The 16-year-old wonderkid rocking European football

The European Championships get underway on Saturday morning (AEST) and some of world football’s most promising young players are set to make their mark.

From the England gun who has already conquered Europe for Real Madrid as a Champions League winner this season, to a Spanish wonderkid who could force his way into his country’s starting XI at the tender age of 16, these young prodigies are already on the path to greatness.

Wide World of Sports has nominated five players to watch, all yet to turn 22. If you don’t know them yet, you soon will!

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Jude Bellingham (20) – England

What more needs to be said about this young English starlet who lit up the Santiago Bernabeu in his first season with Real Madrid.

A Champions League and La-Liga championship capped off a sensational first year for Bellingham, with the England gun contributing 19 goals and six assists in La-Liga and four goals and five assists in the Champions League.

The level of maturity and poise he displayed while performing for arguably the world’s largest football club defied his age as he was awarded with the La-Liga player of the season gong, with England hoping he can bring the same class and level-headedness to the Euros.

How Southgate uses this once in a generation talent will be intriguing, but there is no doubt if England are to go deep in Germany, Bellingham will need to be at his very best.

Florian Wirtz (21) – Germany

The 21-year-old German wonderkid was at the forefront of Bayer Leverkusen’s historical year as they completed the German domestic double undefeated with their only loss of the season coming in the Europa League final to Atalanta.

Wirtz’s dynamism and creativity lit up Europe this season with rumours rife that Real Madrid are already preparing a bid for the player in 2025 as he drifted between an attacking midfield role and left wing for Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen.

Wirtz will play a key role in Julian Nagelsmann’s German outfit as they look to impress and perform on home soil.

Xavi Simons (21) – Netherlands

This 21-year-old Dutch starlet is no stranger to the spotlight, with Simons attracting a large social media following, through his time both at Barcelona’s academy and after signing his first professional contract with Paris Saint Germain.

Simons’ projection to stardom though has not been completely straightforward for the ultra-talented attacking player as he struggled for first team minutes in Paris. This saw him loaned out to various clubs including PSV back in his native Holland and most recently RB Leipzig in Germany.

But this year has seen Simons take his game to the next level at Leipzig as he helped the club to a top four finish. Simons’ attacking talent will need to be on show in Germany if the Dutch are to progress from a tricky group featuring heavyweights France.

Warren Zaire-Emery (18) – France

Many didn’t expect the young Warren Zaire-Emery to make as much of an impression as he did in Luis Enrique’s expensively assembled Paris Saint Germain squad. The 18-year-old central midfielder though proved to be a pivotal cog in Enrique’s system providing a balance and passing range which saw him play 26 matches in Ligue 1, helping PSG to the French title.

His performances could not be ignored by national boss Didier Deschamps, with his inclusion in France’s Euros squad signalling the dawn of the next generation of French midfield stars.

Zaire-Emery may not be an immediate starter for the French but there is no doubt when he gets his opportunity he will be ready to showcase exactly why there is so much excitement surrounding him.

Lamine Yamal (16) – Spain

Almost certainly the most exciting teenage talent on the planet is Lamine Yamal, who at just 16 years of age carries the hopes of a nation. His breakout performances this year for Barcelona have provided a rare bright spark in what ultimately was an underwhelming season for Xavi and his team.

Yamal’s maturity for someone so young, and his ability to perform when his team most needed him has forced the hand of Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente in including him into Spain’s Euro 2024 squad.

How he is utilised in Germany may be key to Spain’s success as pressure grows to include Yamal from the start in a group where the Spanish will face off against Italy and Croatia.