Exclusive interview
©TM/IMAGO
The Under-17 European Championships shines the spotlight on some of the best emerging talents in Europe. The two-week event got underway on Monday in Albania with scouts from Europe’s biggest clubs in attendance to observe their own starlets but also with the aim of identifying future stars. Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas and Toni Kroos have all been named player of the tournament in the past but who will emerge as the standout player this summer? Utilising Transfermarkt’s extensive worldwide network, we’ve identified four potential wonderkids to keep an eye on.
England: Max Dowman – UK Content Manager Ben Littlemore examines Arsenal starlet
A few weeks ago, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice called Gunners youngster Max Dowman ‘the best 15-year-old in the country’. The left-footed midfielder has trained the entire season with the first team and his Premier League debut probably only failed to arrive because of a rule that forbids him due to his age. Mikel Arteta recently labelled Dowman as a ‘great, great talent’. At just 15 years old, he has already scored 15 goals in 15 games for Arsenal’s U18s. In 13 games for England’s U17 he has scored four goals so far.
Videos of his extraordinary dribbling skills, where he regularly overshadows opponents, his close ball control and his excellent completion have long since attracted great attention in this country. The Arsenal fans are very excited about the future potential and the further development of their own academy graduate and he’s definitely a player to watch in Albania.
Belgium: Nathan De Cat – Belgium Area Manager Bart Tamsyn provides the lowdown
Nathan De Cat is the only player of the entire selection of Belgium who has already been allowed to play at the highest level. RSC Anderlecht even gave him a special permission for this tournament, as he was originally supposed to be part of the squad for the last two match days of the Jupiler Pro League. However, De Cat really wanted to go to the European Championship, and since there is almost nothing left at stake for Anderlecht, they agreed. De Cat made his debut for Anderlecht’s first team in February after being replaced in the final phase of the Europa League match against Fenerbahçe. He was allowed to play six times in the champions play-offs of the highest Belgian league. In the second team of Anderlecht, which plays in the second Belgian league, he has since been promoted to captain despite his young age. He also played four games for the Belgian U19. He is expected to officially be part of the first team next season.
De Cat is a trained defensive midfielder, but can fill all positions in the centre. In the last games at RSCA Futures, he pulled the strings in the attacking midfield, although the position of the box-to-box midfielder still suits him best due to his physical qualities. In addition, De Cat can fix his direct opponent, which makes it difficult to play in one-on-one situations. The most valuable player of the tournament in Albania has a strong understanding of the game. He often sees and prevents enemy attacks in the approach, cuts off pass lines early and opens counterattacks with targeted passes. He certainly has room for improvement in terms of speed, which is definitely one of his weaknesses. In addition, he still lacks experience to always make the right decision at the right time, both defensively and offensively.
France – Djylian N’Guessan – France Content Manager Joachim Durand discusses
At just 16 years old, Djylian N’Guessan of AS Saint-Étienne has managed to regularly play at first-team left amid the pressure of a relegation battle. His club immediately set high expectations for him after he signed his first professional contract at the end of November. During the first round he was no longer used, but that changed with the commitment of the Norwegian coach Eirik Horneland at the beginning of the year. The coach also relied on the technical skills and the playful versatility of the youngster from the beginning and made him the tenth youngest Ligue 1 professional in the 21st century.
N’Guessan, who already contributed a goal to the tournament kick-off in the 3-0 against Germany, is the French talent that you have to have on your radar at the European Championships. A look at his previous statistics in the national jersey speaks volumes: Eleven goals in twelve appearances are scored for the French U16, for example. Normally, the youngster acts as a nine in a 4-4-2 system, but can be used flexibly in the offensive.
Germany: Lennart Karl – Thomas Deterding, head of service at Transfermakrt, with exclusive interview
“I’m really looking forward to the tournament. Together with the team, I will give everything from the first to the last game to bring the title to Germany,” 17-year-old Lennart Karl explained his ambitions in an interview with Transfermarkt. The performance data of the youngster from Bayern Munich in the newly created U17 youth league illustrate why the offensive midfielder is currently one of the biggest young hopes in the country. Karl has 34 goals and ten assists in 29 appearances in all competitions this season for Bayern.
Karl has already been promoted permanently to the U19 squad and he’s trained regularly with the first-team and celebrated their Bundesliga win. “I think he is unpreventable by us,” said the sporting director at the Bayern campus Markus Weinzierl recently about his protégé and Bayern’s U19 coach Peter Gaydarov, who explained exclusively to Transfermarkt: “Lennart is characterized by outstanding technical skills, which he continuously develops at a high level. In the course of 2025, he has made significant progress not only in his athletic dynamics, but also in his personality development. His quick adaptation to the level of professional training underlines his ability to learn and his potential. Since then, he has developed noticeably in all phases of the game – especially in defense, in the changeover game and in dribbling. His appearance on the ball is impressive and testifies to great joy of play and intelligence.”
