The Wonderkid Power Rankings: Bukayo Saka stays top as dangerous Dane flies high

Bukayo Saka tops the Wonderkid Power Rankings for a second week as we rank the best young prospects in world football.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The international break isn’t an ideal time for wonderkids around the world – with major tournament qualification on the line, many national managers are loathe to trust the youth of today with the hopes of an entire nation, and the result can be some time benchwarming, resting at home or, of course, playing for the Under-21s.

So quite a few of the world’s finest prospects didn’t see much action this past week, and given the eligibility for the Wonderkid Power Rankings is predicated partly on form, a few names either drop out of our Top 10 from last week or fail to find the foothold that they might have had if they’d been on club duty instead.

And indeed, it’s been a tough week for journalist/talent scout hybrids like me – scouring the line-ups for signs of life from talented teens, trying to find out how youngsters did in the 11 minutes they actually spent on the pitch and so on. My eyes even briefly lit up when I saw that one-time Power Rankings inductee Benjamin Sesko had scored against San Marino… but the goal wasn’t especially good, to be honest, so he misses out on a second spell in the list in favour of a youngster with a magical backheel and a Dane who simply cannot stop scoring. Let’s take a look:

1. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal (no change)

Last week, I determined through a combination of a keen eye and rigorous scientific process that Bukayo Saka was the very best under-21 in the world. And for the first time since we started this feature up, my number one pick didn’t let me down in the slightest. Saka was superb in the first half against Italy, then even better against Ukraine, his sublime cross teeing Harry Kane up for his umpteenth goal for England before Saka slammed home a screamer from the edge of the area. Saka has been in stunning form lately for club and country and simply never seems to fail to show up. An astonishing talent – as if we didn’t already know.

2. Jude Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund (no change)

Also in fine fettle for the Three Lions was Bellingham – getting in on the highlight reel at Wembley by turning a slightly heavy touch from a somewhat overhit pass into a mazy dribble through the Ukranian midfield, showing off all his precocity and composure in what is somehow already his 24th international. Between Birmingham City, Borussia Dortmund and England, Bellingham now has 192 senior appearances under his belt – by way of comparison, David Beckham hadn’t reached double figures by the same age, and Lionel Messi had roughly a third of Bellingham’s gametime. Quite the statistic.

3. Gavi – Barcelona (no change)

Yes, yes, I know, no movement at all in the top three – boring, isn’t it? But this was, frankly, a pretty good week for the younger members of the Spain squad who were inexplicably benched ahead of the Scotland game, as they managed to demonstrate just how much the Spanish side have come to depend on them. Gavi was pretty handy for an hour in the 3-0 defeat of Norway and his absence at Hampden Park was rather noticeable – when he finally came on with ten minutes left, he reminded his manager of how dangerous he can be with a fine through ball for the offside Nico Williams. Just play the lad, Luis de la Fuente.

4. Rasmus Hojland - Atalanta (new entry)

It takes a pretty big week to sail right the way into the top five, but that’s exactly what Hojulind had – five goals in two games including a hat-trick against the Faroe Islands underlined why some of the biggest clubs in the world have added the Atalanta striker to their shopping lists, and the fee he’ll command is adding digits by the day. Add six goals in his last 12 Serie A appearances and you have a man in serious form – his pace, movement and instinctive finishing mean he has pretty much all the attributes you could want from a forward, and the 20 year-old Dane seems to be taking big steps forward practically every week. One to keep a very close eye on.

5. Eduardo Camavinga – Real Madrid (no change)

Another solid if mildly unspectacular week for the rock at the heart of the French midfield – he was one of Les Bleus’ better players in a surprisingly trying game against Ireland, but only came on as a late sub in the 4-0 thumping of the Netherlands, with the maternally-challenged Adrien Rabiot preferred alongside Aurelien Tchouameni. Camavinga hasn’t been on his very finest form in the last month or so but that doesn’t detract from his excellent all-round game and he’ll be back to his best before too long, one assumes.

6. Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich (⬇️ from 4)

A mild thigh strain kept Musiala out of Germany’s games against Peru and Belgium this weekend, one of those slightly suspicious minor injuries that magically crop up a lot around international friendlies – but given how integral he will be to Bayern Munich’s title challenge this year, it’s pretty reasonable to give the guy a break. That doesn’t stop him taking a slight slide down the rankings, because playing time counts and all that, but he’s still one of the most dangerous and fascinating young forwards in the world.

7. Josko Gvardiol – RB Leipzig (⬆️ from 9)

Another very decent week for the young Croatian centre-half, playing the full 180 minutes against Wales and Turkey and seeing just the one goal go past him in the process, Nathan Broadhead’s last-gasp equaliser in Split. Given that it was Wales’ only shot on target and Croatia dominated possession and play – both of which Gvardiol very much contributed to – it would be hard to pin any of the blame of the young Leipzig man’s shoulders. It’s been some time since he had a bad game and his list of suitors won’t be shortened by his increasingly mature displays.

8. Alejandro Balde – Barcelona (new entry)

Speaking of young Spanish players having good weeks by virtue of not being on the field while Scott McTominay was channelling the spirit of Ferenc Puskas, Balde picked up his first international assist in the win over Norway but was then mysteriously rested – with no mention of injury – for the trip to Scotland. That was likely a decision that was heavily regretted once the dust had settled, not least because the 19 year-old has been on sensational form for his hometown club of late, becoming a regular starter for Barcelona and picking up five La Liga assists on the way. He’s very much a modern full-back, more of an attacking weapon that a defensive asset, although he does have pretty solid positioning and reads the game very well. Another product of La Masia that could be on his way to superstardom.

9. Xavi Simons - PSV Eindhoven (⬇️ from 6)

A solid week at the international coalface for Dutch football’s most exciting prospect - a second cap came from the bench against France before he made his full debut as the Netherlands coasted to a 3-0 win over lowly Gibraltar. Simons was responsible for six of his side’s frankly ridiculous 52 shots on goal and it wasn’t exactly the stiffest test that Simons will face, but his superb recent form in the Eredivisie means he deserves every minute he gets in the famous orange shirt at the moment. If we’re looking to be needlessly critical - and that’s pretty much part of my job description - he didn’t actually manage a shot on target, which is slightly surprising considering that he’s rattling the goals in with regularity in the domestic game.

We want your feedback on 3 Added Minutes - details here

10. Mathys Tel – Bayern Munich (new entry)

Rounding out our Top 10 this week is a youngster who needs no introduction – at least if you read our Wonderkid File on the talented young French forward. Playing for the Under-19 team this weekend, he played the full 90 in games against Northern Ireland and Norway and showed off some of his flair and poise with a sublime, and frankly rather cheeky, no-look backheel assist for Eliesse Ben Seghir’s opener against the Scandinavians. If you need any persuasion that Tel is a serious talent, just take a peek: