La Liga is home to many of the best players in all of world football, but the league also features several of the brightest young stars.
There are not many leagues in world football today that have a better track record at developing and producing promising young players than Spain’s La Liga.
From the youth academies to the scouting departments, teams throughout the league have successfully veered towards building a sustainable model that has helped in fostering the next generation of talents in Spain. This is not only typified from the powerhouse clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, but also down the ladder with mid and lower table clubs. With limited resources available, these clubs have relied on developing their own homegrown talents to compete in the ever so arduous La Liga.
Over the past decade, the league has showcased some of the brightest talents that have gone on to become exceptional players at their respective position. From the likes of Koke to Iago Aspas, the league is consistently bringing up players that have made a name for themselves in world football.
Today, La Liga is home to dozens of young players that are ready to be the next breakout star.
Among the pack of talents, there are seven that are worth keeping an eye on for the upcoming season.
Joao Felix (19) – Forward/Attacking Midfielder, Atletico Madrid
Just over a decade ago, Portugal hit the jackpot when Cristiano Ronaldo rose up through the ranks to subsequently emerge as one of the greatest players ever. Today, the country may have found themselves yet another generational star.
In just under a year, Joao Felix has had quite an unheralded run from being one of Europe’s best kept secrets to now a household name in world football. Last season, he wowed for Portuguese side Benfica with 31 goal contributions in all competitions, including a hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of the Europa League Quarter-Finals.
Now with Atletico Madrid after a record transfer move, the expectations are sky high as he will now be under the guidance of manager Diego Simeone. But the club is hopeful that the Portuguese wonderkid will be more than just Antoine Griezmann’s replacement.
With his versatility and skillset, Felix is capable of being an all-around threat in the attack. As he has shown in the preseason for Atletico, he can be the top target man playing in Simeone’s 4-4-2 setup. His positional awareness on the pitch to know just when to make runs and transitional moves into open space is a tactic that will do wonders in opening up Atletico’s offensive game play.
If needed, Felix can transition into playing as an attacking midfielder — a role which requires effective movements with the ball and creative playmaking from all cylinders. In the case that Simeone would opt to play a more attacking style, Felix is just the player to take over the playmaking responsibilities in a possible 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-3 setup.
What will make Felix’s tenure with Atletico a successful one will be his willingness to adapt and learn on the fly. But as mentioned by Simeone, Felix is already showing his desire to improve his play.
“The best thing about him is that he wants to learn and when this is the case, adaptation is always shorter,” Simeone said after Atletico’s friendly win against Juventus.
The options are endless as to how Felix will be utilized. His playstyle may be the key in transforming Atletico Madrid into becoming more of an attacking team.