Best Teenage XI In Europe This Season

As the curtains close on many European leagues, it is time to take a look at the best performing young talent all over the continent over the past nine months. We have chosen a 4-4-2 formation and in the following piece, we will guide you through some of the outstanding seasons that these teenagers have produced, with some playing a vital role in winning silverware for their respective clubs.

GK- Deniz Dönmezer

Our first player in our XI is also the youngest, making his league debut at just 15-years-old. Deniz Donmezer has made an incredible breakthrough season in Türkiye under the Adana Demirspor name, as he has started 17 games in goal between the sticks in Türkiye’s top tier. He has gone from strength to strength this season too, with his club reportedly rejecting a bid from Arsenal at the start of the campaign for £2.5 million.

🚨🇹🇷 Crazy moment in the Turkish league, 15-year-old goalkeeper Deniz Dönmezer is STARTING vs Fenerbahçe! 🤯

He is 2008 born and will be facing the likes of Džeko, Tadić, Saint-Maximin & more... pic.twitter.com/U3KgiqW0Ds

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) August 10, 2024

He is considered as a very promising young goalkeeper and has since attracted interest from other top European clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce. He is yet to make his international debut for the Turkish senior team, however, with a very bright future ahead him, he will definitely be in contention for a debut soon.

LB- Myles Lewis-Skelly

Since making his debut in September, Lewis-Skelly has become a very important player under Mikel Arteta. More known for the way he can attack with the ball, as you can see below, he is almost the best in his position for accurate passes, as well as looking impressive with how he can move the ball up the pitch with his progression statistics.

(Stats via FBRef)

He made his Three Lions debut against Albania, where he also scored in, during a 2-0 victory. He also became a regular fixture during Arsenal’s Champions League knockout run, missing just 77 minutes throughout their six-game run which ended against PSG.

Myles Lewis-Skelly scores his first goal for Arsenal! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/ctqscXZRet

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 2, 2025

He scored his first ever Premier League goal for the club in a 5-1 thumping of Manchester City, and, although he needs to work on his discipline, having received two red cards in his 22 Premier League appearances, he certainly has a lot of promise as a future England full-back.

CB- Luka Vuskovic

Next on our list is 18-year-old Croatian centre-half, Luka Vuskovic, who is currently on loan at Belgian side Westerlo from Hajduk Split. He has played a significant role for his loan club, especially from set-pieces. At 6ft 3in, he is a man mountain in the box and a major threat from dead balls, with five of his seven goals being scored by his head.

(Stats via FBRef)

He already has a bright future ahead of him, with a transfer to Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur confirmed, so he will look to fulfil his potential under Ange Postecoglou and may even have a taste of Champions League football next campaign. Vuskovic may not be far away from a senior international call-up either, having featured multiple times for the u19, u21 and u23 squads over the last two seasons.

We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement for Luka Vuskovic to join the Club in 2025 from Hajduk Split 🤍

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 25, 2023

CB- Pau Cubarsí

Perhaps one of the more expensive players on our list, it is Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsí next up. Known more for his defensive IQ and positioning, he has quickly made his mark amongst some of the world’s best and is widely considered as one of the best young defenders in the world at just 18 years of age.

(Stats via FBRef)

He has already seen a lot of success with Barcelona, with a Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup and a La Liga trophy imminent, he also saw gold in the Olympics Games in Paris and became the youngest player to win a medal for Spain in 104 years. He narrowly missed out on an opportunity to add to this after falling short in extra-time in the Champions League semi final against Inter, but it is safe to say it will not be the last time we Cubarsi in a Champions League semi final for certain.

RB- Givairo Read

Feyenoord’s Givairo Read makes right-back in our team, the Dutch youngster has played a prolific role going forward this season, scoring twice and providing seven assists in just 26 Eredivisie appearances. The 18-year-old even managed three assists in one game- a 6-2 win over FC Twente.

As you can see below, he is not well-known to be a defensive full-back, however, his tackling stats are very impressive as well as his progressive creativity play. He is being looked into by his former coach, Arne Slot, at Liverpool, who continue to search for a replacement for their outgoing Trent Alexander-Arnold.

(Stats via FBRef)

LW- Estêvão Willian

The classic young Brazilian, Estêvão has it all. Known for his exuberant dribbling and creativity, he has been labelled as one of the most promising young players on the planet. When compared to similar players, he is ranked as one of the best at many progressive and creative stats.

(Stats via FBRef)

He finished third top scorer in the Brazilian Serie A and there is no wonder that Chelsea paid so much to sign him. He scored 13 goals in 31 games for Palmeiras, registering nine assists on to of that. At just 17, he has already made four appearances for Brazil in their 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. He will be joining Chelsea in time for the Club World Cup later this summer too, as fans have already been hyping up his potential partnership with Cole Palmer. Watch this space.

