The Wonderkid Power Rankings: Arsenal sensation and Jude Bellingham battle for top spot

Welcome back to The Wonderkid Power Rankings, 3 Added Minutes’ weekly attempt to rank the best young players in the world based not just on their quality but on their form at the highest level of the game.

And because it’s pretty tough to be “in form” when you’re on the treatment table, we have to say goodbye to a couple of unfortunate injury victims for a while. Pedri, who clocked in at number two last week, is now out until October, his second serious injury of 2023, while Jamal Musiala is out for an indefinite period with a hamstring problem. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can welcome the Anglo-German prodigy back to the top ten.

As for the match-ready youngsters of the game, the task right now is a tricky one – unseat Jude Bellingham, whose stellar start to life at Real Madrid has seen him firmly ensconced in the top spot for the first fortnight of the season. So, did anyone do enough this week, or did Bellingham drop his standards at all..?

1. Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid (non-mover)

No, he didn’t. Bellingham scored his fourth goal in three games for Los Merengues, this time showing off his strength against Celta Vigo to hold off some robust marking and steal in at the back post to head home from a set piece.

And he’s showing off more than just a flair for finding the back of the net – he completed 90% of his passes and didn’t lose the ball in possession once all game. He’s a midfield general, a creator, a goalscorer and has impeccable ball control and technique as well. One of the very best players in the world right now, not just the best youngster.

2. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal (⬆️ from 3)

With Pedri’s injury-enforced absence, Arsenal star Saka moves back up to number two in the rankings, thanks in part to a penalty against Fulham which could, and frankly should, have led to a win for last season’s runners-up. Sadly, his team-mates don’t seem to know how to defend a corner thumped into the box, not something the 5’8” Saka is really meant to be responsible for.

Still, like his compatriot Bellingham, his game is about plenty more than goals, and he was once again twisting, turning, accelerating and finding those little half-yards of space that the trickiest players seem to find where others get hemmed in. Two thirds of the world have him in their Fantasy Premier League team, too, which just goes to show that at least a third of the global population just can’t be trusted.

3. Vitor Roque – Athletico Paranaense (⬆️ from 4)

Another game, another goal for the prodigious Brazilian, whose late equaliser against Fluminense made it 19 in his 40 games in all competitions this season – and the rate at which the Barcelona-bound striker finds the net only seems to be increasing.

It was another cracking goal as well, losing his marker with a swift shimmy and a burst of pace to thump an emphatic header across the goalkeeper and in, generating most of the power on the ball with his neck muscles alone. A very dangerous goalscorer already at 18, his is a name we’ll be hearing a hell of a lot more of by the time he makes it to La Liga next year.

4. Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen (⬆️ from 6)

Regular readers will have noted that we have a deep adoration for Wirtz, in our humble opinion one of the most glorious and aesthetically-pleasing players on the face of the Earth just now – and all his pose, elegance and technical magnificence was on show once again with a man of the match performance in Leverkusen’s 3-0 away win over Borussia Mönchengladbach.

The highlight was his assist, an impeccably-weighted through ball which cut out two defenders and slid perfectly into the stride of striker Victor Boniface, who did the honours, but Wirtz could have set up a couple more on a day where his team-mates were in even more lethal mood. Blessed with a glorious passing range and a flowing first touch, it’s just a joy to watch him play.

5. Xavi Simons – RB Leipzig (new entry)

A regular of last season’s rankings, Simons has since left PSV Eindhoven to rejoin Paris Saint-Germain and is now out on loan in Leipzig – a noted nursery ground for gifted young talents. Mind you, there isn’t all that much work left to be done on the Dutchman.

The 20-year-old bagged a goal and two assists in a 5-1 thrashing of VfB Stuttgart to get life at his newest club well and truly started. His goal, the fifth and final, was a testament to his determination as much as his undoubted skill, recovering the ball after the Stuttgart goalkeeper had smothered him one-on-one and keeping his cool to steady himself under pressure and slot home. A huge talent.

6. Eduardo Camavinga – Real Madrid (⬇️ from 5)

It feels a little cruel to drop Camavinga down a spot, but he was substituted off in the second half having only come off the bench in Real’s last game, and while the 90 minutes or so he played across the two games were thoroughly respectable, you need more than solidity and a back catalogue of outstanding performances to remain in the top five.

Carlo Ancelotti still seems to feel that Camavinga needs regular rest and rotation, but it doesn’t seem to knock the Frenchman out of his rhythm any, and his calm, composed and efficient passing and skill at recovering possession were all still firmly in place despite his withdrawal in the win over Celta.

7. Joško Gvardiol – Manchester City (non-mover)

A fine defensive display away at Sheffield United as he snuffed out absolutely everything the Blades tried to do down their right flank, demonstrating excellent poise on the ball throughout and judging his challenges well.

There will be sterner tests, admittedly, but Gvardiol has the gift of making games look easy when he’s on song, while his ball-carrying skills and technical excellence mean his role at left-back shouldn’t pose too many problems for a player more used to playing in the centre. A very cool customer and a very fine player.

8. Lamine Yamal – Barcelona (new entry)

This was just the 16-year-old’s fourth senior game but he made very clear just why he’s one of the most touted and talked-about teenagers in the global game, running Barcelona’s attack almost by himself for large periods in a ding-dong 4-3 victory over Villarreal.

The one assist he came away with really doesn’t do justice to an astonishingly mature and marauding performance, although the precision with which he whipped a cross onto Gavi’s forehead for Barcelona’s opening goal spoke volumes. Blessed with preternatural ball control, an effortless passing range and quick feet, Yamal has practically everything - including the world at his feet. He is expected to be called up to the senior Spain squad for the first time this weekend. A reminder – he’s 16.

9. Gavi – Barcelona (new entry)

The former Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy winner had a slightly disappointing season last year, despite his side winning La Liga – his form was patchy, he wasn’t scoring or setting them up, and just a little bit of the energy and spark seemed to be missing from his game.

But he seems keen to make up for some of that lost time, bursting into the box with a well-timed run to head home Yamal’s cross and generally looked much sharper than he had been throughout the game, making 95% of his passes and contributing plenty to the build-up. A sign of a return to form for a young man with unquestionable talent.

10. Warren Zaïre-Emery – Paris Saint-Germain (new entry)

Another prodigy coming into his own at a ridiculously young age, Zaïre-Emery made his debut last year at the age of 16 and has become an increasingly regular presence in PSG’s midfield, starting all of their Ligue 1 games so far and picking up his first assist in senior football during the 3-1 win over RC Lens when he teed up Marco Asensio.

A defensive midfielder whose increasingly making contributions up the other end of the field, the France Under-19 international has bags of energy, a solid physical presence, good technique, impressive dribbling skills and is a reliable passer. Really, there don’t seem to be any glaring weaknesses in his game, a ridiculous thing to say about someone too young to order a glass of red wine on his own.