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The Champions League is back, and with a brand new look. But whether you are in favour of, against or merely struggling to understand the ‘Swiss Model’, rest assured that plenty will stay the same about Europe’s biggest and best club competition; Real Madrid will keep winning from impossible positions, Paris Saint-Germain will embarrass themselves in the knockout rounds, and those nights at Anfield will continue to be spine-tingling.
One other thing the new league format will not take away is the potential for young players to prove themselves on the biggest stage. A number of teenage talents have gone from relative unknowns to household names in the blink of an eye thanks to their Champions League performances in recent years, and the 2024-25 edition should be no different.
So who are the players to look out for over the next nine months? GOAL runs through the NXGN-eligible teenagers (born 2005 or later) who are set to light up the Champions League this time around…
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Getty Images SportAdam Aznou (Bayern Munich)
Though Aznou is yet to make his first-team debut for Bayern, he is regarded as one of the top talents within the Allianz Arena, and is expected to be part of Vincent Kompany’s plans as the campaign wears on.
Having joined from Barcelona in 2022, the 18-year-old left-back is being tipped to step into Alphonso Davies boots if the Real Madrid target leaves at the end of his contract next summer. In the meantime, he has already become a senior international after making his Morocco debut in the September international break.
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Getty ImagesIsaac Babadi (PSV)
Capable of playing both in central midfield and on the left-hand side of the attack, Babadi made 22 appearances in all competitions for PSV last term, and continues to impress when given the opportunity by Peter Bosz.
Previously linked with Premier League clubs, the 19-year-old signed a new four-year deal towards the end of last season, and some strong showings in the Champions League could spark further interest in his services.
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AFPEliesse Ben Seghir (Monaco)
Ben Seghir broke onto the scene in December 2022 when he stepped off the bench to make his Monaco debut against Auxerre and turned the game on its head, scoring twice to secure a 3-2 win. Though injuries have impacted his development since, the attacking midfielder is now established as a starter at Stade Louis II.
A four-time Morocco international, the 19-year-old is light on his feet and a bag of tricks with an eye for the spectacular, and if he can stay fit, this should be Ben Seghir’s true breakout campaign.
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Getty ImagesAyyoub Bouaddi (Lille)
Though he will not turn 17 until October, Bouaddi already has 20 first-team appearances to his name at Lille, where he was described as the best academy product since Eden Hazard even before he became the club’s youngest-ever player just under a year ago.
A holding midfielder who has also spent time filling in at centre-back, the France youth international figures to be one of the youngest players in this season’s Champions League, but also one of the most promising.
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Getty ImagesFrancesco Camarda (AC Milan)
The youngest player in Serie A history, Camarda made his Milan debut as a 15-year-old in November 2023 and is regarded as the top talent in Italian football right now, with plenty of Azzuri fans believing he is the answer to their goal-scoring problems in future years.
Certainly, the 16-year-old showed what he can do as he fired his country to Under-17 European Championship glory over the summer, winning the Player of the Tournament award in the process, and having signed his first professional contract in July, he is set to earn more opportunities with the Rossoneri first team in 2024-25.
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Getty Images SportBobby Clark (Red Bull Salzburg)
The son of former Premier League midfielder Lee Clark, Bobby swapped Liverpool for Salzburg in August after completing a £10 million ($13m) move to reunite with former Reds assistant Pep Lijnders, who is now the head coach at the Austrian side.
The 19-year-old was one of ‘Jurgen Klopp’s Kids’ who won the Carabao Cup final last season, while he also became Liverpool’s youngest-ever scorer in European competition, and the energetic midfielder should now earn regular game time in his new surroundings.
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Getty Images SportPau Cubarsi (Barcelona)
Cubarsi earned rave reviews after breaking into the Barcelona line up in the early months of 2024, and some of his performances in the Champions League belied his lack of experience as the centre-back locked down some of the best forwards in Europe.
The 17-year-old, who has been capped three times by Spain, has kept his starting role under new Barca boss Hansi Flick, and there are few, if any, more impressive teenage defenders in world football right now.
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Getty ImagesDesire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain)
The Rennes academy can boast Ousmane Dembele and Eduardo Camavinga as two of their more recent success stories, and it is expected that Doue will be spoken about in similar terms as he gets to grips with life at PSG after completing a €50m (£42m/$55m) move over the summer.
