On Thursday, the first matches of Copa America 2015 will be played, and all eyes will be on the biggest stars in world football like Lionel Messi, Neymar, James Rodriguez, and Diego Godin. However, the best part of tournaments like this one is our ability to watch for the next young stars who can break out on the big stage.
Although a couple of these players (Coutinho, specifically) have already broken out on the big stage before, this list is mostly filled with young players who could break out. Edwin Cardona of Colombia and Liga MX’s Monterrey, Brazil’s Geferson, Peru’s Yordy Reyna, Bolivia’s Sebastian Gamarra, and Jamaica’s Kemar Lawrence (he also plays for the MLS’s New York Red Bulls) and Michael Hector are among the honorable mentions who just missed out on this list of ten.
The criteria to be a “Best Young Player” is to simply be under the age of 23. That means no Neymar, no James, and no Erik Lamela, because those guys are 23.
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