Future U21 Ballon d'Or winners? Wonderkids to watch in 2025-26 Premier League, Champions League as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man City make summer moves
By Leon Imber
Published 06/08/2025 at 19:55 GMT+1
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The ongoing transfer window may well go down as the summer of the wonderkid - with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City and Chelsea securing themselves young talent. The Kopa Trophy stands as the ultimate individual prize for young players at the top of the game, so who are potential contenders for the next years to come? TNT Sports takes a look at some of the key summer movements.
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The likes of Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe have won the Kopa Trophy - the Ballon d'Or prize gifted to the world's best U21 player - since its inauguration in 2018.
But who might be in line for the future editions of the trophy?
Elite clubs across Europe have moved quickly this summer to ensure they would not miss out on those who could soon develop into some of football's greatest young stars.
TNT Sports has taken a look at some of the most notable "wonderkid" transfers that have taken place during the window, their potential route to the starting line-up, and whether they are feasible contenders for Ballon d'Or's young player trophy.
You can watch those listed below through TNT Sports' coverage of the Premier League and UEFA Champions League next season - click here to find out how to sign up.
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Franco Mastantuono
Already dubbed the next Lionel Messi by Sevilla manager Matias Almeyda, there are already sizeable expectations on the shoulders of soon-to-be 18-year-old Franco Mastantuono.
But if the Argentinian playmaker does turn out to even resemble his compatriot and record eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi, the £38.5m fee Real Madrid paid to River Plate this summer will prove measly.
Mastantuono officially joins Xabi Alonso's squad upon turning 18 - on August 14 - and while some young talents heading to elite clubs may take time to acclimatise, the attacking midfielder seems well-prepared to immediately get to work with the 15-time Champions League winners.
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In June, Mastantuono became the youngest player to represent Argentina's senior team competitively. Whose record did he break? You guessed it.
While Messi was just 13 years old when he joined Barcelona's La Masia academy, Mastantuono has continued to play in his home country throughout his development.
He has recorded 10 goals and seven assists after breaking into River Plate's senior squad in the 2024 campaign; he posted seven goal contributions (5G, 2A) in eight matches between April and May this year amid a remarkable run of form.
While rangier than Messi, his cultured left foot is certainly comparable, and a remarkable ability from dead-ball situations already has the youngster's highlight reel brimming.
Will Mastantuono break into Alonso's first team this season? While he may have the likes of Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz as direct competition, it is feasible to imagine Mastantuono getting some solid minutes - especially with the ever-increasing workload of modern-day football requiring rotation.
Upon his move to the Bernabeu, Mastantuono said he wants "to win many things with Real Madrid," but was coy about his Ballon d'Or chances - saying it "is not something I’m thinking about".
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Roony Bardghji
The arrival of Roony Bardghji in Catalonia this summer was somewhat more understated. The La Liga champions paid a reported £1.7m to FC Copenhagen in order to acquire the 19-year-old.
Bardghji has been touted as one of the great young talents in Europe for the past couple of years, but his progress was severely hampered by an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury he sustained in May 2024.
The winger returned to action in March, making four substitute appearances and two starts before earning his move to Barcelona - where he will hope to break into arguably the fiercest attack in Europe right now.
Barcelona netted a staggering 102 goals in 38 La Liga matches last season - working out at nearly 2.7 goals per game. That lethal forward line was largely spearheaded by a front three of Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, alongside notable contributions from the likes of Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres.
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So is Bardghji likely to get game time in the coming campaign?
Primarily operating on the right wing, the Sweden U21 international faces stiff competition with Yamal, the current Kopa Trophy holder, his main target. But Bardghji has played in all of Barca's pre-season tests so far, scoring against Vissel Kobe, and it would seem from the outside that substitute appearances, at the very least, seem likely.
Bardghji - who netted 12 goals in 60 Danish top-flight appearances - joins Marcus Rashford in the list of summer arrivals at Barcelona. Club president Joan Laporta said he is "confident" the club will find the funds to register all of their new signings for the coming season.
But there is no doubt the Camp Nou is a hub for thriving young players. In three of the last four years, a Barcelona player has won the Kopa Trophy.
Sverre Nypan
Manchester City also got in on the action to secure a 'wonderkid' of their own this summer, making a £12.5m swoop for midfielder Sverre Nypan from Norwegian side Rosenborg.
Nypan is another who moves to an elite European club with his stock incredibly high.
