ESPN ranks U21 players: Bellingham tops the list, followed by Pedri, Saka, Musiala, and Gavi
On March 30th, ESPN released its rankings for the best U21 players, with 39 players making the list. Bellingham took the top spot, followed by Pedri, Saka, Musiala, and Gavi.
Every year, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) selects the best U21 player. This award has been given since 2006 and was created to recognize the most outstanding young players under the age of 21 and provide them with a platform to showcase their talents.
Here are the top ten players on the list:
1.Jude Bellingham, England/Borussia Dortmund, midfielder, 19 years old
2.Pedri, Spain/Barcelona, midfielder, 20 years old
3.Bukayo Saka, England/Arsenal, forward, 21 years old
4.Jamal Musiala, Germany/Bayern Munich, midfielder/attacking midfielder/forward, 20 years old
5.Gavi, Spain/Barcelona, midfielder, 18 years old
6.Eduardo Camavinga, France/Real Madrid, defensive midfielder/midfielder, 20 years old
7.Gabriel Martinelli, Brazil/Arsenal, forward, 21 years old
8.Florian Wirtz, Germany/Bayer Leverkusen, attacking midfielder/forward, 19 years old
9.Josko Gvardiol, Croatia/RB Leipzig, center-back/left-back, 21 years old
10.Moises Caicedo, Ecuador/Brighton, defensive midfielder, 21 years old.
The article introduces Jude Bellingham as the most outstanding young talent in England, who is a midfielder currently playing for Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga. Born on June 29, 2003, Bellingham started his career at Birmingham City Football Club. In the 2020-21 season, he was named the best newcomer in the German Bundesliga by the German Football Association.
The rest of the list includes the following players:
11. Alejandro Balde, Spain/Barcelona, left-back, 19 years old
12.Ansu Fati, Spain/Barcelona, forward, 20 years old
13.Perr Schuurs, Netherlands/Ajax, center-back, 21 years old
14.Nuno Mendes, Portugal/Paris, left-back, 20 years old
15.Goncalo Ramos, Portugal/Benfica, forward, 21 years old
16.Kurt Zouma, France/Chelsea, center-back, 21 years old
17.Nico Williams, Spain/Athletic Bilbao, forward, 20 years old
18.Andreas Skov Olsen, Denmark/Atalanta, forward, 20 years old
19.Piero Hincapie, Ecuador/Bayer Leverkusen, center-back/left-back, 21 years old
20.Andre Santos, Brazil/Chelsea, midfielder, 18 years old
21.Yari Verschaeren, Belgium/Southampton, defensive midfielder, 19 years old
22.Brian Brobbey, Netherlands/Bayern Munich, midfielder, 20 years old
23.Joaquin Blazquez, Argentina/Manchester United, forward, 18 years old
24.Renato Vega, Spain/Celta, midfielder, 20 years old
25.Amar Catic, Belgium/Everton, defensive midfielder, 21 years old
26.Jayden Simmons, Netherlands/PSV Eindhoven, attacking midfielder/forward, 19 years old
27.Jacob Ramsey, England/Aston Villa, midfielder, 21 years old
28.Josha Vagnoman, Germany/AC Milan, center-back, 21 years old
29.Youssoufa Moukoko, Germany/Dortmund, forward, 18 years old
30.Finley Burns, England/Manchester City, right-back, 18 years old
31.Fer Nino, Spain/Villarreal, forward, 20 years old
32.Youssoufa Moukoko, Germany/Dortmund, forward, 21 years old
33.Brennan Johnson, Wales/Nottingham Forest, attacking midfielder/forward, 21 years old
34.Maxence Caqueret, France/Lyon, attacking midfielder, 20 years old
35.Yunus Musah, USA/Valencia, midfielder, 20 years old
36.Harvey Elliott, England/Liverpool, midfielder/forward, 19 years old
37.Florian Wirtz, Germany/Leverkusen, midfielder, 21 years old
38.Giovanni Reyna, USA/Dortmund, attacking midfielder, 20 years old
39.Manuel Ugarte, Uruguay/Portimonense, defensive midfielder, 21 years old.
Although only 19 years old, Bellingham has already made 46 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, scoring 4 goals and providing 4 assists, and helped the team win the German Cup championship. He is a talented player with a promising future, and is almost certain to be named the U21 Best Player. He has also been called up to the England national team, and perhaps with his help, England can launch another challenge for the championship in next year's European Cup.