Teenagers are fleeting - one minute past their 20th birthday, and they're gone into the big wide world of everyday footballers - so we have to give them their due whilst we can. And it seems only yesterday that we were punctuating this list with Ryan Gravenberch, Nuno Mendes - and even Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. But the seasons flow, players grow and new wonderkids wind up on the block every single season, so it's time to put them in order for 2022. We talk a host of names, from a Barcelona cohort including Ansu Fati, Gavi and reigning title-holder Pedri, Eduardo Camavinga, Borussia Dortmund's latest gems off the production line, Harvey Elliott (how is he still elegible?!), Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and many more. Sam also chucks in a big prediction for this season for each of his top five.
Things We Love focuses on Graham Potter's rise to the top table of European football management, a rake of late moments for the big guns in Serie A, and Sporting's recovery after a tough start to the season - with some love for some names who were maybe in danger of slipping into unfulfilled promise territory. There's a Melon of the Week out of Turin (or multiple, being frank) and we do a quick draft to select our teams that we'll focus on for the upcoming 2022 World Cup.
It's Ranks!
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