Who are the best young players in LaLiga right now in the 2023/24 season? We analyze the stars from Real Madrid, Barcelona, and even Granada.
LaLiga needs to receive more recognition for being loaded with great young footballers. The Spanish top flight has quietly resumed its place as the most entertaining league in the world – a distinction it lost for a few seasons.
But even without megastars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, LaLiga is delivering the drama with a real title race and plenty of drama elsewhere in the table.
It is also delivering great young footballers from powerhouses like Real Madrid and Barcelona to less mainstream clubs like Girona and Granada.
Let’s take a look at the 10 best young players of the 2023/24 LaLiga season so far, using the age of 23 as our cut-off for what it means to be a “young player”.
Real Madrid CM Jude Bellingham
Obviously, we have to begin this list with Jude Bellingham.
The Real Madrid center midfielder has somehow exceeded expectations, even though Los Blancos purchased him for 100 million euros after a season in which he was a legitimate Ballon d’Or candidate for carrying Borussia Dortmund to the doorstep of a title race they only lost because he was injured.
Bellingham was a well-rounded center midfielder for Dortmund, but now he is the centerpiece attacking player for Real Madrid after Karim Benzema’s departure to the Saudi Pro League.
While his goal-scoring rate is sure to come down, the Madrid No. 10 is leading the Pichichi race in Spain with eight goals – and he has two assists for good measure.
Dominating in all phases of the attack – and not just scoring goals – Bellingham draws more than three fouls per game and averages nearly two key passes per match.
So much for Barcelona fans decrying him as a “tap-in merchant”. Absolutely nothing could be further from the truth.
Real Sociedad AM Takefusa Kubo
Like Jude Bellingham, Takefusa Kubo is a legitimate LaLiga Player of the Season candidate. Maybe one day he will return to Madrid and be the new playmaker, moving Bellingham back to a more box-to-box midfield role, but that honestly seems unlikely.
Kubo has truly spread his wings in San Sebastián, as the transfer to the Basque country has proved to be the exact move he needed to revitalize his career.
Remember when Kubo couldn’t get into Unai Emery’s team at Villarreal? Now, he is a superstar for Imanol Alguacil.
Currently sitting on five goals with an average of 1.7 key passes per game, Kubo is more than just an irresistible playmaker for La Real. He is the new leader of the attack.
Girona LW Sávio
Every diehard LaLiga fan knows about Sávio, but it feels like everyone else is still sleeping on a player who is legitimately one of the best wingers in European football right now.
The latest Girona gem, Sávio joins Aleix García as a player on the team who is playing at as high of a level as anyone at his position in the Spanish top flight.
Just 19 years of age, Sávio has three goals and four assists with 2.2 dribbles completed per game this season. He is athletic, energetic, and capable of changing matches with his end product.
Granada LW Bryan Zaragoza
Barcelona fans are undoubtedly familiar with Bryan Zaragoza, who stuck the dagger in the side of the Catalan giants twice in their recent 2-2 draw with newly-returning Granada.
Zaragoza is one of a few big reasons why Granada look dangerous again in LaLiga.
The 22-year-old has scored five goals in fewer than 700 minutes of action, averaging a whopping 3.0 dribbles completed per game despite the fact that his average is dragged down by coming off the bench in three of his ten appearances.
Zaragoza is a player to watch closely as the season goes on, because he could become an even bigger name in Spanish football.
Real Madrid DM Aurélien Tchouaméni
Aurélien Tchouaméni plays one of the most difficult and underappreciated positions in football as an anchoring defensive midfielder, so it is a testament to his quality that he’s already become one of the team’s most important players in not even his second full season with the franchise.
Real Madrid fans were incensed at one point when Carlo Ancelotti benched him, and the subsequent result only vindicated their feelings.
Tchouaméni makes Real Madrid so much better because of his accurate passing, reading of the game, and defensive effort.
Everyone else can do more going forward when Tchoumaéni is in the lineup, and his positives were even felt at center back in a match in which Madrid blew Osasuna out of the water.
A complete player in midfield, Tchouaméni is just 23 years old yet plays the defensive midfield position better than most of his peers with 10 years of experience under their belts.
Barcelona CM Gavi
Amidst injuries to Frenkie de Jong and Pedri – probably the two best midfielders in LaLiga since the start of the last season – Gavi has taken on a greater importance to Barcelona.
The young midfielder was already crucial to the champions’ success in 2022/23, but he has taken another step forward in the face of increased responsibility.
Far from a workhorse or energy guy, Gavi is finally getting his due praise in terms of his technical quality, chance-creation, and overall end product.
Gavi’s defensive output is incredible, as he wins nearly three tackles per game for Barcelona, recovering possession and quickly turning it into attacking opportunity for his teammates.
Just 19 years old, it is scary what Gavi is accomplishing in LaLiga for one of world football’s most historic sides. He is a teenager yet brings leadership qualities to the table that make the difference for La Blaugrana in tough matches.
Atlético Madrid LB Samuel Lino
So far this season, Atlético Madrid look like the best team in LaLiga, particularly when comparing the teams in the top flight on the basis of game-to-game consistency.
Antoine Griezmann is the man most responsible for this success, but it is arguable that Samuel Lino has been Los Rojiblancos’ second-most important player behind him.
Lino fills some big shoes in Yannick Carrasco’s, yet the young wide man has already proven to be a significant upgrade on the experienced Belgian.
With his progression and 2.3 tackles per game, Lino is offering all-around quality and work rate on the flank that ensures Atléti always have an outlet and don’t have to worry about getting their counters countered.
Athletic Club LW Nico Williams
Nico Williams was one of the most impressive young players in European football last season, and the Athletic Club forward is still going strong in the 2023/24 season.
The 21-year-old hasn’t scored yet, but harping on the missed chances would make someone miss out on the fact that he is doing literally everything else at a high level.
So far this season, Williams is averaging 2.4 dribbles completed and 2.0 key passes per game. His willingness to work for the team is rare from a young attacking winger, and it pays dividends for the Lions.
Williams is a key source of chance-creation, and his runs off the ball help clear out space for the players operating centrally or on the opposite side.
Villarreal GK Filip Jörgensen
Filip Jörgensen is now one of the THE young goalkeepers to watch in world football.
He already looks exactly like the upgrade Villarreal needed in between the sticks, wowing LaLiga supporters with game-changing saves that only a handful of keepers in this league – and there are some great keepers in LaLiga – would be capable of making.
With a save percentage of 76.7, Jörgensen has been doing his best to keep a 14th-placed Villarreal from being an even bigger disappointment in the Spanish top flight.
When taking into account his individual displays and the problems at Villarreal, Jörgensen has been arguably the best goalkeeper in the league so far in 2023/24.
Sevilla CB Loïc Badé
It took a while, but Loïc Badé finally received some mainstream plaudits for his performance in the 2023 Europa League Final win over Roma.
A steady defender who rarely makes mistakes, Badé is just as good at reading the game as former Sevilla star Jules Koundé, now at Barcelona.
Badé should also be recognized as one of the best center backs in the world right now, forming a great partnership with veteran Sergio Ramos.
The 23-year-old is the only young center back on this list of the best players in LaLiga, as it is not an easy position for a youngster to shine at.
But Badé is a pro’s pro, playing at a high level on the ball, in the air, and in the tackle. And because he’s so good at marking off the ball, he rarely has to make the risky tackle.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.