Upon his arrival at the Etihad this summer, the club's new director of football Hugo Viana said Nypan will "be an important asset for Manchester City in the years to come".
And all the early signs certainly show promise of an incredibly high ceiling.
Nypan truly stamped his mark on Norway's top-flight. Aged just 18, he has already played a lot of first-team football - making 70 appearances for Rosenborg's senior side. He recorded 14 goals and 11 assists in that time.
The midfielder put his name out there in style last summer, when he impressed in a pre-season friendly against Manchester United. He has trained with Rosenborg's first team since he was 14, and made his first-team debut aged 15.
City's midfield options for the upcoming season are positively stacked. The forward-thinking Nypan could well find game time hard to come by as a result - but as we saw last season, injuries took their toll on Pep Guardiola's team and the climate can change almost instantly.
Nypan's path in the game so far is more extensive than his age would suggest, and as a result, the usual (largely physical) challenges which stand in the way of young players gaining first-team minutes may well not apply to the Norwegian youngster.
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Charalampos Kostoulas
Brighton & Hove Albion spent big as they secured the signing of 18-year-old forward Charalampos Kostoulas this summer. And the Seagulls' track record of securing relatively unknown talents makes this a really exciting endeavour.
The South Coast club forked out £29.8m to oust the Greek teenager from the ranks of Olympiacos following a sensational break-out season which saw him net 7 goals in 22 league appearances, all at the tender age of 17.
The Athenian is comfortable leading the line and holding width on the right, but many in Greece believe he is at his most effective playing behind a recognised striker.
The attacker was a key part of Olympiacos' historic UEFA Youth League success in 2023/24, as they became the first Greek club to win a UEFA competition.
While he had his fair share of injuries last term, when fit, Kostoulas held down a starting spot in the senior side as the Piraeus-based outfit claimed a sparkling league and cup double.
And it is not unreasonable to suggest Kostoulas may be set for a good run in the first team at Brighton as well.
He will be competing with Georginio Rutter (who can also operate behind the striker) and Danny Welbeck for a spot in the starting line-up, while fellow Greek teenage striker Stefanos Tzimas joined the club this summer too.
"I chose this club because they have a great plan, also about young players. And I think it is the best way to join the Premier League. To make first good appearances.
Joao Pedro departed the Amex this summer for a reported £55m - adding another layer of opportunity for Brighton's batch of strikers.
Brighton finished eighth in the Premier League last season, thus they were denied a spot in Europe by a single league placing.
In joining Brighton, Kostoulas heads to a club which has developed a remarkable knack for developing young talent in recent years. The likes of Pedro, Moises Caicedo, Ben White and Alexis Mac Allister have all departed the club in high-value transfers after becoming first-team regulars in East Sussex.
Estevao Willian
To complete the list, Estevao Willian is finally making the move to Chelsea this summer after a £29m deal was agreed between the Premier League club and Palmeiras last summer.
The highly-anticipated move sees the 18-year-old join the growing list of Palmeiras teenagers heading for Europe, with the likes of Endrick and Vitor Reis having already embarked on the well-trodden path.
Estevao played his final minutes for the Brazilian side at this summer's Club World Cup, and gave Chelsea a taste of what is to come - netting in the 2-1 defeat against the eventual champions.
Enzo Maresca's side moved quickly in the summer window to secure the services of Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, Pedro from Brighton and Jamie Gittens from Chelsea - so they are certainly well-stocked in the forward department.
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But will there be space for Estevao amid the demands of a Champions League campaign? His versatility could well prove a useful asset in that regard.
Estevao largely operated on the right wing for Palmeiras, but also featured down the middle, on the left and up front. His output was similarly strong in each position.
Having already won five international caps for Brazil's senior team, Estevao is clearly held in high regard, and he now has the ability to showcase that on the European stage.
Is it too early to stake his claim for the Kopa Trophy in the near future? Perhaps. But with Yamal's emergence among conversations for the main Ballon d'Or trophy for years to come, the U21 prize may well present itself to the next up-and-coming star hoping to follow a similar path.
Kopa Trophy past winners
The trophy was first introduced in 2018
| Year | Name | Age at the time |
| 2024 | Lamine Yamal | 17 |
| 2023 | Jude Bellingham | 20 |
| 2022 | Gavi | 18 |
| 2021 | Pedri | 18 |
| 2020 | N/A due to Covid-19 | |
| 2019 | Matthijs de Ligt | 20 |
| 2018 | Kylian Mbappe | 19 |
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