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
Part 3: Nationalities of Most Influential Under-23s
In part four, I have looked at nationalities of teenagers, i.e. under-20 players (born in 2000 or later), who appear in games, i.e. start or come on as substitutes.
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 take a look at starts, first.
Under-20 players of 24 different nationalities have started games in Europe’s top five leagues so far in 2020.
France is expectedly leading the way with 22 different teenagers of its nationality having started at least one Ligue 1 match so far in 2020 – double the number of second-placed England (11, bar Jadon Sancho all of which play in the Premier League).
Spain is third with seven starters (Eric García being the only one from outside of La Liga).
Italy has five (with Moise Kean playing abroad) while Brazil (in three different leagues) and Ireland are on four each. Germany has three.
The Netherlands and Portugal are on two each.
Albania, Cameroon, Canada, Ivory Coast, Japan, Luxembourg, Mali, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, Togo, Turkey, the United States and Wales have one.
The top four remain the same when it comes to the total number of starts made by under-20 players of their respective nationalities across Europe’s top five leagues so far in 2020.
France – with 75 starts – is comfortably ahead of England (43) that itself has a significant advantage over third-placed Spain (16) and fourth-placed Italy (11).
Albania (all courtesy of Marash Kumbulla), Brazil and Canada (all thanks to Alphonso Davies) all follow with eight starts each. Germany has seven.
Ireland, Luxembourg (all down to Leandro Martins), Mali (100% by El Bilal Touré), Portugal and Turkey (with every start made by Ozan Kabak) are all on six.
Ivory Coast, Norway and Sweden have five. Japan and Serbia – four. The Netherlands, Poland, the United States and Wales – three. Cameroon and Togo – one.
Let’s now move onto appearance makers, i.e. starters and substitutes.
In total, under-20 players of 32 different nationalities have appeared on the pitch at least once across Europe’s top five leagues so far in 2020.
France has 29 different teenage appearance makers with all but one playing domestically.
England is yet again second with 19. Spain is third on 15.
Italy then has nine, ahead of Germany on seven.
Brazil, Ireland and the United States have four.
Albania, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, the Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey and Wales – two.
Canada, Estonia, Finland, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, Japan, Luxembourg, Mali, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Serbia, South Korea, Sweden and Togo – one.
As far as the cumulative number of starts and substitute appearances made by under-20 players across Europe’s top five leagues so far in 2020 is concerned, France is again top on 126, again almost double the number of England (65).
Spain is third on 44 with Italy fourth on 24.
Perhaps surprisingly, the United States come fifth (18), just ahead of Germany (17), Ireland (16), Brazil (15) and Turkey (14).
Albania, Japan (all by Takefusa Kubo), Portugal and Serbia (all down to Dušan Vlahović) are then all also close to double figures on nine each.
Canada (again thanks to Davies) and Norway (all by Erling Haaland) have eight.
Luxembourg and Mali are on seven; Ivory Coast and Sweden – six; Togo and Wales – five; the Netherlands and Poland – four; Gambia and South Korea – three; Cameroon, Estonia and Guinea-Bissau – two; Finland, Ghana, Iceland and Mexico – one.
Look out for part 5 of my research next month.
In the picture: Italy-born Albania international Marash Kumbulla has already made eight starts for Hellas Verona in 2020 (found here)
BREAKTHROUGH 