Oscar Barnade
05/31/2020 - 22:30
- Clarín.com
- sports
The World Cup in Russia left the image of the fresh smile of a happy boy of the French Kylian Mbappé, champion with just 19 years. The Cameroonian striker, one of the fastest players on the planet, is on his way to inherit the throne of Lionel Messi. Behind the boy born in 1998, there are a good number of Generation Z youngsters , who came into the world since 2000 and are no longer asking for clues, but are reality.
The Bundesliga consumes all eyes these days without local football or other desirable leagues. Not the most distracted can not help noticing that in the two leading teams of German football there are pubescent stars. On Saturday, Bayern Munich, the leader marching to the ninth consecutive title, thrashed Fortuna Dusseldorf 5-0. The closing of the win was Alphonso Davis , with his own stamp: he stole the ball at the door of the rival area at full speed, eluded the goalkeeper and defined.
Davis is 19 years old (2-11-2000), is of Liberian descent and was born in a refugee camp in Ghana before his parents migrated to Canada. The left back has already had 17 games in the North American team and has 126 games and 16 goals with the shirt of the powerful Bayern.
"When the opponent thinks 'Oh, I have time,' the Roadrunner comes along and steals the ball," Thomas Müller joked, comparing his partner to the famous cartoon character. It was last Tuesday, after Bayern's 1-0 win over Dortmund. He started ten meters from Norwegian Erling Haaland, the other young figure in the Bundesliga, and caught up with him. The measurements indicated a speed of 35.5 kilometers per hour.
Haaland is also 19 years old (21-7-2000), is a center-forward (1.94 meters) and has an impressive record: 61 goals in 102 games . Although he was born in Leeds, England (his father Alf-Inge played there), he has Norwegian nationality and has already played two matches in that national team. He arrived in Dortmund this year after playing in the Danish team and in the RB Salzburg in Austria. In the first three games he scored 7 goals and has 10 in 11. Now he has been injured.
But neither Davis nor Haland are the best-rated youth, according to the Transfermarkt page. The Canadian has a value of 45 million euros and the Norwegian, 72, although the German club cost 22 million. The most sought-after youth is another figure from Dortmund: Jadon Sancho .
Erling Braut Haaland is a figure of Borussia Dortmund Photo: Reuters
On June 11, the Spanish League will begin, which has several Generation Z teenagers looking to reign in the future. Real Madrid has Rodrygo (9-1-2001) and Vinicius Junior (12-7-2000). They are both Brazilian: the first, far right; the other, left. Rodrygo has already played two games for the National Team, he has 23 goals in 77 games in his young career and is listed at € 45 million. Vinicius is also international (one match) and is more consolidated in the starting eleven of Merengue : he has 22 goals in 114 games. His pass also costs 45 million.
Neither of them holds the record for Ansu Fati (10-31-2002), Barcelona's right winger. He was born in Guinea Bissau and arrived with his family in Spain at the age of 6. He was first in Seville and in 2012 he joined the Catalan club. He debuted on August 25 of last year, at the age of 16. With his first goals, he became the youngest scorer in the history of Barcelona , the youngest to score a double in La Liga history and the youngest to score in the Champions League. Its market value is 36 million euros.
A little more expensive is Valencia striker Ferran Torres (29-2-2000), who debuted in 2017 at the age of 17 and this season is already the undisputed starter. He has 11 goals in 100 games and is valued at 45 million euros.
The Premier League has already announced a return to competition starting June 17. As in Spain, in England the most valued and outstanding are the forwards. However, midfielder Phil Foden (28-05-2000) shines at Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. At 17 he became the youngest player to establish himself as a starter.
"Phil is the most talented player I have ever seen in my coaching career," said the coach, who before the contract renewal until 2024 said Foden was not leaving for even 500 million euros. He is left-handed, moves through the center of the court or lies on the right and has great peripheral vision. Some compare him to Andrés Iniesta. Somehow, at City they tried to repair the bad decision they made when they let Sancho go.
