4 Wonderkids Set To Take Over Football

FourFourTwo

The Boy's A Bit Special is back with episode 2! From the Bernabeu to Elland Road, Joe is here to give you the lowdown on which wonderkids you should be paying attention to in the very near future. Champions League, Premier League and La Liga records could be broken in no time..

Transcript

00:00Hello and welcome back to our new 4-4-2 video feature, The Boys A Bit Special,

00:04in which we're highlighting the best and brightest teenagers world football has to offer.

00:08Each month we'll be selecting four players, some more renowned than others,

00:11and giving them the airtime we think they deserve.

00:13Don't forget to comment your suggestions below if there's a player we really should be spotlighting,

00:18but try not to take it personally if your team's favourite youngster isn't featured.

00:21Relax, it's not that deep.

00:23So without further ado, on with the show, and it's a Galactico with a twist who kicks off this episode.

00:27Mas D'Antonio!

00:31Franco Mas D'Antonio has had two breakout years, not one.

00:34The Argentine international slipped on Claudio Echeverri's boots and into the red Sasha Dawn

00:39rubber plate kit shortly after Echeverri's move to Manchester City just over 18 months ago.

00:44That was Mas D'Antonio's first breakout year, 2024, when he announced himself in South America.

00:49In 2025, Mas D'Antonio has arrived on the world stage.

00:52The newly turned 18-year-old has assumed starting responsibilities under Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid

00:57and that's a lot easier said than done.

01:00Just ask Renier, Hendrik or Arda Guller.

01:02Mas D'Antonio is a left-footed right-winger and hails from a sporting background.

01:06He was once considered one of Argentina's 10 best tennis players in his age group before committing to football.

01:11To watch Mas D'Antonio during his final six months in Argentinian football, it was clear he'd outgrown the environment.

01:17Very little appeared to challenge him anymore.

01:19Make no mistake, at 18 he's got a lot to learn and will be in and out of the team because of the sheer talent in Real Madrid's ranks.

01:25But players who make their Argentina debuts and move to the Santiago Bernabeu for 40 million euros

01:30before they're old enough to legally buy a pint, not that they'd be doing that anyway, tend to be a bit special.

01:36When Mas D'Antonio isn't shooting, he's winning fouls which lead to shooting opportunities for others.

01:41When he isn't doing either of those things, he's creating chances.

01:43Doing so almost five times per game during his final 12 months with River Plate, which is remarkably consistent.

01:50Mas D'Antonio has a strong preference for his left foot, but that isn't to say that his right is obsolete.

01:54Demonstrated by the goal he scored against Levante to open his Real Madrid account.

01:58Takes it in his stride.

02:01Mas D'Antonio with his right foot.

02:03Franco Mas D'Antonio.

02:04Given the chance though, he'll always cut infield from an aggressive starting position right out there on the touchline.

02:11And when he arrives within a reasonable distance from goal, he loads the bullets and fires.

02:15There's no shortage of attacking options at the Bernabeu, but consistent starts are indicative of a player who has Alonso's trust

02:21and that's a rare, valuable, some would even say special commodity for any teenager.

02:25I don't think I've seen anything like it, yes I'm going to say it, since Messi.

02:31When 5 foot 6 inch Rodrigo Moura scored on his first FC Porto start at the age of 17,

02:36he was hoisted like a puppet by 6 foot 4 inch team mate Samu Agahoa.

02:40Size, ironically, plays a big part in Moura's game.

02:43How often have we heard stories of players who were overlooked due to their diminutive stature

02:47or their inability to impact matches physically?

02:50Kevin Keegan is one, Andres Iniesta another, and they did alright for themselves.

02:54In Moura's case, he's probably benefited from being born in the modern era

02:58when his talent is such that he's rarely needed to engage in the more agricultural parts of the game.

03:03From an early age, Moura superseded his peers with technical ability and an eye for a pass.

03:08In particular, Moura's display at the 2024 UEFA Under-17 Euros earned him the Golden Ball,

03:13the tournament's prize for the best player, after he scored five times and provided two assists

03:18en route to finishing a runner-up with Portugal.

03:20The season before last, Moura finished joint top scorer in the UEFA Youth League 2

03:24netting seven goals as Porto were knocked out on penalties in the semi-final.

03:28He's doing his bit, and you can't say fairer than that.

03:31Last year, while still a teenager, Moura hit double figures for Porto

03:33and was subsequently called up to Roberto Martinez's senior Portugal squad

03:37for the UEFA Nations League finals over the summer.

03:40It'll be some feat to continue in the same vein during 25-26,

03:44but if he does, he stands a real chance of making the World Cup squad.

03:47In many ways, Moura is a throwback to the archetypal European number 10.

