U21 midfielders with the Best Potential

The highest-potential U21 midfielders, ranked on Field Insider.

Best goalkeepers Best defenders Best attackers Most in-form midfielders Top-scoring midfielders Most valuable midfielders

At a glance

Lamine Yamal of Barcelona is the standout for raw talent across U21 midfielders, with a Field Insider Rating of 100, and Julian Dean Rijkhoff leads the scoring with 16 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: J. Manzambi has improved his Season rating most, up +49.2 on last season, while E. Diouf's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +48.8 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, Lamine Yamal of Barcelona is the most valuable name in this group at 137.6.

West Ham · 23/24→25/26

Most improved

J. Manzambi+49.2SsN

SC Freiburg · 24/25→25/26

Top scorer

Julian Dean Rijkhoff16goals

50 players · ranked by best potentialCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	Lamine Yamal Winger	Barcelona	19	9449.1%	100±0%
2	N. O'Reilly Full-back	Manchester City	21	56390.4%	9717.9%
3	N. Paz Attacking midfielder	Como	21	6136.1%	954.5%
4	N. Sadiki Defensive midfielder	Sunderland	21	3210.3%	9545.6%
5	P. Dorgu Attacking midfielder	Manchester United	21	3647.5%	9520.4%
6	A. Güler Attacking midfielder	Real Madrid	21	4497.8%	947.6%
7	J. Hinshelwood Attacking midfielder	Brighton	21	3313.4%	944.7%
8	E. Diouf Full-back	West Ham	21	34139.3%	93110.2%
9	Senny Mayulu Full-back	Paris Saint Germain	20	60311.6%	9112.4%
10	J. Manzambi Defensive midfielder	SC Freiburg	20	59512.5%	9017%
11	K. Mainoo Defensive midfielder	Manchester United	21	2979.5%	899.7%
12	L. Miley Full-back	Newcastle	20	21162%	889.2%
13	K. Kouassi Defensive midfielder	Lorient	21	48106%	8739.7%
14	A. Ouédraogo Central midfielder	RB Leipzig	20	47	8731.6%
15	Marc Bernal Defensive midfielder	Barcelona	19	24895.8%	8715.7%
16	A. Nusa Winger	RB Leipzig	21	325.9%	873.1%
17	Estêvão Central midfielder	Chelsea	19	2359.3%	875.5%
18	L. Karl Attacking midfielder	Bayern München	18	36	87
19	A. Bouaddi Defensive midfielder	Lille	18	3262.4%	8714.6%
20	M. Palestra Attacking midfielder	Cagliari	21	21914.3%	8620.9%
21	T. Bischof Full-back	Bayern München	21	2966.8%	86±0%
22	Jesús Rodríguez Attacking midfielder	Como	20	35241.2%	856.2%
23	A. Gray Central midfielder	Tottenham	20	26105.6%	855.3%
24	João Neves Central midfielder	Paris Saint Germain	21	4730.9%	844.4%
25	S. El Mala Centre-forward	1. FC Köln	19	5646.9%	8472%
26	C. Uzun Attacking midfielder	Eintracht Frankfurt	20	50187.9%	844.3%
27	C. Rigg Attacking midfielder	Sunderland	19	874.6%	848.8%
28	N. Pisilli Defensive midfielder	AS Roma	21	3040.7%	844.2%
29	Joshua King Central midfielder	Fulham	19	211066.7%	8415.8%
30	M. Fofana Attacking midfielder	Lyon	21	2523.7%	83±0%
31	S. Ouaissa Defensive midfielder	NEC Nijmegen	21	5462.2%	8212.9%
32	R. Bardghji Attacking midfielder	Barcelona	20	8	82107.1%
33	J. Bahoya Attacking midfielder	Eintracht Frankfurt	21	2861.5%	812%
34	O. Vargas Defensive midfielder	Atletico Madrid	21	1750.3%	8170.5%
35	S. El Mourabet Defensive midfielder	Strasbourg	20	43	80
36	Franco Mastantuono Winger	Real Madrid	18	758%	8047.6%
37	D. Methalie Defensive midfielder	Toulouse	20	43	80
38	R. Matondo Defensive midfielder	Paris FC	18	289366.7%	8024.7%
39	L. Bergvall Attacking midfielder	Tottenham	20	1810.1%	792.5%
40	K. Smit Defensive midfielder	AZ Alkmaar	20	44416.3%	7919.6%
41	Victor Mow Froholdt Central midfielder	FC Porto	20	6052.3%	7959%
42	Sydie Peck Central midfielder	Sheffield Utd	21	5398.5%	785.2%
43	A. Avom Attacking midfielder	Lorient	21	1862.7%	7810.3%
44	J. Canvot Central midfielder	Crystal Palace	20	1523%	786.8%
45	N. Mukau Attacking midfielder	Lille	21	950.9%	783.5%
46	P. Wanner Defensive midfielder	PSV Eindhoven	20	3810.2%	783.5%
47	José María Andrés Baixauli Defensive midfielder	VfB Stuttgart	21	32	779%
48	Peio Canales Attacking midfielder	Racing Santander	21	402969.2%	776.2%
49	Pedro Fernández Central midfielder	Paris Saint Germain	18	13	77
50	Joel Roca Attacking midfielder	Girona	21	1912.8%	7713.4%