For explorers of the majority first division clubs, the U-17 World Cup at the end of last year was an opportunity to see some of the best young players on the planet in person for the first time. But for a select few like Brighton and Manchester City, who were quick to tap into football's increasingly global pool of emerging talent, the tournament in Indonesia was more about crossing their fingers and hoping their secrets would stay secret.
“Whenever a player travels to an international tournament, his clubs understand that there will be many foreign clubs watching him live and that always increases interest,” says Matías Lipman, who works as an intermediary for South American players. “They give them a lot of visibility and the local clubs know it.”
Ask the city. The European champions ended up agreeing to pay Claudio Echeverrirelease clause of €25m (£21.4m) after The little devil (imp) scored a hat-trick in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Brazil in the quarter-finals, to divert interest from Barcelona and Chelsea, despite following him for almost two years. Echeverri, who turned 18 on January 2, is expected to remain at River Plate for another year before continuing in the The steps of Julián Álvarez. and change the First Division of Argentina for the Premier League.
Álvarez's signing for City was announced on his 22nd birthday, in January 2022, and the striker did not arrive in England until six months later. But Echeverri's transfer reflects a rapidly growing trend of clubs signing players from outside Europe at increasingly younger ages. He will barely have turned 19 when he is likely to arrive and he is expected to be loaned out.
“One of the main reasons has been Brexit and the new points system that was introduced as a result, which has made it easier for younger players from around the world to transfer,” says Lipman. “The Premier League is interested in having the best South American talent and so, rather than going to other leagues first, the new rules mean they can sign players like Álvarez and Echeverri, who would have eventually moved to Europe anyway. But now they can buy them sooner and for less money.”
The governing body (GBE) endorsement system which was introduced in January 2021 after Brexit meant that clubs could sign players aged 18 and over from anywhere in the world as long as they met points requirements for playing in their domestic leagues. or for your national team.
This was significantly updated in June last year, with English league clubs being allowed to sign two players who did not meet the points requirements, known as elite significant contribution (ESC) players, in a move. described by the Football Association as “a new football solution that works for everyone and provides additional access to exceptional international talent.” Premier League and Championship clubs can sign up to two more ESC players (or, as some scouts have started to refer to them, “wild cards”), depending on the percentage of minutes they offer to English players, either in the first team or on loan.
“It's made it a lot easier for clubs to take a chance on a young player from the other side of the world,” says a scout for a top Premier League club who does not want to be named.
Fast guideRonaldo, Endrick and other great teenage transfers
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Ronaldo: PSV to Barcelona, 1996, 19 years old
After moving to Catalonia, Ronaldo held the distinction of not only being the most expensive teenager in the world but also the most expensive player of any age. Although he only stayed at Barcelona for one season before leaving after contract disputes, his move there accelerated the development of one of the greatest talents the game has ever seen.
Sébastien Frey: From Cannes to the Internazionale, 1998, 18 years old
Signed by Inter after a senior season at Cannes, Frey was considered by many to be a future star. He played nine league games in his first season before being loaned and sold to Parma in 2002, to replace the outgoing Gianluigi Buffon. He remains the most expensive teenage goalie.
Antonio Cassano: from Bari to Rome, 2001, 19 years old
The striker was compared to Maradona, but his inconsistent performances and attitude problems meant he never reached his potential, particularly a falling out with Fabio Capello, who coached him at Roma and then Real Madrid, where Cassano failed to establish himself. The term 'cassanata' has become synonymous with a bad teammate in the field of Italian football.
Wayne Rooney: from Everton to Manchester United, 2004, 18 years old
For many in England, the definitive teenage signing. Rooney was a talent the likes of which English football had rarely seen before and has rarely seen since. He went on to win one Champions League, five Premier Leagues and became United's and England's top scorer, taking both records from Sir Bobby Charlton.
Anthony Martial: from Monaco to Manchester United, 19 years old
One of football's best prospects when United bought him for a record fee paid for a teenager. Of a potential of almost £60 million, only around £45 million was transferred because Martial failed to meet predetermined targets, such as the appearance and conditions related to the Ballon d'Or. Once touted as a successor to Thierry Henry or Nicolas Anelka, Martial was on loan at Sevilla, where he failed to score a goal in the league, and was exiled from the French team, without any international appearances in more than two years.
