Revisiting ESPN's 39 U21 men's lists: Who should h...

playLaurens: Premier League isn't the place for young talent (1:22)Julien Laurens and Gab Marcotti react to the ranking of the 39 best men's U21 players in the world which features few upcoming Premier League stars. (1:22) For eighth straight years (read 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 here), our resident scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen has ranked the hottest young prospects in world football. Chosen from an initial long list of 100 players, the final list started at 30 in 2019 and went up to 36 the next year (when we only ranked the top 10), and has been at 39 with a full rank since 2022, with those remaining best satisfying the main criteria: appearances at the highest level, consistent performance over a sustained period and the potential to develop into a top-level footballer. Some stars, like Erling Haaland, Jamal Musiala, Jude Bellingham and Lamine Yamal have continued to shine. But, with the benefit of hindsight, does he regret any choices? And what has happened to some of his picks? Jump to: Trending down | Early promise fades | Placed too low | Where are they now? Which players were tipped for the top and placed in the top 10 of the list, but haven't lived up to expectations? 2019: 2nd 2020: 2nd 2021: 2nd 2022-: Too old "From mainly playing in bursts, Sancho has grown close to the finished article and capable of influencing throughout a game. Quick, technically proficient and able to score and create goals, he can play on either flank but is even more of a threat when he moves centrally. The ease with which he lays off passes to overlapping full backs and dinks weighted through balls behind opposing defenses make him a joy to watch. Sancho loves playing football, and it shows." (2020) Manchester United paid the huge sum of €85 million to sign Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 and, in doing so, changed his career for the worse. The years that followed saw disrupted continuity, patchy form and a gradual decline from the assertive, productive, carefree winger seen at Dortmund. A loan return to Dortmund offered some familiarity, but subsequent loan spells at Chelsea and Aston Villa only reinforced his downward spiral. While his sharpness in tight spaces remains to be seen in flashes, his conviction has withered away. Once defined by spontaneity and daring, he now looks burdened, short on belief and, as opposed to in 2020, seems no longer in love with football. He will leave United this summer on a free transfer and could head back to Dortmund, but his next step is difficult to call. 2019: Top 30 2020: 10th 2021: 8th 2022-: Too old "Comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo might seem clichéd, but evidence suggests they are far from fanciful." (2019) "His first touch -- and the way it sets him up for his next action, often combined with a turn or a swift body movement -- is almost unparalleled. He also has a natural appreciation of the game and awareness of the players around him. Quick with and without possession, excellent at veering his way past opponents; through flicks, lay-offs and smart combination play, Felix can be a joy to watch." (2020) Though Félix always had the flair, imagination and technique to influence games, he never found the edge, consistency or tactical nous to match the sky-high expectations that came with his €126 million move from Benfica to Atlético Madrid in 2019. Loan moves to Chelsea and Barcelona were poor auditions that somehow earned him a permanent move to Stamford Bridge for €52 million in 2024, but inside a year, he was loaned to AC Milan and then joined Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr for around €30 million. Still yet to reach his peak, his talent hasn't vanished -- the soft first touch and disguised passes are still there -- it's just that they now appear at a level in which physicality and intensity are less of an issue. Ironically, the list's early comparisons with Ronaldo did come to some kind of fruition ... not as his successor, but as a teammate at Al Nassr, where he has 17 goals from 30 league games in his debut season. 2020: Top 36 2021: 4th 2023: 12th 2024-: Too old "Mostly at home on the left-hand side of the attack, he has been sporadically fielded on the opposite flank in order to cut infield. His ability to dribble and turn opponents inside out, through unpredictability and quick changes of direction, is probably his most distinct quality. But, being a La Masia product, he also possesses a highly developed understanding of movement without the ball and the tactical awareness to keep the game moving." (2021) While early comparisons to Lionel Messi at Barcelona must have been a heavy burden, it was Fati's own body -- rather than expectations -- that has compromised his career. A sequence of serious injuries (to an accumulated length of two seasons) stripped him of the sharpness and explosiveness that made him such a danger. Barcelona have never quite worked out how to reintegrate him and his loan move to Brighton last year felt like

Revisiting ESPN's 39 U21 men's lists: Who should h...

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