The young stars who have lit up Champions League so far

In the new first phase of the Champions League, a number of young players have impressed.

Atalanta have won four of their seven Champions League games thus far, leading the way for them to reach the top eight, which would allow them to avoid having to play in the playoffs.

Belgian midfielder Charles de Ketelaere, who has four goals and five assists in just seven games, has contributed to their excellent form in Europe.

It hasn’t been a great start to 2025 for Borussia Dortmund, with boss Nuri Sahin paying the price for a poor run of form.

The Germans’ chances of finishing in the top eight after three straight losses to Bologna in their penultimate league match are in doubt.

One of their shining lights, however, has been Jamie Gittens.

Barcelona haven’t won the Champions League since 2015, but there’s a sense of accomplishment that their quest may come to an end.

The evergreen Robert Lewandowski, 36, is top of the competition’s scoring charts this season – but at the other end of the age scale, it is 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, a star for Spain at Euro 2024, who has been conjuring up memories of Lionel Messi with his performances.

Former France international Emmanuel Petit recently stated to TNT Sports, “I would pay money to watch this guy.”

“He can play right-footed, left-footed, he can dribble with both feet, so it’s impossible.

This season, Jhon Duran has proven himself at Aston Villa.

The 21-year-old scored the winner against Bayern Munich in October, making a name for himself as a super sub.

Since Jude Bellingham first started playing in the Champions League, he has been consistently smashing records.

He started off strong last season, but he’s now up and running.

He added two assists to Real Madrid’s 5-1 victory last week, putting him on par with Lionel Messi for the most Champions League goals scored by a player under the age of 21.

Malik Tillman, a former Bayern Munich midfielder, has played a significant role in PSV’s ability to reach at least one of their seven games, which places them comfortably in the knockout round play-offs.

With 21 goals and two assists, the 22-year-old has 21 more chances than any other player in the Champions League this season.

The 21-year-old defensive midfielder, a talented graduate of La Masia, is excellent at bringing Sergio Busquets to the team.

In the Champions League, he has been near faultless with his passing, with a 92% completion rate.

Bayer Leverkusen are still challenging in the Bundesliga and Champions League despite not achieving the fairytale success of last season.

With Germany forward Wirtz, age 21, as a key player, they are firmly in the hunt for a top-eight finish before the final round of league phase games.

Lighting things up for Monaco has been 22-year-old midfielder Akliouche.

In the 3-2 victory over Rennes in Ligue 1 last Saturday, he scored an incredible overhead kick, but his development has not been due to his goals.