The 19-year-old winger, who rejected Bayern Munich to move to Parc des Princes, has already returned 16 combined goals and assists in his senior career thus far, and was part of the France team which won Olympic Silver on home soil last month.
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AFPJulien Duranville (Borussia Dortmund)
Tipped as a future Ballon d’Or contender by Vincent Kompany after the Manchester City legend saw him in the Anderlecht academy, Duranville joined Dortmund in an €8.5m (£7m/$9.5m) deal in 2022, but injuries have limited his chance to make an impact on the first team.
The 18-year-old winger is, however, now fighting fit and has already found the net for Nuri Sahin’s side this season, while he also made his senior Belgium debut during the September international break, with the Red Devils seeing him as a potential key player for the next generation.
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Getty Images SportEndrick (Real Madrid)
Perhaps the most discussed teenage footballer of the past 18 months, Endrick finally arrived in Madrid this summer after his €60m (£51m/$65m) move from Palmeiras had been agreed in January 2023, and the Brazil international has already opened his account for Los Blancos.
Still only just 18, the striker will need to be patient during his first campaign at Santiago Bernabeu given the attacking riches Carlo Ancelotti has at his disposal, but ‘the new Pele’ will be keen to make his mark on the Champions League as quickly as possible.
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Getty Images SportArda Guler (Real Madrid)
Guler’s first season at Madrid following his €20m (£17m/$22m) arrival from Fenerbahce was largely ruined by injury, but he still managed to end the campaign with six goals from his final seven league games before enjoying a breakout tournament at Euro 2024 with Turkey.
The 19-year-old, who can play either out wide or as No.10, is pushing Rodrygo for a starting place in the Spanish capital this time around, and there is real hope that he will kick on once again in 2024-25.
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Getty ImagesGeorge Ilenikhena (Monaco)
Not many 18-year-old strikers can boast a winning goal against Barcelona in the Champions League on their resume, but that’s exactly what Ilenikhena produced for Royal Antwerp in last season’s group stages, and he will take on the Blaugrana again this term after completing a €20m (£17m/$22m) move to Monaco over the summer.
That strike against Barca was one of 14 goals that Ilenikhena managed for Antwerp last season, and he is now battling Folarin Balogun for minutes as he finds his feet at Stade Louis II.
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Getty ImagesNino Marcelli (Slovan Bratislava)
Slovan Bratislava profile as this season’s whipping boys after qualifying for the Champions League proper for the first time since 1992, but in Marcelli, they boast one of Slovakia’s top teenage talents who will be keen to make his mark on the biggest stage.
The 19-year-old winger, who is most comfortable playing off the left-hand side, has managed 12 goals and six assists for the Slovan first team as he closes in on his 50th senior appearance.
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Getty ImagesAntoni Milambo (Feyenoord)
The youngest player in Feyenoord history having broken Georginio Wijnaldum’s record as a 16-year-old in August 2021, Milambo is now becoming a regular starter in Rotterdam, and has already scored twice this season.
Now 19, the midfielder has previously been linked with clubs in England and Italy, and is regarded as one of the top young talents emerging in Dutch football.
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Getty ImagesAntonio Nusa (RB Leipzig)
Dubbed ‘The Norwegian Neymar’, Nusa came close to a Premier League move back in January, but after prospective switches to Tottenham and Brentford broke down, he finally left Club Brugge to join Leipzig in a €21m (£18m/$23m) deal over the summer.
Already the second-youngest player to score in the Champions League after he found the net against Porto in September 2022, the 19-year-old winger has made a fast start to life in Germany, scoring twice and assisting once in his first three Leipzig appearances.
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GettyEthan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
After becoming the first 15-year-old to appear in the Premier League back in September 2022, Nwaneri has had to bide his time in terms of getting more first-team experience at Arsenal, but it appears that the forward is now coming under serious consideration for selection from Mikel Arteta.
Now 17, Nwaneri enjoyed an impressive pre-season and is a regular in the Gunners’ matchday squads after committing his future to the club last year amid strong interest from Manchester City and Chelsea.
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Getty Images SportGianluca Prestianni (Benfica)
Benfica were ready to let Prestianni leave on loan when they first returned to training this summer, but after the Argentine shone during pre-season, he has now forced his way into the line up in Lisbon as a No.10, having previously been seen solely as a winger.
