🥇OneFootball Awards | Who was the best young player of the year? 💎 | OneFootball

As tradition dictates, Christmas is also a time for taking stock, making judgments, and so, right on cue as every year, the OneFootball editorial team pauses to look back at what happened in Serie A in 2025.

Watch the entire Serie BKT live on OneFootball for only €9.99 per month. Click here to purchase the LaB Channel Monthly Pass with no automatic renewal.

It's time to make our choices and celebrate those who truly made a difference, awarding the prestigious OneFootball Award. We conclude with the best young player.

1️⃣ Francesco Pio Esposito (Alessandro De Felice)

2025 was without a doubt the year of Pio Esposito. The striker, born in 2005, found himself at just 20 years old first dragging Spezia towards a promotion to Serie A—just missing out at the final stretch—and then handling the huge leap to San Siro, between Inter and the National Team. But the young striker was ready and showed technical, physical, and mental qualities, but above all, a great instinct for scoring goals.

In succession, his first goals came with Inter and at the Club World Cup (against River Plate), in Serie A (against Cagliari), in the Champions League (with Union SG), for the National Team (against Estonia), at San Siro (against Norway with Italy and with Inter against Venezia), and in the Coppa Italia (again against the Venetians). A purebred striker, with a frightening nose for goal and a strong, determined character: 2025 was undoubtedly the year of Pio Esposito’s dazzling talent.

2️⃣ Nico Paz (Alessio D'Errico)

Nico Paz is probably one of the few players in this Serie A on whom you can truly bet for a bright future at the top of world football. Crystal-clear class combined with impressive tactical growth, the Argentine is the beacon of an ambitious team like Como. Numbers worthy of a European top player, the Real Madrid academy product has shown he is much more than just a “simple” number 10 with class.

Paz is a complete footballer, physically equipped to handle the pace of the top European teams and a joy to watch. His stats, both in goals and assists, consistently place him among the best in Serie A, and the feeling is that at a European giant, even now, he would make his mark wearing the number 10. From Real Madrid, not just to fill out his résumé, but to play.

3️⃣ Marco Palestra (Diego D'Avanzo)

Sure, Nico Paz and Kenan Yildiz or Pio Esposito are by far the most decisive young players in Serie A, but let's give credit to the real revelation of this Serie A: Marco Palestra. The Cagliari winger—owned by Atalanta—arrived with an excellent pedigree and great references from youth sector insiders (picked him in Fantasy for 1, now I’m last), but no one expected this kind of impact.

His performances have been impressive and the numbers back it up: only 2% of players in his position in Europe have completed more dribbles and “progressive carries.” In every respect, Palestra is already a European-level player, as confirmed by Pisacane: “Palestra is a boy with extremely high qualities”. If he’s not yet the absolute best young player, he’s certainly the surprise of 2025 in Serie A.

4️⃣ Kenan Yildiz (Emanuele Garbato)

In a Serie A where people always complain about the lack of talent, Kenan Yildiz is a wonderful exception. The 2005-born is the brightest product of the successful combination of youth sector and Next Gen implemented by Juventus in recent years, the only great talent the club has decided to keep. He is repaying them with goals, assists, and growing consistency throughout matches.

Maybe he’s not the most ready young player in the league, also because the competition is fierce, but he’s certainly the guy who can pull off the most important plays even in a club like Juventus, where the pressure is unlike anywhere else. In the toughest context possible in Italy, the Turk is already the team’s undisputed top player. Now he needs to be locked down with a new contract.

5️⃣ Francesco Pio Esposito  (Marco Alessandri)

The choice was between Esposito and Bartesaghi, but since the Rossonero only broke out in this last part of 2025... I’m going with Francesco Pio Esposito.The Inter striker’s season has been one to remember: 17 goals in Serie B with Spezia, then the Club World Cup with Inter and his debut with the National Team, scoring as well.The term "predestined" is often overused, but maybe this time it’s appropriate.Credit to Inter for developing such a strong youngster and bringing him into the team at the right moment, when behind Thuram and Lautaro they needed hungry players ready to do anything to honor the shirt. The future is assured, but even the present is not bad at all.

6️⃣ Kenan Yildiz (Matteo Rimoldi)

The label of "the new Alessandro Del Piero" at just 19 years old didn’t make his legs shake. Kenan Yildiz has long lived with the label of destined for greatness. He didn’t grow up in the Juventus academy, yet his arrival on a free transfer in 2017 was enough for him to absorb and fully embody the Bianconeri values, which he now represents with pride.

The captain’s armband, worn on several occasions, is no accident: Yildiz, despite his young age, is already a recognized leader in the locker room. A status built above all thanks to a standout 2025. With Thiago Motta he earned a regular starting spot and never let it go, stringing together a series of high-level performances even in a context far from simple, marked by three coaching changes in a season and a half.

Now, with the arrival of Luciano Spalletti, the Turkish talent has the chance for a definitive leap in quality. “He doesn’t know how good he is,” said the Tuscan coach to praise him. But in truth, Yildiz, deep down, is fully aware. He earns far too little to be the face of Juventus. The renewal could become the cherry on top of a 2025 to frame or the best way to kick off a 2026 as a proclaimed star.

7️⃣ Kenan Yildiz (Vincenzo Visco)

For Kenan Yildiz, this was the year of consecration, not just at Juventus but in world football. The Turkish talent made the definitive leap in quality, becoming a technical and emotional reference point for the Bianconeri. Goals, assists, and decisive plays marked a season often lived on his intuition, even in the most complex moments of an inconsistent Juve. Yildiz took on responsibility, made an impact in crucial matches, and raised his level when needed. Consistent in performance, decisive in key games, he confirmed himself among the best in the group and, at times, simply indispensable.

8️⃣ Nico Paz (Damiano Benzoni)

It’s undeniable, Nico Paz has reconciled us with football and Serie A: an exciting talent who has forcefully grabbed the attention of the football world, fueling constant transfer rumors about when he’ll return to his parent club Real Madrid, who are watching from Spain and rubbing their hands, despite the abundance in his position. What’s certain is that the Como starlet has treated us to footballing magic in abundance, with that cultured left foot and vision of play that leaves us speechless.

Above all, though, he has shown a mature head on his shoulders despite his age, the ability to carry the team, and a tenacity that drives him to play all over the pitch, fight for every ball, and always be decisive. Whether this will be enough to earn a starting spot at Real (and who knows, maybe the Argentina number 10 one day), remains to be seen. What’s certain is that Paz has found the perfect stage to grow and shine.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

📸 PABLO PORCIUNCULA - AFP or licensors