03:51Short and slippery, sporting those flowing auburn locks, receiving between lines,

03:56ducking and weaving between pressure.

03:57If a footballer could quite literally dribble through an opposing player's legs, Moura would be it.

04:02Balance and composure in the final third are what he's all about.

04:05Moura is constantly active in attacking spaces and likes to make himself a touchpoint

04:09for his Porto teammates to find inside the area,

04:12and that makes him a nightmare to keep tabs on for defences.

04:15Boyish looks, huge talent, a crab-like ability to protect possession in tight spaces,

04:20he's both-footed and bears a stylistic resemblance to the one and only David Silva.

04:25Moura is, how they say in Portuguese, un craque.

04:27Keeper can't stop it, thunderbolt from Harry Gray.

04:32A hat-trick.

04:33The English representative in this boys-a-bit-special feature

04:36hasn't made a single appearance in the Premier League yet,

04:38but we're pretty sure he will before long.

04:40Leeds United are an historic institution,

04:42and Ellen Road is one of English football's oldest and most authentic stadiums.

04:46There is one family whose legacy adorns the walls and corridors more than any other,

04:50and that's the Greys.

04:51At least one member of the Gray family has played for or managed Leeds United

04:55during the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.

05:0117-year-old Harry Gray is the latest in a long line of Gray family men

05:05to pull on the white shirt of Leeds.

05:06The teenage striker made his senior debut at the end of Leeds' championship-winning

05:1024-25 season, but those around the club have been talking about the great-nephew

05:14of Ellen Road icon Eddie Gray much longer than he's been around the first team.

05:18Harry's elder brother Archie, now at Spurs, burst onto the scene with Leeds

05:21as a fresh-faced, versatile midfielder, playing over 50 times in his one and only season

05:26as a first-team player.

05:27And, as a former Leeds reporter myself, I can tell you first-hand that

05:31whenever people spoke of Archie's development and the Gray family lineage,

05:34that there was almost always mention of his younger sibling, Harry, too.

05:38And that was because of his goal-scoring exploits in the academy.

05:42Tall, confident and wiry, Harry is much like his brother.

05:45Already an accomplished footballer, even if senior opportunities in the Premier League

05:48will be harder to come by than Archie found in the division below.

05:51The Leeds' youngster is a striker-striker, working hard out of possession

05:55and clinical in front of goal.

05:57His style is typical of the number nines that his grandad, Frank Gray,

06:00a European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest, made a living playing against back in the 70s and 80s.

06:05Harry is yet to make his Premier League debut, but that's coming.

06:08Already this season, he's scored a hat-trick against senior opposition

06:11and made light work of PL2 defences for the 21s.

06:15And, we know what you're thinking, there's no nepotism going on here.

06:18He really is a bit special.

06:24The Basque country is known for two things, its food and its football clubs.

06:28John Martín is the latest in a succession of young Basque players

06:31to break into the senior set-up at Anoeta,

06:34having cut his teeth at the club's world-renowned Zubieta Academy.

06:37The teenage central defender is an aerial colossus first and foremost.

06:41In the same way San Sebastián's weather is often compared to its British cousin,

06:45Martín's style of play is more like that of an old-school, proper British centre-half.

06:50Last-minute tackles, duelling in the air, no-nonsense clearances, blocking shots

06:53and, you know what, sometimes leaving one on the man he's been tasked with marking.

06:57L'Oreal haven't started this season very well.

06:59They changed manager and sporting director recently

07:01and this is a club in the past that hasn't exactly thrived when in a state of flux.

07:06Martín hasn't been a favourite of new coach Sergio Francisco

07:09but his emergence last term and the more recent extension of his contract,

07:13which now runs until 2031,

07:16suggests the 19-year-old has a longer shelf life in Donostia.

07:19The Basque lighthouse, which is a nickname I'm really quite proud to have come up with,

07:22is a major threat in the opposition penalty area

07:25and has demonstrated exactly that in youth international tournaments for Spain.

07:28Even at six foot one inches,

07:30which is by no means the tallest for a top five European league central defender,

07:34Martín's aerial prowess is his standout attribute

07:37and something he's likely to improve upon

07:39as he develops further, both tactically and physically.

07:42Spain's pool of up-and-coming centre-halves is rich with promising talent,

07:46considering Pau Kubasi and Dean Hoyssen playing regularly for La Liga's big two.

07:50But don't be fooled by Martín's current lack of game time.

07:53He deserves to be spoken about in the same breath and clubs know it.

07:56And don't forget you can read all about the world's best young talents and more

07:59in the latest issue of 442 magazine.

08:02And remember, tell us in the comments which teenagers you want to see featured

08:05on the next episode of the Boys a Bit Special.

08:08Thanks for watching, bye for now.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended