 1.7-1.8M €1
 .1-1.2M € 2.7-3.0M

Dilan Rojas Moussa Ndiaye Kobe Corbanie Vukašin Djurdjević Kellen Fisher Nahuel Arias
Deportes Iquique Al-Nasr SC Royal Antwerp FK Partizan Norwich City CA San Lorenzo
€0 .8-0.8M € 1.3-1.4M €3 .3-3.8M € 1.9-2.1M €3 .9-4.4M € 0.8-0.9M

Ian Garguez Pau Navarro Alan Núñez Abdumazhidov Carlos Sarabia

CD Palestino Villarreal CF Cerro Porteño Pakhtakor FK Millonarios FC
€0
 .5-0.5M € 4.3-4.9M €1 .3-1.4M €0
 .8-0.8M €0  .7-0.8M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 17

 ATTACKING RIGHT FULL/WING BACKS

Two great Portuguese talents share the top spot in the attack-
ing full/wing right back rankings: Martim Fernandes (Porto) and
Geovany Quenda (Sporting CP). Born in 2006 and 2007 re-
spectively, they are also the two youngest players in the top 10.
Argentina’s Agustín Giay (Palmeiras) completes the top three,
ahead of two players whose contracts expire in 2026 and there-
fore represent excellent market opportunities: Germany’s Anton
Kade (Basel) and Belgium’s Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge).

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Martim Fernandes 18.8yrs FC Porto(POR) 80.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Geovany Quenda 17.5yrs Sporting CP(POR) 80.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Agustín Giay 20.8yrs SE Palmeiras(BRA) 78.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Anton Kade 20.8yrs FC Basel(SUI) 78.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Joaquin Seys 19.6yrs Club Brugge(BEL) 77.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Anan Khalaili 20.2yrs Union SG(BEL) 77.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Lautaro Vargas 19.8yrs CA Unión(ARG) 76.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Alisson Santana 19.1yrs Atlético Mineiro(BRA) 75.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Ryan Andrews 20.2yrs Watford FC(ENG/2) 75.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Illia Krupskyi 20.1yrs FK Vorskla(UKR) 75.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Kevin Coronel 20.3yrs Argentinos Juniors(ARG) 74.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Sota K
 oshimichi 20.6yrs Sanfrecce Hiroshima(JPN) 74.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Ognjen Mimović 20.2yrs Crvena Zvezda(SRB) 74.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Mitja Ilenič 19.9yrs New York City(USA) 74.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Hampus Skoglund 20.7yrs Hammarby IF(SWE) 74.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Kevin Amaro 20.7yrs Liverpool FC(URU) 73.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty 20.4yrs CF Montréal(USA) 73.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Noam Ben Harush 19.5yrs Hapoel Haifa(ISR) 72.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Santiago Salle 20.4yrs CA Independiente(ARG) 71.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Vinícius Tobías 20.7yrs Shakhtar Donetsk(UKR) 71.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

18 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 Geovany Quenda’s role at Sporting CP is eminently offensive.
In order of importance, his greatest involvement was measured
in take on (75th percentile), chance creation (60th) and finishing
(51st). Martim Fernandes at Porto is much more active defen-
sively than Quenda at Sporting CP, as testified by the high value
measured in ground defence (88th percentile). Finally, Augustin
Giay at Palmeiras is much in demand both offensively and de-
fensively.

Attacking right full/wing backs: activity in relation to teammates

Martim Fernandes Geovany Quenda Agustín G

 iay
- FC Porto (POR) - Sporting CP (POR) - SE Palmeiras (BRA)
- End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 027 - End of contract: 2
 029
- Estimated value (€M): 12.5-14.6 - Estimated value (€M): 12.8-15.0 - Estimated value (€M): 13.2-15.1

Anton Kade Joaquin Seys Anan Khalaili Lautaro Vargas Alisson Santana Ryan Andrews
FC Basel Club Brugge Union SG CA Unión Atlético Mineiro Watford FC
€4 .0-4.6M € 5.7-6.6M €1
 8.3-21.2M € 2.7-3.0M €4 .4-4.9M € 9.1-10.7M

Illia Krupskyi Kevin Coronel Sota Koshimichi Ognjen Mimović Mitja Ilenič Hampus Skoglund
FK Vorskla Argentinos Juniors Sanfrecce Hiroshima Crvena Zvezda New York City Hammarby IF
€2
 .9-3.2M € 2.9-3.3M €0 .8-0.9M € 3.7-4.2M €5
 .7-6.6M € 1.4-1.5M

Kevin Amaro Marshall-Rutty Noam Ben Harush Santiago Salle Vinícius Tobías
Liverpool FC CF Montréal Hapoel Haifa CA Independiente Shakhtar Donetsk
€2 .2-2.4M € 1.3-1.5M €1
 .3-1.4M €2  .1-2.3M €3 .1-3.5M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 19

 HOLDING MIDFIELDERS

The holding midfielders’ category comprises players whose most

distinctive feature within their team’s context is the role played
for ball recovery. At the top of the list is France’s full international
Warren Zäire-Emery, who is also the youngest player in the top
10. Another young full international, Manchester City’s English-
man Rico Lewis, ranks second. Argentinian Christian Ordoñez
of Vélez Sarsfield is the top placed player outside the big-5.

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Warren Zaïre-Emery 18.7yrs Paris St-Germain(FRA) 86.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Rico Lewis 20.0yrs Manchester City(ENG) 85.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Carlos Baleba 20.9yrs Brighton & Hove(ENG) 85.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Lamine Camara 20.9yrs AS Monaco(FRA) 83.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Jack Hinshelwood 19.6yrs Brighton & Hove(ENG) 81.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Hugo Larsson 20.4yrs Eintracht Frankfurt(GER) 80.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Christian Ordoñez 20.3yrs Vélez Sarsfield(ARG) 80.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Dário Essugo 19.7yrs UD Las Palmas(ESP) 80.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Elian Irala 20.4yrs CA San Lorenzo(ARG) 78.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Ezechiel Banzuzi 19.7yrs OH Leuven(BEL) 78.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Andrey Santos 20.5yrs RC Strasbourg(FRA) 78.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Nikolas Sattlberger 20.8yrs KRC Genk(BEL) 77.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Tom Bischof 19.4yrs TSG Hoffenheim(GER) 77.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Obed Vargas 19.3yrs Seattle Sounders(USA) 77.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Alex Sarfo 20.1yrs Aris Limassol(CYP) 76.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Arthur Vermeeren 19.8yrs RB Leipzig(GER) 76.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Rubén Martínez 20.4yrs CA Independiente(ARG) 76.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Ibrahima Bangoura 20.9yrs KRC Genk(BEL) 75.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Ngal'ayel Mukau 20.0yrs LOSC Lille(FRA) 74.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Arthur Piedfort 19.8yrs KVC Westerlo(BEL) 74.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

20 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 The activity radar charts of the top three holding midfielders
reveal different profiles. While Warren Zaïre-Emery and Rico
Lewis’ main contribution to their team’s game is in ground de-
fence, the Frenchman is comparatively more involved in distri-
bution and take on. However, the Englishman has higher values
in chance creation and finishing. Overall, Carlos Baleba is the
most involved of the three, which illustrates his central role in
Brighton & Hove’s system of play.

Holding midfielders: activity in relation to teammates

Warren Zaïre-Emery Rico Lewis Carlos Baleba

- Paris St-Germain (FRA) - Manchester City (ENG) - Brighton & Hove (ENG)
- End of contract: 2
 029 - End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 029
- Estimated value (€M): 99.8-104.6 - Estimated value (€M): 85.4-89.5 - Estimated value (€M): 52.9-58.9

Lamine Camara Jack Hinshelwood Hugo Larsson Christian Ordoñez Dário Essugo Elian Irala
AS Monaco Brighton & Hove Eintracht Frankfurt Vélez Sarsfield UD Las Palmas CA San Lorenzo
€3 3.6-39.9M €4 1.2-44.6M €4 7.7-56.7M € 7.2-8.4M €7 .6-8.7M € 9.8-11.3M

Ezechiel Banzuzi Andrey Santos Nikolas Sattlberger Tom Bischof Obed Vargas Alex Sarfo
OH Leuven RC Strasbourg KRC Genk TSG Hoffenheim Seattle Sounders Aris Limassol
€6
 .1-7.0M €2
 5.9-30.2M €8
 .3-9.5M € 6.5-7.5M € 9.9-11.4M € 0.8-0.8M

Arthur Vermeeren Rubén Martínez Ibrahima Bangoura Ngal'ayel Mukau Arthur Piedfort
RB Leipzig CA Independiente KRC Genk LOSC Lille KVC Westerlo
€3
 8.2-45.2M € 4.6-5.2M €2
 .9-3.2M € 18.1-21.1M €4
 .7-5.3M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 21

 PLAYMAKING MIDFIELDERS

The playmaking midfielders’ category is made up of footballers

differentiating themselves by a particularly strong contribution in
the build-up phase. Germany’s Aleksandar Pavlović from Bay-
ern Munich has the best performance index (83.8 out of 100),
ahead of two other players born in 2004: Belgium’s Mathias
Delorge (Gent) and Brazil’s Breno Bidon (SC Corinthians).
Mexico’s Elías Montiel (Pachuca) is the youngest player in the
top 10.

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Aleksandar Pavlović 20.5yrs Bayern München(GER) 83.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Mathias Delorge 20.3yrs KAA Gent(BEL) 79.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Breno Bidon 19.7yrs SC Corinthians(BRA) 78.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Leon Avdullahu 20.7yrs FC Basel(SUI) 77.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Joaquín Mosqueira 20.0yrs CA Unión(ARG) 77.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Cher Ndour 20.3yrs Beşiktaş JK(TUR) 77.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Elías Montiel 19.1yrs CF Pachuca(MEX) 76.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Mario Dorgeles 20.3yrs FC Nordsjælland(DEN) 75.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Aljoscha Kemlein 20.3yrs Union Berlin(GER) 75.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Nathan Saliba 20.8yrs CF Montréal(USA) 74.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Sydie Peck 20.2yrs Sheffield United(ENG/2) 74.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Christos Mouzakitis 17.9yrs Olympiacos FC(GRE) 73.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Josen Escobar 19.9yrs América de Cali(COL) 73.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Roméo Lavia 20.9yrs Chelsea FC(ENG) 73.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Matias Siltanen 17.6yrs KuPS(FIN) 72.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Ronald Donkor 20.0yrs New York RB(USA) 72.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Mahmudu Bajo 20.2yrs FK DAC 1904(SVK) 72.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Nuno Félix 20.7yrs SL Benfica B(POR/2) 72.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Diogo Prioste 20.6yrs SL Benfica B(POR/2) 72.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Yarin Levi 19.3yrs Beitar Jerusalem(ISR) 71.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

22 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 In Bayern Munich’s system of play, Aleksandar Pavlović is pri-
marily involved in distribution (94th percentile) and ground de-
fence (80th), with a relatively high value in chance creation (52th)
too. Mathias Delorge plays a similar role at Gent, with an even
greater offensive involvement. Breno Bidon’s contribution to
Corinthians’ game is different again, with a greater involvement
in take on and a lower one in chance creation.

Playmaking midfielders: activity in relation to teammates

Aleksandar Pavlović Mathias Delorge Breno Bidon

- Bayern München (GER) - KAA Gent (BEL) - SC Corinthians (BRA)
- End of contract: 2
 029 - End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 029
- Estimated value (€M): 66.0-69.2 - Estimated value (€M): 14.2-16.5 - Estimated value (€M): 4.0-4.6

Leon Avdullahu Joaquín Mosqueira Cher Ndour Elías Montiel Mario Dorgeles Aljoscha Kemlein
FC Basel CA Unión Beşiktaş JK CF Pachuca FC Nordsjælland Union Berlin
€6 .1-7.1M € 8.1-9.4M €6
 .3-7.2M € 7.5-8.7M €4 .4-5.0M € 6.4-7.3M

Nathan Saliba Sydie Peck Christos Mouzakitis Josen Escobar Roméo Lavia Matias Siltanen
CF Montréal Sheffield United Olympiacos FC América de Cali Chelsea FC KuPS
€3 .9-4.3M € 3.3-3.8M €2 .5-2.9M € 1.6-1.7M €3 8.0-44.3M € 1.1-1.2M

Ronald Donkor Mahmudu Bajo Nuno Félix Diogo Prioste Yarin Levi
New York RB FK DAC 1904 SL Benfica B SL Benfica B Beitar Jerusalem
€2
 .4-2.6M € 1.8-2.0M €0
 .8-0.9M €1
 .9-2.1M €0  .3-0.3M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 23

 ASSISTING MIDFIELDERS

The assisting midfielders’ category gathers together players

who stand out above all for their strong involvement in creating
chances. Paris St-Germain’s new recruit João Neves tops the
list with a very high performance index, reflecting the full extent
of his talent: 91.9 out of 100. The Portuguese is ahead of Ander-
lecht’s Belgian Mario Stroeykens, as well as two Englishmen:
Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace) and Oliver Arblaster (Sheffield
United).

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 João Neves 20.1yrs Paris St-Germain(FRA) 91.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Mario Stroeykens 20.1yrs RSC Anderlecht(BEL) 83.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Adam Wharton 20.8yrs Crystal Palace(ENG) 79.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Oliver Arblaster 20.8yrs Sheffield United(ENG/2) 78.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Antoni-Djibu Milambo 19.6yrs Feyenoord(NED) 77.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Gustavo Neves 20.6yrs RB Bragantino(BRA) 76.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Mads Enggard 20.8yrs Molde FK(NOR) 75.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Timothy Ouma 20.4yrs IF Elfsborg(SWE) 75.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Samuel Gidi 20.6yrs MŠK Žilina(SVK) 74.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Yevgeniy Pastukh 20.7yrs Rukh Lviv(UKR) 74.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Agustín Soria 20.0yrs Defensor SC(URU) 73.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Reda Belahyane 20.5yrs Hellas Verona(ITA) 73.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Lennon Miller 18.2yrs Motherwell FC(SCO) 73.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Oleg Fedor 20.3yrs Rukh Lviv(UKR) 73.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 João Cruz 18.5yrs Athletico Paranaense(BRA) 72.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Philip Brittijn 20.6yrs De Graafschap(NED/2) 72.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Wilmer Odefalk 20.0yrs IF Brommapojkarna(SWE) 72.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Alexis Fariña 19.9yrs Cerro Porteño(PAR) 72.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Aleksandar Stanković 19.3yrs FC Luzern(SUI) 71.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Arthur Ebong 19.9yrs FC Lorient(FRA/2) 71.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

24 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 The importance of João Neves role at Paris St-Germain is illus-
trated by his strong contribution not only in chance creation (89th
percentile), but also in ground defence (89th too) and distribution
(79th). Mario Stroeykens also has a versatile profile, with a rel-
atively balanced involvement in all areas of Anderlecht’s game.
Finally, Adam Wharton’s contribution at Crystal Palace is mainly
in terms of chance creation and distribution.

Assisting midfielders: activity in relation to teammates

João Neves Mario Stroeykens Adam Wharton

- Paris St-Germain (FRA) - RSC Anderlecht (BEL) - Crystal Palace (ENG)
- End of contract: 2
 029 - End of contract: 2
 026 - End of contract: 2
 029
- Estimated value (€M): 96.1-100.7 - Estimated value (€M): 17.2-20.2 - Estimated value (€M): 34.0-40.4

Oliver Arblaster Antoni-Djibu Milambo Gustavo Neves Mads Enggard Timothy Ouma Samuel Gidi
Sheffield United Feyenoord RB Bragantino Molde FK IF Elfsborg MŠK Žilina
€9 .3-10.9M €1
 9.2-22.5M €5 .8-6.6M € 4.2-4.7M €2 .6-2.9M € 2.4-2.6M

Yevgeniy Pastukh Agustín Soria Reda Belahyane Lennon Miller Oleg Fedor João Cruz
Rukh Lviv Defensor SC Hellas Verona Motherwell FC Rukh Lviv Athletico Paranaense
€3
 .4-3.7M € 0.8-0.9M € 9.7-11.1M € 2.8-3.1M €2
 .0-2.1M € 2.2-2.4M

Philip Brittijn Wilmer Odefalk Alexis Fariña Aleks Stanković Arthur Ebong
De Graafschap IF Brommapojkarna Cerro Porteño FC Luzern FC Lorient
€0 .5-0.6M € 1.9-2.1M €1 .4-1.5M €0
 .6-0.6M €1
 .5-1.7M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 25

 INFILTRATING MIDFIELDERS

The infiltrating midfielders’ category comprises players who

stand out primarily for the extent of their contribution in the take
on area. Independiente del Valle’s Ecuadorian full international
Kendry Paez, already signed by Chelsea, ranks first. Born in
2007, he is also the youngest player in the top 10. He is ahead of
England’s Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United) and Argentina’s
Claudio Echeverri (River Plate, on loan from Manchester City).

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Kendry Páez 17.5yrs Independiente del Valle(ECU) 83.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Kobbie Mainoo 19.6yrs Manchester United(ENG) 83.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Claudio Echeverri 18.9yrs River Plate(ARG) 82.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Gustavo Sá 20.0yrs FC Famalicão(POR) 79.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Noah Sadiki 19.9yrs Union SG(BEL) 78.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Miguel Monsalve 20.7yrs Grêmio FBPA(BRA) 77.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Quinn Sullivan 20.6yrs Philadelphia Union(USA) 77.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Nico Paz 20.2yrs Como 1907(ITA) 77.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Rubén Lezcano 20.8yrs Club Libertad(PAR) 77.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Lucas Assadi 20.8yrs Universidad de Chile(CHI) 76.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Kacper Urbański 20.2yrs Bologna FC(ITA) 76.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Konstantinos Karetsas 17.0yrs KRC Genk(BEL) 76.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. David Ochoa 20.8yrs Inter Miami(USA) 76.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Mahamadou Doumbia 20.5yrs Royal Antwerp(BEL) 76.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Íker F
 imbres 19.4yrs CF Monterrey(MEX) 76.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Lorran Lucas 18.4yrs CR Flamengo(BRA) 76.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Mário Sauer 20.5yrs MŠK Žilina(SVK) 75.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Sverre Nypan 17.9yrs Rosenborg BK(NOR) 75.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Valentin Atangana Edoa 19.2yrs Stade de Reims(FRA) 75.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 David Moses 20.8yrs MFK Karviná(CZE) 75.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

26 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 Kendry Paez plays a key role in Independiente del Valle’s attack-
ing game, with very high values not only in take on, but also in
chance creation and finishing. Claudio Echeverri has a similar
attacking profile. His levels of involvement in distribution and,
above all, ground defence, however, are much lower than Kend-
ry Paez’s ones. Kobbie Mainoo’s contribution at Manchester
United is relatively evenly distributed across all areas of the
game, which brings him into line with other profile categories.

