All the Young Dudes: Breakout Players to Watch | OneFootball

International tournaments are the perfect place for young players to rise to occasion and make a name for themselves. The eyes of millions will be watching the Club World Cup, and these players are all primed to have an impact.

Franco Mastantuono (River Plate)

This 17 year old winger will be lighting up the pitch. As a left-footed Argentine with a low center of gravity (he’s only 5’8”) he’s getting the inevitable comparisons with his older and more famous countryman. In 19 games this season he’s notched 7 goals and produced 4 assists. Watch him now in the River Plate sash, as he’s bound for Real Madrid in August. They locked him onto their roster for $52M a few days ago.

Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid)

(Source)

Huijsen is a tall (6’5”) center-back who plays with a confidence and tranquility belying his 20 years of age. A product of the Juventus academy, he was sold to Bournemouth one year ago on a $22.7M transfer. Fast forward one Premier League season later; he’s now on the Real Madrid roster on a $69M fee. Unsurprisingly, he’s great in the air and won 2.2 aerial duels per game last season.

Kenan Yıldız (Juventus)

Yıldız had a breakout season, playing in 48 matches for Juve. You can do that when you’re only 20 years old, eh? At 6’2”, the left winger can cover a lot of ground at pace, and contributed 6 assists and 9 goals to the squad. Expect him to plague Manchester City’s right side in their final group stage fixture on June 26th.

Samuel Aghehowa (FC Porto)

He can drink legally in the U.S. (just turned 21), stands 6’4” tall and has a real knack for scoring. A nine in the most traditional style, he lurks in the box and awaits service, pouncing on every opportunity. He scored an eye-popping 25 goals last season, with 4 assists on top. Is three goals possible for this breakout performer?

Petar Sučić (Inter Milan)

One of the first transfers of the summer window, this one probably flew under the radar for most people. Sučić was one of the few bright stars for Dynamo Zagreb in their underwhelming Champions League campaign, scoring 2 goals and 1 assist in 5 games. He’s a straight-up box-to-box midfielder whose success is measured in possession and distribution. At $16.1M he was good business for an Inter Milan team looking to add some punch.

Estêvão Willian (Palmeiras)

Catch this silky and shifty right winger in his swan song for Palmeiras. The 18 year old was recently bought by Chelsea for just over $39M, though it’s not clear whether they will insist on his move happening mid-competition. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if the Brazilian club faced Chelsea in the later rounds? Holy conflict of interest!

Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain)

Doué at 18 when he played for Lens (Source)

We all saw what this 20 year old winger was capable of when he shredded the stout defensive lines of Inter Milan in the Champions League final to score a brace. I expect him to play only the minimum during the group phase (he’s already logged over 3000 minutes in 54 appearances this season) but be a huge impact as he fulfills his destiny as the breakout player in the knockout rounds.

Wesley Teixeira (Flamengo)

Attackers tend to get the spotlight in these stories, but this 21 year-old defender should be watched closely. He rose up through the Flamengo academy, and could be a hot trade prospect later this summer. He has 12 clean sheets, 32 tackles and 24 interceptions in 24 games, very solid numbers for one so young.