Kylian Mbappé: from Monaco to PSG, 2017, 19 years old
From the Monaco graduate who failed to reach the promised land, to the one who many believe has conquered it. Mbappé was initially loaned to PSG in 2017 and when the deal became permanent the following summer, he was already a certified world-beater. Two weeks later he was proclaimed world champion with France. Since then, he has earned eight major cabinet honours, been named France's player of the year three times and claimed Ligue 1's top scorer title five times in a row, a joint record.
Endrick: From Palmeiras to Real Madrid, 2024, 18 years old
The deal was agreed in December 2022 when Endrick was just 16 years old, but will technically be completed in July of this year. By the time he put pen to paper, Endrick had played 300 minutes of senior football, spread over seven games, but he had convinced Real Madrid that he was worth an investment of around €60 million and an 18-month wait. until it joined. Rafael Boyd
Brighton did not need a wild card to secure their place signing of Valentín Barco of Boca Juniors, the 19-year-old defender achieved the points needed to obtain a work permit after clubs in the top divisions of Argentina, Brazil and Mexico were promoted to the top tier when the original points system began three years ago. But Brighton are understood to have been one of the few Premier League clubs to oppose extending the rules to allow the signing of players who did not meet visa requirements – perhaps unsurprisingly given their previous successes. in South America under the existing system.
Barco, who rejected interest from City, is expected to slowly ease into Roberto De Zerbi's team, with Brighton using the approach applied to help integrate Moisés Caicedo and several other imports, including Argentine Facundo Buonanotte and Paraguayan Julio Enciso.
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“There are great opportunities here in South America and some English clubs have understood this very early, like Brighton,” says Lipman. “But the majority are still reluctant to do business directly with local clubs because they do not want to take risks and fear that the adaptation will not work. They prefer to let players develop elsewhere and then assess whether they are ready for the Premier League. Not all clubs have the same philosophy, but more and more are realizing the bargains that can be found.”
Chelsea have been increasingly active in South America since the acquisition of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. They have signed Ecuadorian prodigy Kendry Páez after he became the youngest South American to score in a World Cup qualifying match at 16 years and 161 days in October. Páez, who will remain at Caicedo's former club, Independiente del Valle, until he turns 18, will not even be able to make his debut for Chelsea until the start of the 2025-26 season.
That has not prevented them from betting on Estêvão Willian, a 16-year-old Brazilian known as Messinho who plays for Palmeiras and starred in the U-17 World Cup. Arsenal and Barcelona are among the other clubs believed to be interested, but Chelsea manager Laurence Stewart was in Brazil last week to discuss the €60m (£51.4m) release clause sterling), a rate that would not be far below pounds sterling. 58 million paid to sign Roméo Lavia, a British record for a teenager. That mark was held by Anthony Martial for almost a decade following his move to Manchester United from Monaco in 2013 for £44.7m but, as Lipman recognises, the market is changing rapidly.
“The clubs know the players very well and have their eyes open,” he says. “There are scouting systems all over the world with a lot of people working very hard to find the next big star. It is very different to five years ago, when English clubs would never have been seen trying to sign players directly from South America. I am sure there will be many more in the coming years.”
Chelsea are also believed to have snapped up Pape Daouda Diong from Dakar-based AF Darou Salam after his impressive performances for Senegal in Indonesia. The 16-year-old, who is also expected to move to London when he turns 18, was at Stamford Bridge with Páez for Chelsea's Carabao Cup win over Newcastle in December and could become a pioneer in signing players directly of African clubs. Amara Diouf, a 15-year-old winger from Sadio Mané's former club Génération Foot, who has made his senior team debut, is on the radar of several big Premier League clubs after being nominated for best young African player of the year. The focus was on signing the best 16-year-olds in Europe, but that option is not available, so clubs had to look elsewhere,” says the scout. “He's made it a much more level playing field for players from other parts of the world.”