Infiltrating midfielders: activity in relation to teammates

Kendry Páez Kobbie Mainoo Claudio Echeverri

- Independiente del Valle (ECU) - Manchester United (ENG) - River Plate (ARG)
- End of contract: 2
 031 - End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 028
- Estimated value (€M): 24.0-27.6 - Estimated value (€M): 80.2-84.1 - Estimated value (€M): 24.1-28.5

Gustavo Sá Noah Sadiki Miguel Monsalve Quinn Sullivan Nico Paz Rubén Lezcano
FC Famalicão Union SG Grêmio FBPA Philadelphia Union Como 1907 Club Libertad
€1
 4.9-17.1M €1
 8.7-22.0M €7
 .7-8.6M €1  0.0-11.6M €1
 3.0-14.9M € 7.2-8.3M

Lucas Assadi Kacper Urbański Konst. Karetsas David Ochoa Doumbia Íker Fimbres
Universidad de Chile Bologna FC KRC Genk Inter Miami Royal Antwerp CF Monterrey
€1 .2-1.3M €1 4.7-17.3M €6
 .9-8.0M € 6.4-7.3M €4 .4-4.9M € 7.3-8.4M

Lorran Lucas Mário Sauer Sverre Nypan Atangana Edoa David Moses
CR Flamengo MŠK Žilina Rosenborg BK Stade de Reims MFK Karviná
€6
 .5-7.4M € 2.2-2.4M €7 .3-8.2M € 11.5-13.4M €0 .7-0.7M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 27

 SHOOTING MIDFIELDERS

The shooting midfielders’ category is made up of players who dis-

tinguish themselves above all by a strong commitment to finish-
ing. Lokomotiv Moscow’s Russian Aleksey Batrakov is ahead of
American Rokas Pukstas (Hajduk Split) and Argentina’s Franco
Mastantuono (River Plate, 17,2 years). The latter is the young-
est player in the top ten, which also includes another great talent
born in 2007: Sunderland’s Englishman Chris Rigg (17.4 years).

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Aleksey Batrakov 19.4yrs Lokomotiv Moskva(RUS) 80.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Rokas Pukstas 20.2yrs Hajduk Split(CRO) 79.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Franco Mastantuono 17.2yrs River Plate(ARG) 78.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Jobe Bellingham 19.1yrs Sunderland AFC(ENG/2) 78.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Habib Diarra 20.9yrs RC Strasbourg(FRA) 77.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Julio Enciso 20.8yrs Brighton & Hove(ENG) 76.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Benjamin Cremaschi 19.7yrs Inter Miami(USA) 75.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Élan Ricardo 20.7yrs CD La Equidad(COL) 75.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Antoni Kozubal 20.2yrs Lech Poznań(POL) 75.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Chris Rigg 17.4yrs Sunderland AFC(ENG/2) 74.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Ismaël Gharbi 20.6yrs SC Braga(POR) 73.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Gerónimo Heredia 19.8yrs CA Belgrano(ARG) 73.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Niccolò Pisilli 20.1yrs AS Roma(ITA) 73.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Alfie Devine 20.3yrs KVC Westerlo(BEL) 72.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Marko Veličković 20.1yrs FK Vojvodina(SRB) 72.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Andrija Maksimović 17.4yrs Crvena Zvezda(SRB) 70.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Lovro Zvonarek 19.5yrs Sturm Graz(AUT) 70.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Léandre Kuavita 20.5yrs Standard Liège(BEL) 69.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Matija Mitrović 19.9yrs Železničar Pančevo(SRB) 69.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Luka Vrbančić 19.4yrs Lokomotiva Zagreb(CRO) 69.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

28 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 Aleksey Batrakov’s activity radar in the Lokomotiv Moscow
playing system shows his strong involvement not only in finish-
ing, but also in distribution and chance creation. At Hajduk Split,
Rokas Pukstas also plays an essential role in aerial play and
ground defence. Franco Mastantuono’s profile, on the other
hand, is eminently offensive, with a strong contribution in all three
attacking areas included in our approach.

Shooting midfielders: activity in relation to teammates

Aleksey Batrakov Rokas Pukstas Franco Mastantuono

- Lokomotiv Moskva (RUS) - Hajduk Split (CRO) - River Plate (ARG)
- End of contract: 2
 027 - End of contract: 2
 027 - End of contract: 2
 026
- Estimated value (€M): 12.5-14.7 - Estimated value (€M): 6.4-7.2 - Estimated value (€M): 10.8-12.3

Jobe Bellingham Habib Diarra Julio Enciso Benjamin Cremaschi Élan Ricardo Antoni Kozubal
Sunderland AFC RC Strasbourg Brighton & Hove Inter Miami CD La Equidad Lech Poznań
€1
 7.8-20.9M €3
 0.6-36.2M €2 6.5-31.1M €1 0.0-11.5M €2 .7-3.0M € 5.6-6.4M

Chris Rigg Ismaël Gharbi Gerónimo Heredia Niccolò Pisilli Alfie Devine Marko Veličković
Sunderland AFC SC Braga CA Belgrano AS Roma KVC Westerlo FK Vojvodina
€7
 .0-8.1M € 6.7-7.5M €0 .5-0.5M €1
 0.4-12.2M €2
 .9-3.2M € 2.5-2.7M

Andrija Maksimović Lovro Zvonarek Léandre Kuavita Matija Mitrović Luka Vrbančić
Crvena Zvezda Sturm Graz Standard Liège Železničar Pančevo Lokomotiva Zagreb
€6 .9-8.0M € 4.3-4.8M €1
 .8-2.0M €0
 .7-0.8M €1 .1-1.2M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 29

 INFILTRATING LEFT WINGERS

Infiltrating left wingers are those whose contribution to their

team’s game in terms of take on is higher than in chance creation
or finishing. Juventus’ Turkish winger Kenan Yildiz is ahead of
two other players already active in the European big-5: Argenti-
na’s Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United) and England’s
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (Borussia Dortmund). Born in 2006, Zenit
St. Petersburg’s Brazilian Pedro Henrique is the youngest play-
er in the top 10 rankings.

