Since the start of 2020, I have been monitoring the progress of young players in Europe’s top five leagues. The coronavirus pandemic has provided an opportunity to sum up some of the very first findings.
Part 1: The Most Influential Under-23s
Part 2: The Most Influential Teenagers
This time, I have looked at nationalities of under-23 players (born in 1997 or later) who directly influence the outcome of games, i.e. score and assist goals across Europe’s top five league competitions.
As for players holding more than one passport, their nationality was decided upon the country they have most recently represented or currently remain eligible for at international level. English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish nationalities are treated separately.
Let’s begin by looking at goalscorers.
Under-23 players of 35 different nationalities have scored goals in Europe’s top five leagues so far in 2020.
France is leading the way with 20 different under-23 goalscorers across Europe’s top five leagues so far in 2020 and is also the only nation to boast at least one under-23 goalscorer in every one of the five league competitions since the beginning of January.
England comes second with 14 different goalscorers across the Premier League, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga. Spain – on 11 – and Brazil – on 10 – are third and fourth respectively.
Germany, Italy and the Netherlands all have seven different under-23 goalscorers.
Morocco, Portugal and Turkey are all on four; Switzerland has three; Nigeria, Senegal, Serbia, Sweden and the United States are all on two; Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, Gambia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Macedonia, Mali, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland and Wales all have one each.
France also sits top when it comes the total number of goals scored by its under-23 players across Europe’s top five leagues so far in 2020.
England is again second, with Brazil (on 19 goals) ahead of Spain (14), Italy (13) and Germany (11) in third.
The Netherlands and Norway – or Erling Haaland in fact – are joint-seventh on 9 goals.
Morocco, Portugal and Turkey are behind them with 7 goals each while Denmark – read: Kasper Dolberg – has six.
Ivory Coast (all scored by Jérémie Boga), Nigeria, Serbia and Sweden are all on four goals each; Argentina (all by Lautaro Martínez), Austria, Gambia, Mali, Senegal, Switzerland and the United States on three; Colombia and Japan on two; Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Jamaica, Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales on one.
Let’s now move onto goalscorers and assist makers.
In total, under-23 players of 44 different nationalities have scored or assisted at least one goal across Europe’s top five leagues so far in 2020.
France has 33 different goalscorers and assist makers, again and exclusively in all five of the Premier League, Ligue 1, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A.
England is again second on 22. Spain is third (on 16), ahead of Italy (13) and Brazil (12).
Germany is sixth with 9 different goalscorers and assist makers. The Netherlands is seventh with seven of them.
Morocco, Portugal and Turkey are all on four; Argentina, Austria and Senegal on three; Belgium, Croatia, Ghana, Japan, Mali, Nigeria, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and Uruguay on two; Algeria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Gambia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Togo, Venezuela and Wales on one.
As far as the cumulative number of goals scored and assists made by under-23 players across Europe’s top five leagues so far in 2020 is concerned, France is again top on 72 with equal numbers of goals scored and assists provided (36 per each).
England is second on 57, with Brazil (26) just ahead of Spain (25) and Italy (24) in third. Germany is sixth on 21 goals.
Morocco (14) and Norway (10 – all down to Haaland and, surprisingly, none by Martin Ødegaard) are also into double figures.
Netherlands then follows with nine goals, edging Denmark (still all thanks to Dolberg), Portugal, Senegal and Turkey that are all on eight.
Austria has six; Argentina, Ivory Coast (100% by Boga), Nigeria, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland all have five each; Gambia (all by Musa Barrow), Japan, Mali and Uruguay have four; Croatia and the United States – three; Belgium, Colombia, Ghana and Venezuela – two; Algeria, Canada, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Togo and Wales – one.
Part 4: Nationalities of Most Influential Teenagers
In the picture: Jérémie Boga, who was born in Marseille and represented France at youth level but then made his senior international debut for Ivory Coast, has scored four and assisted another goal for Sassuolo so far in 2020 (found here)
BREAKTHROUGH 