Young revelation player of the year
The 482nd CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the 100 players under the age of 20 (as of 27 November) with the most playing experience* in 2024, while having played fewer than 900 official game minutes at senior level in the previous year. Despite being just 17.8 years old, Barcelona’s centre back Pau Cubarsí tops the list.
England’s Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United) and Argentina’s Julio Soler (CA Lanús) complete the young revelations’ podium. They are ahead of Brazilian Estêvão Willian (Palmeiras, owned by Chelsea) and Turkey’s Semih Kiliçsoy (Beşiktaş JK). Belgium’s Konstantinos Karetsas (KRC Genk) is the youngest player listed, ahead of Ayyoub Bouaddi (LOSC Lille), Gabriel Carvalho (SC Internacional), Franco Mastantuono (River Plate) and Chris Rigg (Sunderland AFC).
No fewer than 38 leagues are represented in the top 100, with a maximum of 11 players from the Brazilian Serie A, followed by eight in the Argentinian top flight. The highest experience value of any player under the age of 20 was recorded for Lamine Yamal. However, the Spanish prodigy was already an established professional in 2023. More complete rankings are accessible on request.
* Projected on a basis of 100, the experience score takes into account the minutes played in official matches at senior level in 2024, weighted by the sporting level of the games and the results. More information on the exclusive CIES Football Observatory methodology is available in this note.
>>> Top 100
