1 hour ago
7
European football's premier competition returns tonight with clubs from across the continent vying to get their hands on the Champions League trophy in Budapest next May.
Paris Saint-Germain are the team to beat after the French giants steamrolled Inter Milan in Munich.
Luis Enrique's swashbuckling team that stormed to the European crown was brimming with young talent, such as Vitinha, Joao Neves and Desire Doue who exploded onto the scene in stunning style.
Here, Daily Mail Sport takes a look at the next batch of youngsters ready to make their mark on the continent this term.
Franco Mastantuono - Real Madrid
A new arrival at the Bernabeu, Franco Mastantuono has somewhat gone under the radar for those not affiliated with Real Madrid.
In truth, though, the 18-year-old has touched down in Spain with a significant reputation despite his relatively low profile on the continent.
Franco Mastantuono has a significant reputation in South America and plays for Real Madrid
Boasting a blend of technical finesse with impressive tactical intelligence at such a young age, the left-footed Mastantuono can operate on the right flank or behind the striker, and is confident enough with the ball at his feet to take on any opponent in front of him.
Yet he is not an explosive dribbler, rather, he offers a more composed, calculated approach to attacking - often drifting into the inside channels where he looks for space to shoot from distance.
His seven goals and four assists for River Plate last term were enough to convince Los Blancos to part ways with £39million to land the 18-year-old - the most expensive transfer fee for a player from the Argentinian league.
With three appearances already under his belt for Madrid this season, Xabi Alonso is seemingly fully confident that Mastantuono can make an impact for his side in Europe.
Senny Mayulu - Paris St-Germain
Perhaps the crowning moment of PSG's Champions League triumph that proved they have truly moved on from their failed Galacticos era wasn't the first half blitz that knocked Inter for six, nor the way Vitinha and Joao Neves combined to lead a merry dance around the Inter's shell-shocked midfield.
No, it was the moment, in the 86th minute, when young Senny Mayulu laced a left-footed strike beyond Yann Sommer to send the Parisians into bedlam.
Senny Mayulu scored PSG's fifth goal in the Champions League final as a substitute
In years gone by, the 18-year-old academy product would be hard pressed to get a look in in the French capital, with star-studded names like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi ahead of him.
But the versatile midfielder, who has been at the club since he was a child, is certainly in Luis Enrique's plans. Alongside his impressive cameo in Munich, he made 20 league appearances last term and has already won two Ligue 1 titles.
Often described as 'the complete package', the all-action midfielder tends to have a knack of finding himself in the right place at the right time - as evidenced at the Allianz Arena, and PSG fans are keen to see how he grows from squad player to regular first teamer this season.
Vasilije Adzic - Juventus
A hidden gem in every sense, Montenegran midfielder Vasilije Adzic has taken an entirely different route to one of Europe's top clubs compared to PSG's Mayulu.
Plucked from relative obscurity, Juventus landed the youngster from Buducnost Podgoric in his native Montenegro after he helped guide them to the league title at age 16.
Now 19, Adzic is making tracks in Turin. He featured on nine occasions for the Old Lady last season, including one Champions League appearance.
Vasilije Adzic scored a stunning winner against Inter Milan and has been likened to Paul Pogba
He has already made a strong start to this campaign, scoring the winner with a stunning long distance strike against arch rivals Inter over the weekend.
Big things are expected of the dynamic midfielder, with his former coach likening his game to that of former Juventus star Paul Pogba.
'I'll say one thing right away: the goal, that kind of goal against Inter, isn't a surprise to me. That's Adzic's value, and now in Italy you'll realize how much he's worth,' former Podgoric manager Ivan Brnovic told Tuttosport.
'He has something of Pogba, but Vasilije is devastating in the short term. Many here have compared him to Zvone Boban, but it's difficult to compare two ways of playing football so different and distant in time.
'He has it all, always has: physicality, shooting, pace, hunger, and determination. He's a hard worker: in his position, for his age, he's already among the top three in the world in my opinion.'
Claudio Echeverri - Leverkusen (on loan from Man City)
A pocket of fans in England's north west will be keeping a keen eye on the exploits of Claudio Echeverri in Germany this season.
Echeverri first caught the attention of the football world at the Under-17s World Cup where he scored a hat trick for Argentina. Man City snapped up the opportunity to sign the attacking midfielder in January 2024, before loaning him back to his boyhood club River Plate for the remainder of the year.
Many English fans will be familiar with Man City wonderkid Claudio Echeverri. He is spending the season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen
The 19-year-old - who is nicknamed 'El Diablito' (the little devil), in his native country - touched down in Manchester in the winter and was on the periphery for much of the latter half of the 2024-25 campaign. Pep Guardiola introduced the youngster in the latter stages of the FA Cup final but he was unable to inspire a comeback against Crystal Palace.
Echeverri bagged his first goal for the Cityzens at the Club World Cup, but Guardiola has opted to send the 19-year-old away to Germany this season, where he has featured in two league games for Leverkusen so far this term.
At 5ft7, Echeverri's low centre of gravity makes him a nightmare to defend against, while he boasts a powerful shot and enjoys making late runs into the box.
George Ilenikhena - Monaco
George Ilenikhena's career trajectory looks as though it is heading in one direction only. The tall and powerful French striker possesses all the attributes to make himself a nightmare for opposing defenders for years to come.
The 19-year-old moved to Monaco last summer after bagging 14 goals in 49 games for Belgian side Royal Antwerp and has found himself enjoying playing against Barcelona in particular.
George Ilenikhena has no inhibitions on the big stage - he has already scored twice against Barcelona
The 6ft1ins forward scored against the LaLiga giants at the age of 17 in a 3-2 defeat for Royal Antwerp, before getting his revenge a year later in Monaco's 2-1 win last season.
Signed by Monaco for just £13m, that price already appears to be a bargain and the French club are likely to seek a fee far greater if they are to part with the forward - they rejected a £24m bid from Stuttgart last summer.
Geovany Quenda - Sporting
Full-back Quenda is already making waves at the age of 18. The Sporting Lisbon star was the subject of heavy interest from Manchester United over the past 12 months, with Ruben Amorim seeing first hand the precocious youngster's talent while in charge of the Portuguese club, before he was snatched away by Chelsea.
Quenda's impressive form last season - in which he provided eight assists in 54 games for Sporting - helped his club to a league and cup double before he starred at the Under-21 Euros, scoring three goals.
Geovany Quenda is looking to make a big impact for Sporting before moving to Chelsea
Those performances saw him named in the team of the tournament and there's no sign he is going to let his showings dip this term.
Quenda, who is playing his final season for Sporting before making his move to west London in 2026, possesses a combination of explosive pace, technical skill, and tactical awareness - making him a constant threat.
He has exceptional dribbling ability and the bravery to take on defenders in one-on-one situations and is adept at both cutting inside and hitting the byline to create opportunities for teammates.
