STARS ON THE RISE

Who are the next generation of players who could dominate the global game in the next 10 years? 

- Mark Gleeson

Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele and Jaden Sancho ... already household names in the world game but either barely into their 20s.

Football's production line continues to spit out exciting products with enormous potential to go on and become the greats of the game, adding another level of interest for followers of the sport.

Year-in and year-out they keep arriving, some fading as fast as they appear, others taking time to establish themselves, some exploding out of the blocks and a select few going on to stellar careers.

So, which players are among the next generation of footballing superstars? Soccer Club investigates the next set of players who are going to be big!

PEDRI

At the age of 18, Pedri was already indispensable at Barcelona and now in the Spanish national team. Hailing from the Canary Islands, far from the fabled La Masia academy, he nevertheless displays a style that makes him the natural successor to Xavi and Iniesta. He plays just like them: intelligently, technically precise, always looking to keep the team ticking over and moving forward. He embodies the continuity of the Barça style of the past 15 years. At the end of 2021, he received the Kopa trophy for the best young talent in world football.

HUGO EKITIKÉ