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Kenan Yildiz 19.5yrs Juventus FC(ITA) 87.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Alejandro Garnacho 20.4yrs Manchester United(ENG) 86.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Jamie Bynoe-Gittens 20.3yrs Borussia Dortmund(GER) 85.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Eliesse Ben Seghir 19.7yrs AS Monaco(FRA) 84.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Désiré Doué 19.4yrs Paris St-Germain(FRA) 83.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Malick Fofana 19.6yrs Olympique Lyonnais(FRA) 82.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Sergey Pinyaev 20.0yrs Lokomotiv Moskva(RUS) 82.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Semih Kiliçsoy 19.2yrs Beşiktaş JK(TUR) 81.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Pedro Henrique 18.8yrs FK Zenit(RUS) 81.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Christopher Bonsu Baah 19.9yrs KRC Genk(BEL) 80.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Mika Godts 19.4yrs AFC Ajax(NED) 79.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Kota T
 awaratsumida 20.5yrs FC Tokyo(JPN) 76.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Bazoumana Touré 18.7yrs Hammarby IF(SWE) 76.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Gustavo Prado 19.4yrs SC Internacional(BRA) 75.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Álex Luna 20.6yrs CA Independiente(ARG) 75.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Başar Önal 20.4yrs NEC Nijmegen(NED) 75.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Robert Rodrigues 19.6yrs FC København(DEN) 74.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Christian Nwachukwu 18.9yrs Botev Plovdiv(BUL) 74.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Wilson Odobert 20.0yrs Tottenham Hotspur(ENG) 74.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Rodrigo Villalba 18.7yrs Club Libertad(PAR) 74.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

30 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 At Juventus, Kenan Yildiz plays an active role in all areas of
the attacking game. The Turkish winger also has an above-aver-
age value in aerial play (56th percentile). At Manchester United,
Alejandro Garnacho concentrates his activity mainly at take on
(98th percentile) and finishing (97th) level. Jamie Bynoe-Git-
tens’ involvement in Borussia Dortmund’s game is similar to that
of Yildiz at Juventus, but with lower values in aerial play and dis-
tribution.

Infiltrating left wingers: activity in relation to teammates

Kenan Yildiz Alejandro Garnacho Jamie Bynoe-Gittens

- Juventus FC (ITA) - Manchester United (ENG) - Borussia Dortmund (GER)
- End of contract: 2
 029 - End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 028
- Estimated value (€M): 77.3-81.0 - Estimated value (€M): 99.1-103.9 - Estimated value (€M): 61.0-69.2

Eliesse Ben Seghir Désiré Doué Malick Fofana Sergey Pinyaev Semih Kiliçsoy Pedro Henrique
AS Monaco Paris St-Germain Olympique Lyonnais Lokomotiv Moskva Beşiktaş JK FK Zenit
€4 1.0-46.8M €4 4.8-52.9M €3
 9.6-47.0M €2
 2.4-26.1M €2 9.1-34.6M € 19.8-23.3M

Bonsu Baah Mika Godts Tawaratsumida Bazoumana Touré Gustavo Prado Álex Luna
KRC Genk AFC Ajax FC Tokyo Hammarby IF SC Internacional CA Independiente
€1
 0.4-11.9M €1
 9.2-22.5M €1 .4-1.6M € 4.7-5.2M €1 .3-1.5M € 2.0-2.2M

Başar Önal Robert Rodrigues Chris Nwachukwu Wilson Odobert Rodrigo Villalba
NEC Nijmegen FC København Botev Plovdiv Tottenham Hotspur Club Libertad
€3
 .2-3.5M € 5.1-5.8M €0
 .6-0.6M € 33.8-40.0M €6 .6-7.6M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 31

 ASSISTING/SHOOTING LEFT WINGERS

The category of assisting/shooting left wingers includes players

whose contribution to their team’s game in chance creation or
finishing is higher than in take on. Vélez Sarsfield’s Argentinian
Thiago Fernández has the best performance index: 82.7 out of
100. He is ahead of Israeli international Oscar Gloukh (RB Salz-
burg) and Dane Conrad Harder (Sporting CP). Slovakia’s Nino
Marcelli (19.5 years) is the youngest player in the top 10, as is
Chile’s Martín Mundaca (17.8 years) in the top 20.

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Thiago Fernández 20.6yrs Vélez Sarsfield(ARG) 82.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Oscar G
 loukh 20.6yrs RB Salzburg(AUT) 80.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Conrad Harder 19.6yrs Sporting CP(POR) 79.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Ruben van Bommel 20.3yrs AZ Alkmaar(NED) 78.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Zubairu Ibrahim 20.4yrs FK Partizan(SRB) 77.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Eguinaldo de Sousa 20.3yrs Shakhtar Donetsk(UKR) 77.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Williot Swedberg 20.8yrs Celta Vigo(ESP) 76.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Nino Marcelli 19.5yrs SK Slovan Bratislava(SVK) 75.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Mateus Fernandes 20.3yrs Southampton FC(ENG) 74.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Pape Diallo 20.4yrs FC Metz(FRA/2) 74.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Dylan Aquino 19.4yrs CA Lanús(ARG) 74.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Tiago Caballero 19.5yrs Club Nacional(PAR) 73.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Owen Wolff 19.9yrs Austin FC(USA) 73.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Moussa Yeo 20.5yrs RB Salzburg(AUT) 72.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Dino Kojić 19.6yrs Olimpija Ljubljana(SVN) 70.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Oskar S
 ivertsen 20.7yrs Kristiansund BK(NOR) 70.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Muhammed Damar 20.6yrs SV Elversberg(GER/2) 70.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Vadim Rakov 19.8yrs Lokomotiv Moskva(RUS) 70.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Can Uzun 19.0yrs Eintracht Frankfurt(GER) 69.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Martín M
 undaca 17.8yrs Coquimbo Unido(CHI) 69.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

32 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 At Vélez Sarsfield, Thiago Fernández is heavily involved in all
areas of attacking play. The same applies to Oscar Gloukh in
the RB Salzburg context, with a greater relative contribution also
in terms of distribution (47th percentile versus 30th for Fernán-
dez). Conrad Harder’s profile is quite different, with a strong
contribution above all in aerial play and finishing, reflecting the
fact that the Dane plays both as a winger and a centre forward.

Assisting/shooting left wingers: activity in relation to teammates

Thiago Fernández Oscar G

 loukh Conrad Harder
- Vélez Sarsfield (ARG) - RB Salzburg (AUT) - Sporting CP (POR)
- End of contract: 2
 025 - End of contract: 2
 027 - End of contract: 2
 029
- Estimated value (€M): 6.6-7.6 - Estimated value (€M): 24.5-28.9 - Estimated value (€M): 16.5-19.0

Ruben van Bommel Zubairu Ibrahim Eguinaldo de Sousa Williot Swedberg Nino Marcelli Mateus Fernandes
AZ Alkmaar FK Partizan Shakhtar Donetsk Celta Vigo SK Slovan Bratislava Southampton FC
€1
 9.5-22.8M € 5.4-6.2M €8 .4-9.5M €1
 7.4-20.3M €4 .3-4.8M € 18.2-21.0M

Pape Diallo Dylan Aquino Tiago Caballero Owen Wolff Moussa Yeo Dino Kojić
FC Metz CA Lanús Club Nacional Austin FC RB Salzburg Olimpija Ljubljana
€3
 .7-4.2M € 1.6-1.8M €3 .1-3.4M € 3.6-4.0M €4 .4-5.0M € 1.1-1.2M