Ryan Sessegon (18-5-2000), who already has 133 games (26 goals), is also part of Generation Z in English soccer . The left inside of Tottenham is, among those born in 2000, the footballer with the most First Division matches. Callum Hudson-Odoi (7-11-2000), Chelsea left winger, and Moise Kean (28-2-2000), Everton center-forward, are also a reality . Both already have 3 matches in the National Team, the first in England and the second in Italy. Kean's pass, big, powerful and skilled, belongs to Juventus. They say it is the new Balotelli.
Phil Foden celebrates a goal at Manchester City Photo: Reuters
At 18 years old, Mason Greenwood (1-10-2001), Manchester United center-forward; Buyako Saka (5-9-2001), left winger of Arsenal; and the Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli (18-6-2001), also a center-forward for Arsenal. And the current Liverpool striker Harvey Elliot (4-4-2003) became in 2018, in Fulham, the youngest rookie in the Premier.
In the resumption of Italian football. Still without a date, it is expected to follow the evolution of Sandro Tonalli (8-5-2000), considered the new Pirlo, who works for Brescia (77 games and 6 goals). Another very interesting project is Dusan Vlahovic (28-1-2000), a Serbian left-handed center-forward from Fiorentina, very similar to Ibrahimovic. And of course Daniel Maldini (11-10-2001), son of Paolo and grandson of Cesare, surname with power in Italy. For now, he only played one game for Milan.
Two other young children of former soccer players are also standing out. One is Giovanni Reyna (11-13-2002), who entered Dortmund's rout. He was born in Durham, England, but has the nationality of his father Claudio, who was captain and participated in four World Cups with the United States. Reyna played the youth teams and has already been summoned to the North American team. Timothy Weah (22-2-2000), son of the legendary George, current President of Liberia, plays in French Lille . But the young man was born in the United States and has already played 8 games in his country's national team.
Argentine soccer also has its protagonists in Generation Z. The most emblematic case is that of Thiago Almada (04-26-2001), the young jewel of Vélez. Wanted by several European clubs, last year they improved their contract and the termination clause, which is now 22 million euros and after August 31, and until June 2023, it will be 25. With 46 matches in the First Division (9 goals), before the suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic began to consolidate as a starter.
It is not a fixed among the eleven of entry in Lanús, but the name of Pedro de la Vega (7-2-2001) is already known in the European football world. Last year he almost went to Genoa for 10 million euros. They also asked about him from Inter, Sporting de Lisboa, Galatasaray and, last month, Atalanta. He already dressed the light blue and white in youth and has 36 games at his club (6 goals).
Other young promises to keep in mind are Matías Palacios (10-5-2002), offensive midfielder for San Lorenzo (2 games), and Darío Sarmiento (29-3-2002), right winger for Estudiantes (8 games). The two are also already part of the Argentine youth. The youngest of the last Super League was Agustín Haush , striker for San Lorenzo, who debuted at the age of 16 (05-21-2003).
Jadon Sancho's first hat-trick
Jadon Sancho celebrates a goal in Dortmund asking for justice by George Floyd Photo: EFE
Jadon Sancho (25-3-2000), the English striker with Trinidadian parents, shone in Dortmund's win against Paderborn 6-1. He scored his first hat-trick , has 17 this season and has 34 cries in 94 career games. With the resumption of the tournament he had lost the title, but before Haland's injury he had a new chance and did not waste it. Likewise, he wants to change air and has already agreed to leave the club.
It came up and he was let go by Manchester City. Now United wants him, who asked him for more than 100 million euros. After the first goal, he lifted his shirt and demanded "Justice for George Floyd," murdered in the United States by racial hatred. Marcus Thuram did the same after one of his two goals in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 4-1 win over Union Berlin.
Lionel Messi's chosen ones
Lionel Messi chose the 15 young footballers on the rise. He did it for a collection of letters that a Spanish company put out. Only two were born from 2000 onwards. One is English Foden. "He will do amazing things in the game. He is very talented, "said Leo. And about Sancho, he remarked:" His ability to haggle rivals is impressive.
Also on the list are: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kai Havertz (Leverkusen), Houssem Aouar (Lyon), Luka Jovic and Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Ousmane Dembelé and Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Joao Félix (Atlético), Kylian Mbappé (PSG), and Joshua Kimmich and Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich).
