BREAKOUT STARS
Eduardo Camavinga
(Rennes)S
till only17, the Ligue1 defensive
midfield marvel is a wise head on
the most inexperienced of shoulders.
With Real Madrid, PSG and many
other top European outfits ready to roll out
the red carpet for him, no one would have
been shocked if he had moved on this summer.
Instead, the teenage sensation has decided to
stay put, a decision which speaks volumes for
his level-headedness and good old-fashioned
patience. His big-money move can wait
another year.
After just one full season in the French topflight, it’s a little premature for him to fly
the Rennes nest, his home for the past seven
years. He is guaranteed to start at Rennes,
where there’s less of a goldfish bowl factor
and a great support system around him. As an
added bonus, he has the Champions League
to look forward to and given his penchant for
raising his game on the big occasion, he
ought to lap it up.
In August, the Angola-born wonderkid
was the youngest player in a France squad for
almost 90 years, yet the call-up was far from
premature. Camavinga makes it look all so
simple – technically way above average,
elastically athletic, fearless and a fine
reader of the game. He is intelligent off
the park too, recently passing his high
school examinations (specialising in
economics and social science).Nicolo Barella
(Internazionale)
It matters not that the all-action midfielder
has little in the way of Champions League
experience (just three starts in total). The
23-year-old is the total package: indefatigable,
a superb ball-winner and intelligent in his
distribution. He has also improved tactically
after playing 41 games in his first year at Inter.
Mitchel Bakker
(Paris Saint-Germain)
While the 20-year-old Dutch left-back is an
unknown among a galaxy of stars at the Parc
des Princes, it did not stop him from featuring
in PSG’s French Cup final victory over Saint-
Etienne over the summer. The French treble
winners signed him from Ajax in 2019.
Alessandro Bastoni
(Internazionale)
Last season, Inter coach Antonio Conte came
to the conclusion that the Italy Under-21
centre-back was a better option than battle-
hardened Uruguay gladiator Diego Godin.
Bastoni graduated from the Atalanta academy,
arguably the best soccer school in Italy.
Jude Bellingham
(Borussia Dortmund)Described in the German press as Steven
Gerrard or Frank Lampard reincarnate, the
17-year-old former Birmingham City starlet will
have to deal with sky-high expectations in his
inaugural season in the Ruhr. At€25m, the
most expensive teen in Bundesliga history.Dario Benedetto
(Marseille)The 30-year-old Argentina international is
exactly what the fans at the Stade Velodrome
look for in a striker: sharp and precise in the
box, direct, hard-working and brimming with
character. After11 goals in his debut season
“Dariogol” is keen to impress once again.The Angola-born wonderkid was
the youngest player in a France
squad for almost 90 years