Oskar Sivertsen Muhammed Damar Vadim Rakov Can Uzun Martín Mundaca
Kristiansund BK SV Elversberg Lokomotiv Moskva Eintracht Frankfurt Coquimbo Unido
€1  .4-1.4M € 3.0-3.4M €2
 .2-2.5M € 26.1-30.4M €1
 .5-1.6M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 33

 INFILTRATING RIGHT WINGERS

Four players from Europe’s big-5 head the rankings in the in-
filtrating right wingers’ category. Barcelona’s Spanish prodigy
Lamine Yamal tops the list with the best index of all players: 93.2
out of 100. He is ahead of Brazil’s Sávio Moreira (Manchester
City) and Morocco’s Ilias Akhomach (Villarreal). Yamal aside,
the only other player born in 2007 in the top 10 is the Brazilian
from Palmeiras, but already owned by Chelsea, Estêvão Wil-
lian, who ranks fifth.

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Lamine Yamal 17.3yrs FC Barcelona(ESP) 93.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Sávio Moreira 20.6yrs Manchester City(ENG) 89.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Ilias Akhomach 20.6yrs Villarreal CF(ESP) 86.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Antonio Nusa 19.6yrs RB Leipzig(GER) 84.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Estêvão Willian 17.6yrs SE Palmeiras(BRA) 84.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Yankuba Minteh 20.3yrs Brighton & Hove(ENG) 82.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Kaio César 20.7yrs Vitória SC(POR) 80.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Roger Fernandes 19.0yrs SC Braga(POR) 80.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Issahaku Fatawu 20.7yrs Leicester City(ENG) 80.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Darío Osorio 20.8yrs FC Midtjylland(DEN) 79.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Patrick Dorgu 20.0yrs US Lecce(ITA) 79.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Gabriel Carvalho 17.2yrs SC Internacional(BRA) 77.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Min-Hyeok Yang 18.6yrs Gangwon FC(KOR) 77.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Marius Broholm 19.9yrs Rosenborg BK(NOR) 77.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Luca Koleosho 20.2yrs Burnley FC(ENG/2) 76.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Ibrahim Osman 20.0yrs Feyenoord(NED) 76.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Malick Yalcouyé 19.0yrs Sturm Graz(AUT) 76.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Domagoj Bukvić 20.7yrs NK Osijek(CRO) 76.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Nicolás Rodríguez 20.5yrs Fortaleza CEIF(COL) 75.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Adam Daghim 19.1yrs RB Salzburg(AUT) 75.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

34 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 Lamine Yamal’s contribution to Barcelona’s attacking play is
very strong in all areas: take on (97th percentile), chance cre-
ation (93rd) and finishing (83rd). Sávio Moreira plays a similar
role in the Manchester City set-up, although he is slightly less
involved at finishing level. Compared to these two players, Ilias
Akhomach’s contribution to his team’s game differentiates main-
ly by a more important defensive role.

Infiltrating right wingers: activity in relation to teammates

Lamine Yamal Sávio Moreira Ilias Akhomach

- FC Barcelona (ESP) - Manchester City (ENG) - Villarreal CF (ESP)
- End of contract: 2
 026 - End of contract: 2
 029 - End of contract: 2
 026
- Estimated value (€M): 185.3-194.2 - Estimated value (€M): 100.9-105.8 - Estimated value (€M): 25.0-29.8

Antonio Nusa Estêvão Willian Yankuba Minteh Kaio César Roger Fernandes Issahaku Fatawu
RB Leipzig SE Palmeiras Brighton & Hove Vitória SC SC Braga Leicester City
€5
 6.3-65.9M €4
 1.2-48.6M €5 0.1-59.4M € 8.5-9.6M €1
 8.2-21.2M € 36.2-42.9M

Darío Osorio Patrick Dorgu Gabriel Carvalho Min-Hyeok Yang Marius Broholm Luca Koleosho
FC Midtjylland US Lecce SC Internacional Gangwon FC Rosenborg BK Burnley FC
€1
 6.1-18.8M €3
 2.1-37.8M €5 .5-6.3M € 5.6-6.5M €2 .7-3.0M € 13.9-16.4M

Ibrahim Osman Malick Yalcouyé Domagoj Bukvić Nicolás Rodríguez Adam Daghim
Feyenoord Sturm Graz NK Osijek Fortaleza CEIF RB Salzburg
€2
 0.9-24.2M € 5.0-5.5M €2
 .9-3.2M €2  .2-2.4M €6 .8-7.7M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 35

 ASSISTING/SHOOTING RIGHT WINGERS

Real Madrid’s great Turkish talent Arda Güler ranks first among
assisting/shooting right wingers. Leceister City’s Facundo Buo-
nanotte, on loan from Brighton, is on the second step of the
podium. The Argentinian is ahead of a relatively unknown player
representing an excellent market opportunity: Baník Ostrava’s
Czech Matěj Šín. Fourth-placed Ecuadorian international Keny
Arroyo (Independiente del Valle) is the highest ranked player
active outside Europe.

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Arda Güler 19.7yrs Real Madrid(ESP) 81.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Facundo Buonanotte 19.9yrs Leicester City(ENG) 79.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Matěj Šín 20.4yrs Baník Ostrava(CZE) 78.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Keny Arroyo 18.7yrs Independiente del Valle(ECU) 78.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Sindre Walle Egeli 18.4yrs FC Nordsjælland(DEN) 75.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Matheus Gonçalves 19.2yrs CR Flamengo(BRA) 75.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Nariman Akhundzade 20.6yrs Qarabağ FK(AZE) 75.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 David Martínez 18.8yrs Los Angeles FC(USA) 75.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Matías A
 baldo 20.6yrs Gimnasia La Plata(ARG) 74.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Rayan Simplício 18.3yrs CR Vasco da Gama(BRA) 74.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Ângelo Gabriel 19.9yrs Al-Nassr FC(KSA) 73.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Matěj Mikulenka 20.8yrs Sigma Olomouc(CZE) 72.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Mohamad Abu Rumi 20.7yrs Ironi Kiryat Shmona(ISR) 72.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
14 Sota K
 itano 20.3yrs Cerezo Osaka(JPN) 72.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Mahdi Salem 20.6yrs Al-Shamal SC(QAT) 71.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Korede Osundina 20.7yrs FC Dordrecht(NED/2) 71.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Santiago Hidalgo 19.7yrs CA Independiente(ARG) 71.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Matija Gluščević 20.4yrs Radnički 1923(SRB) 70.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Franck Junior Adjei 20.7yrs IFK Värnamo(SWE) 70.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Jonathan Padilla 18.9yrs Chivas Guadalajara(MEX) 70.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

36 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 Sometimes also used as midfielders, Arda Güler and Facundo
Buonanotte are heavily involved not only offensively, but also
defensively. Generally speaking, the Argentine plays a more ac-
tive part in Leicester City’s game than Arda Güler at Real Madrid,
as illustrated by the higher values recorded for him. Matěj Šín,
finally, stands out above all by his very high contribution in terms
of chance creation (95th percentile).

