Europe's young football talent - Spain's best young players
The Youth of today is a continuing series on Europe’s best young football players - In this episode, we look at the best young footballers in Spain
Charlie Rowan celebrates up-and-coming European talent aged under 23 with unrivalled potential, country by country. In this second piece (England’s up-and-coming youth was the first article), The Sporting Blog focuses on the Spanish stars of the future, who are trying to emulate the lofty achievements of the Spain teams of the past.
Spain - Looking to reclaim their dominance
Spain’s national team have been a major force since their inception in 1920. The 2010 World Cup winners have had an array of stars in the last 15 years with names such as Andrés Iniesta, David Villa, Xavi and Carles Puyol amongst many others. However, with these legends hanging up their boots, Spain has since suffered a series of disappointing early exits from major tournaments.
La Furia Roja’s performances have been in a decline for the past five years, but the country’s emerging young talent looks set to return the country back to the top. But who are these rising stars making a name for themselves so early on in their careers?
Spains Best Young Players 2022 Update - Chris Magee
Yeremy Pino
Yeremy Pino is Villarreal’s brightest talent as of now and has quickly burst onto the first-team scene playing a key role in their run to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals last season.
Yeremy is already a very well-rounded offensive player who is able to play in any role within the front three and who also performs with energy and efficiency in tracking back to defend and win the ball back.
He has been mostly playing on the right wing, where he tries to maintain his width but constantly looks to get inside once he receives the ball onto his dangerous stronger left foot.
Pino has already been linked with a move to some Premier League clubs including Liverpool and Arsenal and a move big move will probably emerge in the near future.
Although he lacks the ability to use short, creative passing as a threat, he is a superb wide creative outlet in the build-up because he can hold the ball up effectively and feed it back into midfield or he can seek to carry the ball forward and sustain the offensive pressure and split the defence going in between full-back and central defender like many players of similar profiles do; Mohamed Salah at present, Arjen Robben in the past.
He is an extremely well-rounded player who does really well to support his fullback by tracking the opposition fullback up and down the length of the pitch.
Ander Barrenetxea
Ander Barrenetxea's career has blossomed at Real Sociedad after making his La Liga debut during the 2018–19 campaign. He has now cemented his place in the first-team squad. The Basque club is renowned for fostering the development of promising young talents, and the winger is an excellent illustration of how this storied legacy is being upheld.
The 20-year-old is gaining a reputation for being smart and skilful on the field, as well as possessing blistering pace and creativity which has naturally attracted the interest of several elite teams across Europe. Sociedad may struggle to keep the young winger for much longer if his impressive early career form continues.
He played a huge part in the club’s 19/20 Spanish Cup win in his second season with the club and is also a European under-19 champion meaning he has a couple of impressive honours to his name already.
Alejandro Balde
Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona have shown huge faith in La Masia products since his arrival, and this trend has not stopped with Alejandro Balde, who possessed exceptional pace and agility which make him incredibly difficult to defend against as well as being an excellent one-on-one defender himself.
Balde has been a regular throughout all levels of the Spanish national team youth system and has begun this season as the designated starter which is a huge expression of faith in the youngster.
The free transfer addition of Marcos Alonso is sure to provide competition but that left-back slot is certainly owned by Balde now after his impressive start to the season and consistency at all levels of his development. Many at Barca think Balde will surpass the ability of Jordi Alba at his peak.
Nico Williams
Nico Williams, one of La Liga's most entertaining young players, left a significant impression in 2021–2022 playing for Athletic Club de Bilbao.
Williams wore down defenders while playing down the right wing while often putting himself into dangerous areas, he possessed explosive pace and power just like his older brother Inaki, but coaches at Bilbao expect the 20-year-old to surpass his brother Inaki and expect it to happen in the short term also.
In patches, Nico has played at the quality of a prime Inaki and with added consistency and composure in front of goal, could truly become one of the greatest Bilbao players ever.
Spain’s Best Young Players from the 2020-2021 Season
Ansu Fati
One Spanish youngster never likely to escape this list is Barcelona wonderkid Anssumane ‘Ansu’ Fati. With eight direct La Liga goal contributions in 24 games, the 17-year-old’s debut campaign has been magical. Fati is a versatile winger with a beautiful playing style; his lethal pace, audacious skill and daunting dribbling leave his opponents in a state of utter shock.
The Guinea-Bissau-born player is gifted with shrewd football intelligence - a trait so rare at such a young age. Fati has been rewarded with consistent game time - 1,027 minutes - which gives him an edge.
Arguably, no player’s reputation has grown in 2019/20 to the same extent as that of Ansu Fati.
Fati’s breakthrough is one of the few positives in Barcelona’s season. The club’s streak of domestic monopoly ended when it came in second place in the Spanish top-flight in 2020 - five points behind fierce rivals Real Madrid.
Coming through Barcelona’s distinguished youth academy (La Masia), the winger has reportedly attracted strong interest from Manchester United, pressuring Blaugrana to pen down a new contract. The youngest ever UEFA Champions League goalscorer reportedly plans to stay with the Catalan side.
There's no doubt that Fati is one of the most promising young stars in Spain.
Mikel Oyarzabal
Although fairly established and proven already, Real Sociedad talisman Mikel Oyarzabal has the potential to become world class, warranting him a spot on this list.
