Introducing the Wonderkid Watch: Top 5 Strikers Under Age 20
A new series seeks to rank the top prospects in global soccer...
The origins of the term wonderkid are unclear. The German version, Wunderkind, dates at least to Mozart and probably a lot longer. At some point it got coopted by soccer, likely through the popular Football ne Championship Manager computer game. It’s even made its way into Ted Lasso.
So there’s a very good chance you’re quite familiar with this term already. Still, some sets of qualifications are necessary for our purposes. Specifically:
While there is no set age at which a wonderkid ages out of this criteria, we will only consider players under the age of 20 at the time of writing. That means no Jude Bellingham (born June 2003) and others born before Sept. 13, 2003;
Players from Premiership teams (and academies) will be excluded for now, just because so much information on them is readily available (especially in English) and the assumption is that supporters of Premier League teams will be well aware with their club’s wonderkids. So don’t go looking for Evan Ferguson in this write-up;
To qualify, the individual needs to have seen playing time for a senior selection — either his own club or while on loan — and this team needs to be at least second tier for the individual to qualify. So somebody starting for a Regionalliga team in some German village (random example) will not have the required qualifications;
That’s it! So off we go now, with a first look at the top 5 wonderkids at forward positions. By this we mean strikers, so don’t go looking for Lamine Yadal here please. Those of you who follow me on Twitter/X will have seen many of these names already.
These players are already very well known and scouted and in certain instances have transfers arranged to top clubs — if they aren’t already employed by them. A list of less known players will follow in due course. For now, here are our top five strikers under the age of 20 excluding the aforementioned Ferguson:
5. Karim Konate
Born: 2004
Nationality: Ivory Coast
Senior Caps: 8
Current Club: RB Salzburg
Youth Club: ASEC Mimosas
Interested Clubs: No tangible reports yet. He has expressed his fondness for Liverpool, Lyon, and Barcelona.
Konate is possibly a surprise here, but he shouldn’t be when you look at his form this season, his first at RB Salzburg (he was on loan last year): Six goals in seven appearances for the first team. Granted two of these were against a minnow club in a cup tie and the Austrian Bundesliga is not exactly known as the most competitive league in the world. Still, this has scouts on notice and has caused Konate’s market value to rally, according to Transfermarkt. He hasn’t done much for his national team yet, but you’re going to want to watch that space, with January’s Africa Cup of Nations taking place in his native Ivory Coast. Technically proficient, especially in front of goal, he can shoot with both feet judging by some YouTube highlights. Two-footedness is something that should be (and probably is) highly valued by scouts: the best talents all possess this trait. Conversely, you’d be hard-pressed to identify a big-name star, especially an attacker, who doesn’t possess it. Think I’m wrong? Go ahead, prove it in the comments by naming the player.
4. Endrick
Full Name: Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa
Born: 2006
Nationality: Brazilian
Most Senior Caps: U-17
Current Club: Palmeiras. Joins Real Madrid in July 2024
Youth Club(s): Palmeiras
Endrick has been getting time for Palmeiras’ first team for two seasons already, scoring goals in all competitions foreign and domestic. Unfortunately his club wouldn’t release him for the Under-20 World Cup this summer. When he was capped, he scored almost at will (five goals in four matches for the U17s back in 2022). Looks to have crazy skill on the ball, judging by YouTube highlights. Will be hard for Real to keep him out of the lineup once he joins the blancos next summer.
3. Youssoufa Moukoko
Born: 2004
Nationality: German
Senior Caps: 2
Current Club: Borussia Dortmund
Youth Club(s): St. Pauli, Borussia Dortmund
Interested Club(s): RB Leipzig, Barcelona
Moukoko is a bright spot in a rather fallow period for German soccer. He’s already been capped at the senior level after establishing himself as a prolific scorer for youth national teams: eight (8) goals in eight (8) appearances for the Under-21s, including two in their victory over Kosovo yesterday (if you watch those highlights you can see his prowess as a passer as well, with some keen vision setting up a chance shortly after half time that was squandered). He does seem to favor his left foot, but makes up for it with a vicious shot and goal-scoring prowess that you just can’t teach.
2. Mathys Tel
Born: 2005
Nationality: French
Most Senior Caps: Under-19
Current Club: Bayern Munich
Youth Club(s): Paris FC, Montrouge, Rennes
Interested Club(s): RB Leipzig, Barcelona
Tel edges out Moukoko here for admittedly minor, even superficial reasons: He’s younger than the German and plays for a better side. But we suspect this isn’t the last time we’ll be comparing these two. With Harry Kane’s move to Germany, the competition for playing time in Bayern’s attack has only become fiercer. But Tel has made the most of this opportunities, scoring twice as a sub — including the winning goal in the comeback win in the last matchday at Borussia Moenchengladbach.
1. Vitor Roque
Full Name: Vitor Hugo Roque Ferreira
Born: 2005
Nationality: Brazilian
Senior Caps: 1
Current Club: Atletico Paranaese. Joins Barcelona in July 2024
Youth Club(s): America MG, Cruzeiro
Invariably Roque and Endrick will be linked, much like Tel and Moukoko invite comparisons. Roque is the more established player, starting regularly for his club and already capped by Brazil’s senior side. These give him the edge in our ranking (he’s also more than a year older than Endrick in fairness). Like Endrick, Roque was kept out of the Brazil side that lost in the quarterfinals at this summer’s U20s. But he did start for the U20s at the South American championships in January, scoring six (6) times in eight (8) appearances. His dribbling skills can appear downright otherworldly, often leaving defenders with no choice but to knock him down. This combined with his small stature and low center of gravity brings to mind a certain Diego Maradona. Did we just compare Roque to Maradona? Yes we did. Both players started their European careers at Barcelona too…