Who are the best U23 players in world football as the year 2023 closes? Is most of the young talent concentrated in the Premier League or more spread out amongst different leagues? And is Jude Bellingham or Jamal Musiala the best young player?
Let’s rank the top 10 U23 players in the world before 2024 begins.
10. Manchester City LW Jérémy Doku
It may seem too soon to rank Jérémy Doku in the top ten of the world’s best U23 players, given this is his first season with Manchester City and he hasn’t even logged 700 minutes for the Citizens.
However, Doku was already exceptional for Rennes before Pep Guardiola wisely snapped him up for City, where he has remained one of the world’s finest dribblers with four dribbles completed per match in the world’s most competitive league.
A gem of a footballer, Doku’s decision-making is highly advanced for a U23 winger, which has impressed Guardiola. Doku has been better than advertised and looks like the future of Belgian football on the wing.
9. Real Sociedad AM Takefusa Kubo
Takefusa Kubo was a known top talent in LaLiga for years. Real Madrid signed him for a reason, and he impressed in the 2019/20 season on loan at Mallorca.
However, Kubo needed to play for Imanol Alguacil’s free-flowing Real Sociedad in 2022/23 to truly become a breakout star. Now, Kubo is one of the best players in LaLiga and better than ever here in 2023/24.
More advanced as a goal-scorer, Kubo’s silky-smooth dribbling and playmaking make him one of the most aesthetically pleasing footballers to watch in a Spanish league rife with technical talents.
8. Barcelona CM Gavi
One of those technical talents is Gavi, another brilliant youngster from La Masia who is even exceeding the expectations Culers had for him as a first-team player.
Gavi’s brilliant playmaking and dribbling quality often goes overlooked to the mainstream because he’s such a relentless bulldog as a box-to-box midfielder.
A jack of all trades, Gavi defends at a high level, carries the ball, and can excel in a variety of positions and roles for La Blaugrana. It’s often hard to believe he is only 19 years old.
7. Real Madrid FW Rodrygo Goes
While Rodrygo Goes could stand to be more consistent, every Real Madrid fan will quickly point out that he is one of the most productive young footballers in the world despite not playing in his preferred left wing position.
Rodrygo has a knack for coming up on the big stage, unforgettably firing Real Madrid to the 2021/22 Champions League Final with a miracle late-game performance against future champions Manchester City.
One of the most prolific players in the world in short spaces, Rodrygo’s combination play and dribbling skills are A1 in those crowded central regions of the pitch. The scary thing is, Rodrygo is still only scratching the surface.
6. Napoli LW Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the MVP of Serie A last season, and even though his teammate Victor Osimhen was also beyond brilliant for the Partenopei, there was little question among Calcio fans that Kvaradona was the class of Serie A.
Napoli’s fairytale title win doesn’t happen without Kvaratskhelia’s inside-out dribbling, suave curlers, and electrifying progressive dribbling on that left flank.
Versatile and explosive, Kvaratskhelia is the future of football with how his personality shines on the pitch and the way he plays the beautiful game. Kvara, even when not at his absolute best, is still one of the top players in Serie A this season.
5. Bayer Leverkusen AM Florian Wirtz
Bayer Leverkusen have so many standout players deserving the highest praise for their undefeated start in 2023/24, but there is no mistaking the fact that playmaker Florian Wirtz is the absolute best player on Die Werkself.
A phenom, Wirtz has indeed been as advertised in the sense that he’s surpassed Kai Havertz, which is what Leverkusen scouts were telling people when he was coming up. Wirtz is irresistible with the quality and weight of his passing in tight areas.
The ball tethered to his feet, Wirtz embarrasses defenses. He is as aesthetic as he is effective, setting the table for the likes of Victor Boniface and, before that, Moussa Diaby for a Leverkusen side that should remain a Champions League fixture.
4. Barcelona CM Pedri
Wirtz has what it takes to be a future Barcelona superstar, but, right now, Pedri is the most talented man in Catalunya despite not even being 23 years old.
Pedri makes the incredible look routine with his innate feel for the game and ability to make the right pass. It’s such a shame the Spanish international is suffering recurring injuries, because they are the only opponent that can keep him out.
With his high degree of tactical intelligence and technical execution, Pedri is the ideal Barcelona midfielder for the modern age. He is next in line to carry the mantle that the likes of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta did for years in Spanish football.
3. Arsenal RW Bukayo Saka
Right winger Bukayo Saka has a case for being the best winger in the Premier League, consistently scoring goals and setting up his Arsenal teammate for assists.
Saka is one of the most unselfish superstars you will ever find. He averages more than two tackles per game for the Gunners despite being a double-digit goals and assists winger.
Even then, he hurts his own scoring output by putting the team first with his willingness to stay wide, combine on the periphery, and clear out space for the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Ødegaard to shoot.
Just 22 years old, Saka has already accomplished so much in world football and is on the cusp of being the best player on an Arsenal side that finally returns to the pinnacle of English football over a historically loaded Manchester City dynasty.
2. Bayern Munich AM Jamal Musiala
Jamal Musiala is the envy of so many clubs in European football. Other giants like Barcelona and Real Madrid are dreaming of having a talent like Musiala pulling the strings in the attack for them, because he is the perfect modern-day 10.
The German international has ludicrous close-control and has developed a lethal shot, which was vital to Bayern winning the Bundesliga title over rivals Borussia Dortmund on the last day of the 2022/23 season.
Musiala is a complete attacking talent. His vision, change-of-pace, and feel for finding pockets of space make him the great X-Factor on a Bayern side that now boasts Harry Kane and a peaking Leroy Sané around him.
1. Real Madrid AM Jude Bellingham
Yet his good friend Jude Bellingham has him beat as the best U23 player in the world right now. Bellingham has bailed out Real Madrid so often this season. Even on the most clutch team in world football, Bellingham is a different definition of clutch.
A Ballon d’Or candidate at Dortmund, Bellingham has been even better for Real Madrid and is currently the favorite to win the Pichichi despite being a midfielder. He has been key to Real replacing legendary striker Karim Benzema.
The double-digit goals have Bellingham in the headlines, but his all-around play has been just as good as it was at Dortmund when he was the box-to-box midfielder carrying an underwhelming outfit to the very end of a title race.
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.