Estêvão Willian:

“Cole Palmer told me we’re going to do a lot of great things together for Chelsea.” pic.twitter.com/gfA9eEUN9n

— LDN (@LDNFootbalI) October 12, 2024

CM- Chris Rigg

The first name in our central midfield is Sunderland’s Chris Rigg. The English midfielder’s defensive capabilities have helped Sunderland push towards a Premier League return, with the Black Cats taking on Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final this Saturday. He is more than capable going forward too, collecting an impressive four goals and an assist in his 42 appearances at The Stadium of Light.

(Stats via FBRef)

He has also featured three times in England u19’s European Championship Qualifiers, picking up the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory over Portugal. It is not easy trying to stand out as a promising youngster with Jobe Bellingham also in the club, however, many big sides of the likes of Newcastle, Everton and Tottenham have shown strong interest in the 17-year-old. With Arne Slot also keen on him, so a move to a big club could be on the horizon soon should Rigg continue to impress.

CM- Ayyoub Bouaddi

Our next player is defensive midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. He has made 24 appearances for LOSC Lille this campaign, helping them to a Europa League finish. This was a very impressive breakthrough season for the 17-year-old, who also made his Champions League debut this season, playing in nine of Lille’s 10 matches, even providing an assist in a 6-1 win over Feyenoord.

(Stats via FBRef)

It is his tackling in which the French talent is more prolific in, ranking in the top 11% of similar players in this stat. He has featured eight times for his country's youth sides and has a lot of promise to become a world-class defensive midfielder as five of the Premier League’s “Big Six” and the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have either scouted him or expressed interest.

We should be doing everything to secure a pre-agreement for January for Ayyoub Bouaddi. He’s the much-needed Partey replacement.

Frenkie De Jong type profile but for me, a better tackler. Bouaddi’s mentality is so impressive too.

🎥: @Ligue1 pic.twitter.com/dhOsAgu06A https://t.co/qXubRKzQUl

— Ben Mattinson (@Ben_Mattinson_) May 12, 2025

RW- Lamine Yamal

Now for the main man in our XI- it is the kid who was taking his GCSEs before Euro 2024. Yamal has already won the Euros with Spain and has already made his mark as one of the best wingers in the world at the age of just 17. Much like Cubarsí, Yamal played an integral role in helping his side win the Spanish Super Cup, Copa del Rey and La Liga this season. It was only last season that he made his breakthrough into world football, becoming the youngest goalscorer in La Liga history too.

🌟 #OTD, Lamine Yamal aged 16 y 87 days, became the youngest goalscorer in #LALIGAHistory.#LALIGAEASPORTS pic.twitter.com/lyiS45uGdH

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) October 8, 2024

He has also made himself the man for the big occasions, with his wonder strike in the Euro semi finals versus France coming straight to mind, he also provided two assists in the Copa del Rey final against arch-rivals Real Madrid after scoring against them too to help his side win the Spanish Super Cup.

(Stats via FBRef)

The stats speak for themselves, with nine league goals and 15 assists in La Liga and nine goal involvements in the Champions League this season, Yamal has proved his quality as one of the best in the world at right wing. He will certainly be looking to continue to build his legacy at such an early age, with the 2026 World Cup in sight next for the Spanish youngster.

ST- Charalampos Kostoulas

Now it is time to introduce you to our front two, the first being Olympiakos’ Charalampos Kostoulas. The 17-year-old has scored six goals in 22 games in the Greek Super League, helping the reigning Conference League winners reign supreme in Greece.

17-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas scores his first-ever senior goal for Olympiacos in a huge game against PAOK!

One of the biggest Greek talents I have ever seen. 🇬🇷 https://t.co/0UxEhTFQlQ

— Football Talent Scout - Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) November 10, 2024

Kostoulas scored his first goal in a massive 3-2 victory over title-rivals PAOK, and with this he became the youngest ever player to score a league goal in the club’s history, at 17 years, five months, and 11 days. After this, he scored a further five times in just 14 games. He is attracting interest from clubs all over Europe, including Brighton who seem very keen, and it shows Kostoulas’ true talent given the track record of the Seagulls and signing young talent.

ST- Eli Junior Kroupi

(Stats via FootyStats)

And to round up our XI, we return to France, but this time we head to the second tier, with FC Lorient’s Eli Junior Kroupi. The 2006 born forward has been tearing it up on the West coast of France, as his outstanding 22 goals in just 30 Ligue 2 matches saw him top the league’s scoring charts by five goals.

🚨🍒 Bournemouth sign Eli Junior Kroupi from Lorient on €12m deal plus add-ons, top talent for the future.

He’s staying at Lorient on loan until June. pic.twitter.com/IFX91zoCer

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 3, 2025

His goalscoring form also helped Lorient to bounce straight back up to the French top tier. He will not be in France for much longer however, having signed for Bournemouth in February before being loaned back until the conclusion of the season. Kroupi will look to bring his bags of talent to England, by giving Antonio Iraola another option at centre forward.