Ten teenage stars to look out for in Champions League

Desire Doue was one of the teenage stars of last season as he helped Paris St-Germain win the Champions League for the first time.

Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, another teenager, was named in the team of the competition.

But which young stars will be impressing in this year’s tournament?

Age: 19. Position: Midfielder. Nationality: Montenegrin.

Montenegro midfielder Vasilije Adzic joined Juventus on a three-year deal in 2024 after helping Buducnost Podgorica win the league title in his home country in his first season when only 16.

He played nine times for Juve in 2024-25, including one Champions League appearance, and played in their Club World Cup loss to Manchester City on 26 June.

Age: 19. Position: Midfielder. Nationality: English.

Just like older brother Jude did, Jobe Bellingham moved from England to Borussia Dortmund, leaving Sunderland in the summer after helping them win promotion from the Championship.

Jobe Bellingham, who cost the German giants an initial £27m, plays largely as either a defensive or box-to-box midfielder, although he did occasionally feature as a centre-forward for Sunderland.

Age: 19. Position: Attacking midfielder/winger. Nationality: Argentine.

Manchester City fans will be very keen to see how Claudio Echeverri gets on during a season-long loan at Bayer Leverkusen. City do have the option to bring the Argentine back to Etihad Stadium in January if they wish to.

Echeverri joined City in a £12.5m deal in January 2024, but remained on loan back at River Plate for the next 12 months. He made his Premier League debut on the final day of the 2024-25 season and then made a substitute appearance in City’s FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace.

Age: 19. Position: Defender. Nationality: Dutch.

At the age of 19, Jorrel Hato has played more than 120 club games and represented the Netherlands senior team on six occasions.

Hato, who can play either at full-back or in central defence, made his debut for Ajax at 16 and captained the side when only 17 – becoming the youngest Ajax captain in a European match.

Age: 19. Position: Striker. Nationality: Nigerian / French.

Fast and powerful striker George Ilenikhena’s career is progressing at a rapid rate.

He had a spell in the French second division with Amiens, then had a fine campaign in 2023-24 at Royal Antwerp, whom he helped win the Belgian Super Cup in 2023.

Age: 18. Position: Midfielder. Nationality: Argentine.

Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in world football.

On 13 June, Real announced that Mastantuono would join the club on his 18th birthday, 14 August, signing a six-year deal after they agree to pay his £39m (45m euros) release clause to buy him from River Plate.

Age: 19. Position: Midfielder. Nationality: French.

At the age of 19, Senny Mayulu has two French Ligue 1 titles to his name, has won two French Cups, scored in Paris St-Germain’s Champions League final victory and played in the final of the Club World Cup.

He made his professional PSG debut in 2024 and has represented France at Under-20 level.

Age: 17. Position: Winger / attacking midfielder. Nationality: English.

Rio Ngumoha was at Chelsea’s academy before he moved to Liverpool in 2024 and was only 16 when he made his debut for the Reds, in a 4-0 FA Cup third-round win over Accrington in January 2025.

Fast, direct and skilful, Ngumoha scored superb individual goals in pre-season this summer against both Yokohama and Athletic Club.

Age: 18. Position: Attacking midfielder / winger. Nationality: English.

After coming through the ranks of Arsenal’s academy, Ethan Nwaneri, at the age of 15, became the youngest player to appear in England’s top flight when he featured against Brentford in September 2022.

He started in 16 matches in all competitions for Arsenal in 2024-25, with another 21 appearances as a substitute, with him scoring nine goals, including two in the Champions League.

Age: 18. Position: Winger / wing-back. Nationality: Portuguese.

Chelsea fans will be watching Geovany Quenda closely this season as the skilful Portuguese winger will be joining the Blues next summer for a fee of up to £44m.

He played an integral part as Sporting won the league and cup double in 2024-25, with his move to Chelsea announced in March.

Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.