Santiago Llorens 
Youth World Cups are often more about whom the players can become, and not so much about which teams win or lose. The spotlight serves a purpose, being a ray of sun for young talents to sprout in front of the world and start their journey to football greatness.
Here are five promising players to keep an eye on.
Máximo Perrone (Argentina)
Perrone needs no introduction to football fans, but for those who are not aware, he came up through the football academy of Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina and became Pep Guardiola’s latest acquisition for Manchester City in the Premier League market, dropping a whopping 11 million pounds for the center midfielder in January.
The 20-year-old has scored one goal and two assists in three games for Argentina in this World Cup, all this only having disputed 170 minutes of 270. With fast plays, great footwork, and superb decision-making, you can expect to see a lot of Perrone in the near future.
Gabriel Slonina (United States)
Currently playing in the secondary team of Chelsea FC, 19-year-old Slonina has proven to be a brick wall in goal for the US squad. The goalkeeper has enjoyed clean sheets in every game he has played so far.
He is currently valued at 8 million pounds in the transfer market and has rightfully won not only the starting spot in the U-20 squad but is under consideration for the US international national team due to his amazing saves and competent foot play.
Adama Bojang (The Gambia)
Superstar alert! The young striker from The Gambia has caught the attention of European giants such as Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax, Chelsea, and many more. After a masterful display in the U-20 African Cup with six goals and assists in six games, which ended with the Gambians as runners-up, the spear of the team has scored two goals in the group stage.
With a perfect record in Group F, there’s no ceiling for The Gambia this tournament if their player with the number “20” on his back leads the team offense with his imposing frame, explosive pace, and top-notch finishes inside the box.
Andrey Santos (Brazil)
Andrey Santos — another big investment by Chelsea FC who has already been called to play in the Brazilian national team— is everything you need from a midfielder and more.
Cheeky with the ball, bold enough to shoot from a long distance and see results, and with a characteristic way of wobbling around defenders untouched, Santos led his squad to massive dominance at the South American U-20 tournament a few months back. He’s now doing the same leading the show in the midfield on the World Cup Stage.
For these reasons and many more, he is currently the most expensive player of the tournament tagged in the market, being in the ballpark of 15 million pounds for every team who wants to get its hands on the next “Casemiro,” as many have baptized him.
Tommasso Baldanzi (Italy)
Probably the most experienced player out of the pack, Baldanzi has played 26 out of 36 possible matches with Empoli this season of Serie A, obtaining 4 goals in the process.
The offensive midfielder possesses many qualities that distinguish him from his young peers, such as his excellent vision to find open passes on the pitch and the power to deliver strikes far away from the goal.
