With the dust settled on the Champions League quarter-final draw, for now, the two favourite teams to win this season's Champions League are Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League. They are considered two of the best teams in the world, thanks in large part to their head coaches Guardiola and Klopp. Of course, the strength of the players of both teams should not be underestimated, and Manchester City and Liverpool's De Bruyne, Salah, Sterling, Van Dijk, Ruben Díaz and Mane are all top stars that have made the whole of Europe look at. As far as young superstars are concerned, each team has its best rising star, Phil Foden and Harvey Elliott. However, it is precisely in the new forces that they may be behind the other two top European giants – Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Barcelona are in the midst of a complete overhaul by new coach Xavi, while Real Madrid will undergo a similar overhaul this summer. World superstar Mbappe is likely to finalize his long-awaited free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain. Barca and Madrid, meanwhile, both have close ties to another young star, Haaland, although the latter appears to need to compete with Manchester City for the Norwegian, and the duo is expected to become the new Messi and Cristiano-like figures for the next decade. La Liga, once again, has included two of the best players in the world. Real Madrid and Barcelona have become targets of jealousy because they have young talent, and that jealousy will only increase if Kylian Mbappe and Haaland join. Let's take a look at the young stars currently playing for the two La Liga giants and why Premier League teams should worry that La Liga will once again become the dominant force in European football.
After moving at such a young age, Vinicius naturally needed time to adapt to Spanish football and he has now become one of the key players for Real Madrid. He used to be the subject of harsh criticism from Madrid fans, mainly for his ability to finish, but this has clearly improved and he can now play amazing power. In the 2021-22 season, he scored 17 goals and 10 assists in all competitions. Will he be able to form a trident with Haaland and Mbappe in the future?
Kamavinga is widely regarded as one of the world's top geniuses, but since moving from Rennes this summer, he has had to wait very patiently for his chance. It takes a special chance to get into the midfield, which consists of Modric, Tony Kroos and Casemiro, but the Frenchman has such a talent, even if it takes a few years. Valverde, like Camarenga, had to be a substitute for the aforementioned trio, but there is no doubt that he has the ability to be a key player for Real Madrid. Valverde, who is only 23 years old, is improving every season, although he may have to determine his role and style in the team. Offense, defense, or one-on-one that suits him best? Rodrigo he is still a very talented winger, but with the arrival of Mbappe, he needs to work hard to show his strength.
Since moving from Las Palmas to Barcelona in 2020, Pedri has become one of the most exciting young talents in the world. Basically, no one in Europe has played as much as he did last season, playing for Barcelona in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, and for Spain at the World Cup, the European Cup and the Olympic Games. With Ronald Koeman not receiving significant funding in the transfer market, he had to rely on young players to rebuild the squad. However, with the advent of Garvey, everything was solved. Now, Garvey has also played many games under Xavi, most importantly in September 2021, when he became the youngest player ever in Spain, at just 17 years and 62 days old.
Nico, while not as influential as Pedri and Garvey, is still a good young player and over the past few years he can play a role similar to Sergi Roberto. However, if he makes any progress, he is likely to become Busquets' successor. Araujo has been playing for Barcelona since 2018, initially for Barca B before being promoted to the first team. Eric Garcia joined Barca on a free basis last summer and thought he could be Pique's sidekick, but Araujo became camp Nou's first choice, so much so that the club were desperate to offer him a new contract to fend off the lure of Chelsea and Manchester United. Ferran Torres only joined Barcelona in January 2022, but he has already had a positive impact on the club. He was Harvey's first signing in the true sense of the word, so he is considered to carry the future of the club as important as the youngsters mentioned above.