Assisting/shooting right wingers: activity in relation to teammates

Arda Güler Facundo Buonanotte Matěj Šín

- Real Madrid (ESP) - Leicester City (ENG) - Baník Ostrava (CZE)
- End of contract: 2
 029 - End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 027
- Estimated value (€M): 78.5-82.3 - Estimated value (€M): 60.6-72.1 - Estimated value (€M): 2.7-3.0

Keny Arroyo Sindre Walle Egeli Matheus Gonçalves Akhundzade David Martínez Matías Abaldo
Independiente del Valle FC Nordsjælland CR Flamengo Qarabağ FK Los Angeles FC Gimnasia La Plata
€4 .5-5.0M € 7.5-8.5M €8
 .1-9.2M € 5.7-6.4M €5 .7-6.5M € 6.0-6.7M

Rayan Simplício Ângelo Gabriel Matěj Mikulenka Abu Rumi Sota Kitano Mahdi Salem
CR Vasco da Gama Al-Nassr FC Sigma Olomouc Ironi Kiryat Shmona Cerezo Osaka Al-Shamal SC
€2 .2-2.5M €1
 1.7-13.8M €1 .6-1.7M € 0.9-0.9M €0 .8-0.8M € 0.8-0.9M

Korede Osundina Santiago Hidalgo Matija Gluščević Franck Junior Adjei Jonathan Padilla
FC Dordrecht CA Independiente Radnički 1923 IFK Värnamo Chivas Guadalajara
€0
 .8-0.9M € 1.8-2.0M €1
 .3-1.4M €0 .7-0.8M €3
 .1-3.5M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 37

 ALLROUNDER CENTRE FORWARDS

Allrounder centre forwards are those with a level of involvement

in aerial play below the median observed for players in this posi-
tion. The top three are Spain’s Samu Aghehowa (Porto), Argen-
tina’s Santiago Castro (Bologna) and France’s Mohamed-Ali
Cho (OGC Nice). Two players born in 2006 feature in the top 10
rankings: Brazilian Endrick Felipe (Real Madrid) and French-
man George Ilenikhena (Monaco).

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Samu Aghehowa 20.5yrs FC Porto(POR) 83.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Santiago Castro 20.2yrs Bologna FC(ITA) 79.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Mohamed-Ali Cho 20.8yrs OGC Nice(FRA) 78.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Franculino Djú 20.4yrs FC Midtjylland(DEN) 78.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Vitor R
 oque 19.7yrs Real Betis(ESP) 78.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Endrick Felipe 18.3yrs Real Madrid(ESP) 78.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 George Ilenikhena 18.2yrs AS Monaco(FRA) 77.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Karim Konaté 20.6yrs RB Salzburg(AUT) 76.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Assane Diao 19.2yrs Real Betis(ESP) 75.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Damion Downs 20.4yrs FC Köln(GER/2) 74.8 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Samed Baždar 20.8yrs Real Zaragoza(ESP/2) 74.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Eli Junior Kroupi 18.4yrs FC Lorient(FRA/2) 74.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Max Dean 20.7yrs KAA Gent(BEL) 73.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Gilberto Mora 16.1yrs Club Tijuana(MEX) 73.9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Cadu Amaral 20.5yrs Atlético Mineiro(BRA) 73.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Keke Topp 20.6yrs Werder Bremen(GER) 73.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
17 Gerardo Valenzuela 20.1yrs FC Cincinnati(USA) 73.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Kervin Andrade 19.6yrs Fortaleza EC(BRA) 73.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Umeh Emmanuel 20.2yrs FC Zürich(SUI) 72.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
20 Mohamed Touré 20.6yrs Randers FC(DEN) 71.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

38 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 Although his value in aerial play is relatively low for a centre for-
ward (64th percentile), Samu Aghehowa concentrates his ac-
tivity mainly in this area and finishing, which brings him closer to
the category of target man centre forwards. While having a sim-
ilar profile, Santiago Castro is also more in demand for ground
defence (45th percentile). Mohamed-Ali Cho, finally, plays an
important role in all areas of attacking play, which reflects his
employment also as a winger.

Allrounder centre forwards: activity in relation to teammates

Samu Aghehowa Santiago Castro Mohamed-Ali Cho

- FC Porto (POR) - Bologna FC (ITA) - OGC Nice (FRA)
- End of contract: 2
 029 - End of contract: 2
 028 - End of contract: 2
 028
- Estimated value (€M): 69.6-74.6 - Estimated value (€M): 38.7-45.7 - Estimated value (€M): 24.6-28.7

Franculino Djú Vitor Roque Endrick Felipe George Ilenikhena Karim Konaté Assane Diao
FC Midtjylland Real Betis Real Madrid AS Monaco RB Salzburg Real Betis
€1
 7.8-20.8M €5
 6.3-67.0M €9
 0.2-94.7M €3 5.5-41.8M €2
 5.5-29.9M €1
 1.8-13.8M

Damion Downs Samed Baždar Eli Junior Kroupi Max Dean Gilberto Mora Cadu Amaral
FC Köln Real Zaragoza FC Lorient KAA Gent Club Tijuana Atlético Mineiro
€3
 .8-4.4M €1 3.7-16.1M €6
 .7-7.8M € 7.2-8.2M €3 .0-3.4M € 8.0-9.0M

Keke Topp Gerardo Valenzuela Kervin Andrade Umeh Emmanuel Mohamed Touré
Werder Bremen FC Cincinnati Fortaleza EC FC Zürich Randers FC
€8 .4-9.6M € 5.3-6.0M €4
 .6-5.1M €5
 .0-5.6M €2 .3-2.5M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 39

 TARGET MAN CENTRE FORWARDS

Target man centre forwards are those whose level of involvement

in aerial play is higher than the median measured for players
in this position. Fluminense’s Brazilian Kauã Elias tops the list.
Born in 2006, he is also the youngest player in the top 10. Italy’s
Francesco Pio Esposito (Spezia) and Venezuela’s Kevin Kel-
sy (Cincinnati) complete the podium, while MŠK Žilina’s Erick
Bile comes fourth. The Ivorian is an excellent value for money
player.