The 23-year-old has just finished another magnificent season in La Liga. The winger, who can also play as an attacking midfielder, has scored 10 goals and assisted 11 in the 2019/20 campaign. However, Oyarzabal has been Erreala’s star man for three seasons now; the fan favourite at the Basque club has racked up 85 direct goal contributions in 195 appearances. Ultimately, even at such a young age, Oyarzabal is a Sociedad legend.
Oyarzabal fits the stereotype of a Spanish player. A product of the prestigious Zubieta academy (Real Sociedad’s youth setup), the Eibar-born talent’s style of play revolves around his technical adeptness. Although he does lack pace, he makes up for this in footballing intelligence. Oyarzabal always knows when and where to run and when to pass, and his technicality allows him to make very intricate passes. His shooting ability is also remarkable. The Spaniard generates a lot of power on these shots, often rippling the back of the net if the ball is on target.
The forward’s outstanding performances for the Spanish side haven’t gone unnoticed by the world’s top clubs, including Manchester City, Barcelona and Manchester United. Despite this transfer speculation, Oyarzabal insisted, in June, that he wants to stay at the Anoeta Stadium: “I’m happy where I am, I feel loved, I feel valued and at no time have I said that I will move.”
Oyarzabal’s incredible displays have earnt him the captaincy at Txuri-urdinak. He has starred for his nation’s Under-21 side in their European Championships win last summer and has subsequently been capped seven times at senior level, scoring twice for La Furia Roja. He helped guide the Northern club to sixth in the top tier of Spanish football. Mikel Oyarzabal is without doubt a future star of the Spanish national team.
Dani Olmo
Dani Olmo is one of Europe’s most prized young talents. The 22-year-old signed for German side RB Leipzig for a reported £20M in January from Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb. But the Spaniard spent most of his footballing career (albeit in the youth ranks) at Barcelona’s acclaimed academy, La Masia. Many young footballers have recently fallen through the cracks of this youth development system, but Fati and Olmo are two examples of success. Although Olmo’s journey was different.
Born in Terrassa, a town in the outskirts of Barcelona, the attacking midfielder decided to move from his Catalan home town in 2014 to develop his career in Zagreb. In five years at Stadium Maximir, Olmo triumphed with 34 goals and 28 assists in all competitions for Dinamo’s first team.
Leipzig’s acquisition of the number 25 has, although early, proved fairly successful. They fought off strong competition from Chelsea to sign Olmo, and he has racked up nine direct goal contributions in all competitions for the German side.
Olmo is a very modern footballer. He is ridiculously quick and agile. A deadly dribbler, the Spaniard also has good vision, a powerful shot and the ability to link up quickly with his teammates. Olmo’s style of play is flair-infused. He is a composed finisher and due to his explosive pace and directness, he is a nightmare for the defenders.
Olmo’s addition to the Saxony-based club has made their attack one of the most potent in Europe. The Bundesliga campaign has finished with Die Rotten Bullen finishing third.
He has played only one game for Spain. But his international career could not have started much better - Olmo scored on his debut three minutes after being subbed on against Malta.
Comfortable on either foot, Olmo will benefit working under a manager like Julian Nagelsmann, helping the Spaniard in his bid to take his game to the next level.
Olmo’s former coach at La Masia, Dennis Puig, complimented the wonderkid: “He was a typical forward, a very good finisher. He scored goals in every age category. He understood space well, so he could find room to score. He's a natural-born goalscorer.”
Ferran Torres
The final young talent on this list is Valencia winger Ferran Torres. Despite Valencia’s poor season, the Spaniard has emerged as a star. The direct goal statistics don't show the 20-year-old’s true importance to the Valencia side - four goals and five assists in 34 La Liga games may seem fairly disappointing.
But Torres is a vital cog in Valencia’s build-up play. He plays exquisite passes that break opposition defensive lines. These passes don’t always translate into assists, but they are still essential for the team’s ball progression. Torres is rapid. He uses his pace to beat the opposition’s full-backs and his skilful dribbling puts defenders in a daze.
The Valencia-born youngster is very technical, with his first touch in particular often allowing him to gain valuable yards over opponents in small spaces. He's adept when it comes to carrying the ball towards goal from deep.
Valencia academy director of recruitment Jose Gimenez continued the description of Torres: “He's powerful, quick, steady with the ball at his feet and strong in the air. He's unpredictable. When he's running with the ball at his feet he can go on inside or outside his man because he is two-footed. He can cross, finish and shoot.”
Torres has clearly impressed scouts, as clubs such as Manchester City and Manchester United among others are heavily linked for the Spanish youth international. The wide playmaker has been the subject of headlines across the world, suggesting that he is going to leave, with City seeming Torres’ most likely suitors. ED - Ferran Torres completed his move to Manchester City on 5th August 2020.
Los Murcielagos have struggled to retain their status as Spain’s best club behind the three giants – FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. They finished the season in an underwhelming ninth position. But the number 20 has excelled and been their one bright spark. Torres’ development has been something of a phenomenon.
That concludes the second match of our European tour. These players are astounding talents, and will probably go on to become legends of the game.
This is an original article by Charlie Rowan for The Sporting Blog.
