As Europe’s major club competition is about to enter its business part, I have picked eight – one per tie – U23 players who could prove decisive in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Joe Gomez
Tie: Atlético Madrid vs Liverpool
Born: May 1997
Nationality: English
Position: centre back
Career start: aged 10
If Liverpool’s extraordinary season has an unsung hero – other than the no-longer underappreciated captain Jordan Henderson – perhaps he is a graduate of the Charlton Athletic youth system. Gomez, who had joined his local club at the age of 10, slotted in seamlessly at the heart of the Club World Cup Winners’ defence alongside Virgil van Dijk at the start of December and has barely put his foot wrong since. A late substitute in last season’s Champions League final at Atlético’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, he will be expected to start this time, even despite recent returns to fitness of both Joël Matip and Dejan Lovren. Liverpool conceded just two goals in the last 14 league and cup games which Gomez started.
Jadon Sancho
Tie: Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain
Born: March 2000
Nationality: English
Position: winger
Career start: aged seven
This could well be headlined an Erling Braut Håland (eight goals in this season’s Champions League group stage for Salzburg) vs Kylian Mbappé (five goals in five appearances ahead of the knock-out rounds) contest. However, it is also a chance for a former Watford and then Manchester City youngster to lighten up the European stage. Sancho already has four Bundesliga goals and as many league assists in 2020 – on top of two goals and two assists in the 2019/20 edition of the UCL – and if Borussia Dortmund are to provide a last-sixteen upset, he will surely be the man to prolong PSG’s Champions League agonies.
Ferran Torres
Tie: Atalanta vs Valencia
Born: February 2000
Nationality: Spanish
Position: winger
Career start: aged six
There has been at least one regular feature of Valencia’s rather inconsistent start to the new year. The club’s academy product, who has been a Che since the age of six, has started all but one of their La Liga games so far in 2020. The technically-gifted Torres has provided an equal amount of goals and assists – both in the domestic league (four each, including one each this year) and Champions League (one each) – this season and he will be trying to take matters into his own hands against UCL debutants Atalanta.
Dayot Upamecano
Tie: Tottenham Hotspur vs RasenBallsport Leipzig
Born: October 1998
Nationality: French
Position: centre back
Career start: aged five
This pacey footballer’s career path has been unusual or – perhaps – more typical of France rather than England. Born in Normandy, Upamecano had played his football for a string of smaller clubs before he joined the Valenciennes Academy at the age of 14 and was then sold to Salzburg barely two years later (and then finally to Leipzig another two years on). If his current, upcoming club are to waste no time and already show Europe they are here to stay, they will need their young centre-back’s pace to cope with the speed of the likes of Tottenham’s Son and Lucas Moura in this tie.
Alphonso Davies
Tie: Chelsea vs Bayern Munich
Born: November 2000
Nationality: Canadian
Position: left back
Career start: aged five
It seems hardly believable that a baby born in a refugee camp in Ghana has gone on to become an international footballer. And one of the quickest around, too. The Canadian, who only joined Bayern from Vancouver Whitecaps in January 2019, has arguably been the star of the German Champions’ quietly impressive performances in recent weeks and he will be looking for a big impact against Chelsea.
Ansu Fati
Tie: Napoli vs Barcelona
Born: October 2002
Nationality: Spanish
Position: winger
Career start: aged six
The youngest goalscorer in Champions League history has benefited from injuries to Luis Suárez and Ousmane Dembélé as well as the appointment of Quique Setién in early 2020. Fati was born in Guinea-Bissau from where he moved initially to Seville – which included a two-year spell at Sevilla CF – and then Barcelona’s La Masía at the age of 10. Having provided the key contribution to knock Inter out of the Champions League in the first half of the season, he will undoubtedly be keen to repeat the trick against another Italian opposition.
Rayan Cherki
Tie: Olympique Lyonnais vs Juventus
Born: August 2003
Nationality: French
Position: forward
Career start: aged six
If making your first league start in an away encounter against Paris Saint-Germain does not seem to faze you, so should not a potential appearance against the Italian Champions in Europe’s major club competition. Cherki, who was born in Lyon and joined the club’s academy at the age of seven, has shown incredible maturity and a wide range of ability in his first domestic performances. Even Cristiano Ronaldo should be impressed, especially if Cherki could somehow make an impact in this tie.
Vinícius
Tie: Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Born: July 2000
Nationality: Brazilian
Position: winger
Career start: aged five
It has not been plain sailing for Madrid’s young star this season. However, Vinícius, who – in contrast to many other Brazilian footballers – has joined a professional academy set-up at Flamengo at a very early age, has again shown glimpses of his undoubted quality in recent weeks. Even with Eden Hazard back to fitness, the 19-year-old should make a contribution in this tie.
In the picture: Liverpool’s Joe Gomez (found here)
BREAKTHROUGH 