TOP 10
Name Age Club Score
1 Kauã Elias 18.6yrs Fluminense FC(BRA) 77.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
2 Francesco Pio Esposito 19.4yrs Spezia Calcio(ITA/2) 76.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
3 Kevin Kelsy 20.3yrs FC Cincinnati(USA) 75.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
4 Erick Bile 19.9yrs MŠK Žilina(SVK) 75.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
5 Orri Ó
 skarsson 20.2yrs Real Sociedad(ESP) 75.1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
6 Nicolò Tresoldi 20.2yrs Hannover 96(GER/2) 75.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
7 Romeo Vermant 20.8yrs Club Brugge(BEL) 74.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
8 Jalal Abdulai 19.9yrs IF Elfsborg(SWE) 74.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9 Felipe Augusto 20.7yrs Cercle Brugge(BEL) 73.7 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
10 Jesse van de Haar 19.8yrs De Graafschap(NED/2) 73.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

RANGS 11 - 20

Name Age Club Score

11 Thom van Bergen 20.9yrs FC Groningen(NED) 72.6 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
12 Darren Yapi 20.0yrs Colorado Rapids(USA) 72.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
13 Álvaro Rodríguez 20.3yrs Getafe CF(ESP) 71.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Devin Haen 20.4yrs FC Dordrecht(NED/2) 71.4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
15 Nacho Ferri 20.1yrs KV Kortrijk(BEL) 71.0 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
16 Esteban Calderón 20.7yrs O'Higgins FC(CHI) 70.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Hilmir Rafn Mikaelsson 20.8yrs Kristiansund BK(NOR) 70.5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
18 Matyáš Vojta 20.7yrs Mladá Boleslav(CZE) 70.3 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
19 Lukáš Mašek 20.5yrs Mladá Boleslav(CZE) 70.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
. Samandarzhon Mavlonkulov 20.7yrs FK Sogdiana(UZB) 70.2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

40 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98

 Of the three top ranked target man centre forwards, Kauã Elias
is the one who plays the most active role in his team’s attacking
play. He stands out in particular for his strong contribution not
only in aerial play and finishing, but also in chance creation and
take on. This brings it closer to the category of allrounder cen-
tre forwards. Francesco Pio Esposito is also fairly involved in
chance creation, but much less so in take on. The opposite is
true of Kevin Kelsy in Cincinnati.

Target man centre forwards: activity in relation to teammates

Kauã Elias Francesco Pio Esposito Kevin Kelsy

- Fluminense FC (BRA) - Spezia Calcio (ITA/2) - FC Cincinnati (USA)
- End of contract: 2
 029 - End of contract: 2
 027 - End of contract: 2
 027
- Estimated value (€M): 9.3-10.5 - Estimated value (€M): 9.1-10.6 - Estimated value (€M): 9.3-10.6

Erick Bile Orri Óskarsson Nicolò Tresoldi Romeo Vermant Jalal Abdulai Felipe Augusto
MŠK Žilina Real Sociedad Hannover 96 Club Brugge IF Elfsborg Cercle Brugge
€2
 .1-2.4M €3 9.8-46.8M €6 .9-7.9M € 7.0-8.0M €4 .1-4.6M € 5.9-6.6M

Jesse van de Haar Thom van Bergen Darren Yapi Álvaro Rodríguez Devin Haen Nacho Ferri
De Graafschap FC Groningen Colorado Rapids Getafe CF FC Dordrecht KV Kortrijk
€0 .9-1.0M € 5.5-6.1M €1 .7-1.9M € 8.2-9.4M €1
 .1-1.2M € 6.4-7.2M

Esteban Calderón Mikaelsson Matyáš Vojta Lukáš Mašek Mavlonkulov

O'Higgins FC Kristiansund BK Mladá Boleslav Mladá Boleslav FK Sogdiana
€0
 .3-0.3M € 1.1-1.2M €0 .9-1.0M €0 .8-0.9M €1
 .1-1.1M

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 41

42 CIES Football - Monthly Report 98
 APPENDIX

Leagues

Number of players Total U21 Number of players Total U21

ARG Primera División 781 87 ITA/2 Serie B 454 33
AUS A-League Men 203 33 JPN J1 League 498 17
AUT Bundesliga 249 33 KOR K League 1 315 19
AZE Premyer Liqa 212 9 KSA Saudi Pro League 344 21
BEL Pro League 341 49 MEX Liga MX 408 33
BEL/2 Challenger Pro League 291 79 NED Eredivisie 372 41
BRA Brasileirão 550 45 NED/2 Eerste Divisie 412 150
BUL First League 333 33 NOR Eliteserien 348 52
CHI Campeonato Nacional 387 35 NOR/2 1. Division 339 68
CHN CSL 398 9 PAR Primera División 353 46
COL Dimayor 534 48 PER División de Honor 427 19
CRC Primera División 308 37 POL Ekstraklasa 382 40
CRO HNL 218 31 POR Primeira Liga 362 23
CYP 1. Division 295 7 POR/2 Segunda Liga 372 46
CZE Czech Liga 358 39 QAT Stars League 218 12
DEN Superliga 245 42 ROM Liga I 380 20
DEN/2 1. Division 244 52 RUS Premier League 330 20
ECU Liga Pro 387 34 SCO Premiership 248 16
ENG Premier League 394 28 SRB Super Liga 361 67
ENG/2 Championship 514 42 SUI Super League 261 24
ENG/3 League One 529 46 SUI/2 Challenge League 211 23
ESP La Liga 444 34 SVK Super Liga 251 31
ESP/2 La Liga 2 478 35 SVN 1. SNL 216 34
FIN Veikkausliiga 271 36 SWE Allsvenskan 345 48
FRA Ligue 1 366 53 SWE/2 Superettan 322 38
FRA/2 Ligue 2 354 47 TUR Süper Lig 391 20
GER Bundesliga 358 24 UAE UAE Pro League 267 14
GER/2 2. Bundesliga 375 38 UKR Premier League 346 37
GER/3 3. Liga 403 63 URU Campeonato Uruguayo 427 54
GRE Super League 1 291 9 USA MLS 673 51
HUN NB I 252 28 UZB Super League 316 41
ISR Ligat Ha'al 276 29 VEN Liga 363 43
ITA Serie A 421 22 Total 23,372 2,437

Best U21 players worldwide - December 2024 43

Since its creation in 2005, the Football Observatory
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