Who will be the best young player at the World Cup 2022?

It’s hardly a surprise that the World Cup showcases the biggest and best stars from around the globe. For most fans, we get to sit and enjoy the show.

For a tiny minority, they find themselves having to report on the action and, as part of that have to decide on a few awards – one of them is the Young Player of the Tournament. Here we’re looking specifically at who will be the best young player at Qatar 2022.

Is the Young Player of the Tournament a noted award?

Before we get into the contenders for the best young player at Qatar 2022 we thought we’d discuss the award itself. Football is obviously a team game. As such, individual awards can become a trigger for ridicule; even the Ballon d’Or falls into that category sometimes. Whether or not you agree with the young player of the tournament award, you cannot question some of the past winners.

In 1958, the first ever young player award was given to a 17-year-old Pele. Franz Beckenbauer, Marc Overmars, Michael Own and Kylian Mbappe are a few other notable winners.

Who qualifies for the award?

The term ‘young player’ is a loose one. That’s not the case with the actual wording of the award though. In order to be named the best young player at Qatar 2022, they must have been no older than 21-years-old at the start of 2021. Let’s get into some names.

So, who will be in contention to be named the best young player at Qatar 2022?

Antony, Brazil

Brazil is a nation known for attacking flair and the current squad is no different with the likes of Neymar and Vinicius Junior the two that first spring to mind whilst Richarlison isn’t too far behind in the pecking order. Right now, Brazil is, with no surprise, favorite according to the World Cup odds to win the tournament.

Antony, however, is one player that might sneak into lineups without people paying too much attention to him. The now 22-year-old operates on the right wing and has a keen eye for goal as proven by the 12 goals he’s just netted for Ajax. Notably, he also contributed six goal contributions in seven Champions League ties proving he can shine against the best.

Gavi and Pedri, Spain

We’re cheating a little bit here as we’ve pooled two of Spain’s brightest midfield talents together. Both ply their trade for Spanish giants Barcelona and neither of them have exactly struggled to sprinkle stardust on what has been a pretty ropey year by Barca’s standards as they’ve racked up a combined 68 appearances. If pressed on who has the biggest future, we’d opt for Gavi – although both will likely be top tier players for the foreseeable future. Gavi though is the man, or boy, stealing headlines right now. At just 17-years-old he’s just become Spain’s youngest ever goalscorer! Both will surely play a part in Qatar.

Jurrien Timber, Netherlands

When you talk about up and coming talents it is really easy to overlook defenders. We cannot ignore Jurrien Timber though. Funnily enough, he’s another Ajax man. Timber, who has been heavily linked with Manchester United, is only 20-years-old but his defensive abilities and calmness on the ball give off the aura of a player with much more experience. He won’t be the star of Netherlands backline with Virgil Van Dijk the obvious pick. The fact Timber is even in contention to keep the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Stefan de Vrij on the sidelines speaks volumes for how good he is though.

Phil Foden, England

Phil Foden has only just turned 22-years-old and therefore qualifies to compete for the young player of the tournament award. The Manchester City youngster has already got a stacked trophy cabinet owing to club success whilst individual awards similar to the one we’re discussing have also been thrown his way. His quality on the ball and his awareness in the final third are at a very high level and, quite frankly, if England are to have a good tournament he could be key. People point to the likes of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling, who are undoubtedly big players, but the recent Nations League have seen England look devoid of ideas and creativity; who has been missing? Phil Foden!

Eduardo Camavinga, France

There has been so much talk about another young French midfielder that plays for Real Madrid – Aurelien Tchouameni – that people might be sleeping on just how good Eduaro Camavinga is. The 19-year-old joined Los Blancos last season and has been involved quite heavily – and well managed – during their double winning season racking up a combined 36 league and Champions League appearances. The combination of potential holes in the French midfield and an array of talent ahead in the shape of Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Christopher Nkunku means someone like Camavinga could well get the opportunity to shine.