The Portuguese giants paid €9m (£7.6m/$10m) to sign the 18-year-old from Velez Sarsfield amid interest from Real Madrid in January, and if Prestianni’s early-season performances are anything to go by, then that fee could prove to be a bargain.
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AFPGeovany Quenda (Sporting CP)
Quenda has enjoyed an astronomical rise in 2024, as the winger has gone from making his reserve-team debut for Sporting to the senior Portugal squad in the space of seven months, and he is now being likened to Rafael Leao by fans of club and country.
The 17-year-old became Sporting’s youngest-ever goal-scorer in the Portuguese Super Cup at the start of the campaign, and it’s clear that manager Ruben Amorim trusts him to start even the biggest games, meaning he should get plenty of Champions League opportunities.
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AFPKyriani Sabbe (Club Brugge)
Brugge have been keen to invest in youth over the past five years, and the Belgian champions are now enjoying the fruits of their labour, with a number of teenagers now regulars in the first team, including full-back Sabbe.
The 19-year-old broke into the line up towards the end of last season as Brugge produced an epic comeback in the title race under then-interim coach Nicky Hayen, and proved to be effective in both attack and defence from right-back. Injury has since meant Sabbe has missed the opening weeks of the current campaign, but expect him to force his way back into the team once he recovers full fitness.
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Getty Images SportMathys Tel (Bayern Munich)
He may have only started 10 matches last season, but Tel still managed to score 10 goals in all competitions, and after two years of acclimatising to the Allianz Arena since his €28.5m (£24m/$29m) arrival from Rennes, the French forward now looks set to earn more opportunities under Vincent Kompany.
The 19-year-old can play either centrally or off the left, and given his pace and direct style, could prove to be the perfect foil to Harry Kane in Bavaria.
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Getty ImagesArthur Vermeeren (RB Leipzig)
Atletico Madrid spent €18m (£15m/$20m) to sign Vermeeren away from Royal Antwerp last January, but after struggling for minutes even before the summer arrival of Conor Gallagher, the midfielder has been loaned to Leipzig in a bid to gain further experience of a top European league.
The 19-year-old played a key role in Antwerp’s shock title win in 2023 and thus got a taste of Champions League football last season, while he is also already a full Belgium international.
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GettyLamine Yamal (Barcelona)
The hottest teenage talent in Europe, Yamal backed up a breakout campaign at Barcelona with a truly remarkable Euro 2024 for Spain, as his performances for the eventual winners led to him being spoken about in the same breath as some of the all-time greats.
Still just 17, the winger has suddenly become the face of the Blaugrana and Hansi Flick’s most important player, though Yamal has shown in his short career thus far that he can handle the pressure better than most. The sky is undoubtedly the limit.
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GettyKenan Yildiz (Juventus)
Some of Juventus’ most iconic players have worn the No.10 shirt, so the Bianconeri made a statement in pre-season when they rewarded teenager Yildiz with the club’s most coveted jersey after he made his first-team breakthrough in the second half of last season.
The 19-year-old, who arrived in Turin from Bayern Munich in 2022, has slotted straight into new manager Thiago Motta’s line up, with the 14-time Turkey international capable of playing as both a central striker and in a slightly more withdrawn role behind the No.9.
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AFPWarren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
With Kylian Mbappe gone, PSG are looking for a new poster boy, and Zaire-Emery profiles as a prime candidate having emerged from the club’s academy to become a key figure in the first team, as well as a full France international.
The metronomic midfielder will not turn 19 until March, by which time he will have surpassed 100 senior appearances for his boyhood club, and having lit up the Champions League at times last season, Zaire-Emery will be keen to show the world what he’s about once again in 2024-25.
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Getty ImagesLovro Zvonarek (Sturm Graz)
Sturm Graz did the almost-unthinkable last season and beat Salzburg to the Austrian title, which in turn has led to them qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2000. And it is that new-found status that likely led to Bayern Munich agreeing to let Zvonarek spend the campaign on loan in Graz.
The 19-year-old became the youngest goal-scorer in Croatian top-flight history after finding the net for Slaven Belupo as a 16-year-old in 2022, and Bayern snapped him up three months later before promoting the midfielder to the first-team squad over the course of last season. Now, Zvonarek will get the chance to show what he can offer on Europe’s biggest stage away from the Allianz Arena.
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