U21 midfielders with the Best Potential

The highest-potential U21 midfielders, ranked on Field Insider.

Best goalkeepers Best defenders Best attackers Most in-form midfielders Top-scoring midfielders Most valuable midfielders

At a glance

M. Palestra of Chelsea is the standout for raw talent across U21 midfielders, with a Field Insider Rating of 86.8, and M. Young has been the form player this season, grading 59.3, and V. Kostov leads the scoring with 12 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: M. Palestra has improved his Season rating most, up +39.8 on last season, while R. Bardghji's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +43.4 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, M. Palestra of Chelsea is the most valuable name in this group at 94.3.

Barcelona · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

M. Palestra+39.8SsN

Chelsea · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by best potentialCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	M. Palestra Central midfielder	Chelsea	21	421895.2%	8721.7%
2	R. Bardghji Central midfielder	Barcelona	20	10	83110.2%
3	O. Vargas Central midfielder	Atletico Madrid	21	3915.2%	7864.8%
4	M. Culbreath Defensive midfielder	Bayer Leverkusen	19	14	76
5	M. Young Central midfielder	Sparta Rotterdam	21	59±0%	750.8%
6	Breno Central midfielder	Corinthians	21	3627%	745.6%
7	Andre Attacking midfielder	Corinthians	19	34439.7%	7418.3%
8	Iker Bravo Central midfielder	Watford	21	4	7226.2%
9	Lander Astiazarán Central midfielder	Real Sociedad II	20	43±0%	72±0%
10	H. Amass Defensive midfielder	Manchester United	19	26541.5%	721.9%
11	B. Clark Winger	Derby	21	37±0%	71±0%
12	A. Touré Central midfielder	Metz	20	20185.7%	7121%
13	Gabriel Bontempo Central midfielder	Santos	21	2938.9%	719.8%
14	N. Villareal Attacking midfielder	Cruzeiro	21	24	71
15	Mathias De Amorim Attacking midfielder	Famalicao	21	49±0%	70±0%
16	T. Land Winger	PSV Eindhoven	20	31±0%	700.7%
17	G. Justino Central midfielder	Botafogo	19	19	67
18	N. Verkooijen Defensive midfielder	Jong PSV U21	20	325%	6714.7%
19	A. Ochoa Attacking midfielder	Malaga	19	12143.8%	6612.6%
20	T. Pérez Defensive midfielder	Atletico-MG	21	12618.8%	6652%
21	Mamady Cisse Central midfielder	Atletico-MG	19	15	66
22	Huguinho Defensive midfielder	Botafogo	19	21±0%	6548.1%
23	Cajetan Benjamin Lenz Central midfielder	1899 Hoffenheim	20	35	64
24	A. Bassinga Central midfielder	Las Palmas	21	146900%	6412%
25	I. Housni Attacking midfielder	Nancy	21	19	63±0%
26	Gustavo Henrique Pereira Defensive midfielder	Santos	21	19	62
27	S. Fusire Defensive midfielder	Sheffield Wednesday	21	27239.7%	62114.1%
28	Ruben Müller Central midfielder	SC Paderborn 07	21	16	62
29	C. Bonsu Baah Central midfielder	Al-Qadisiyah FC	21	43±0%	62±0%
30	J. Monga Central midfielder	Swansea	17	111030%	6210.3%
31	João Simões Central midfielder	Sporting CP	19	914.9%	621.1%
32	K. WÃ¤tjen Central midfielder	VfL Bochum	20	23±0%	62±0%
33	J. Harder Defensive midfielder	FC Basel 1893	21	17	61
34	P. Nuamah Attacking midfielder	Sassuolo	20	68.5%	614.5%
35	E. Akman Central midfielder	FC Andorra	20	1415.7%	601.6%
36	K. Eichhorn Defensive midfielder	Bayer Leverkusen	17	19	60
37	Bae Seung-Gyun Defensive midfielder	Feyenoord	18	19	60
38	J. Hartog Attacking midfielder	AZ Alkmaar	20	30874.2%	6021.1%
39	Y. Saidu Defensive midfielder	Zaragoza	21	22	60
40	J. RodrÃguez Central midfielder	Tondela	20	15	60
41	Alexandre Bi Zaouai Central midfielder	Bastia	21	24	59
42	Matheus Gonçalves Central midfielder	Al-Ahli Jeddah	21	25100.8%	5913.5%
43	E. Poku Winger	Almere City FC	21	35±0%	59±0%
44	A. Koné Attacking midfielder	NEOM	21	41±0%	59±0%
45	Noah Makanza Central midfielder	KV Mechelen	21	49	58
46	J. Simons Attacking midfielder	De Graafschap	21	0100%	5810.9%
47	R. El Arguioui Attacking midfielder	Cambuur	21	39±0%	58±0%
48	Afonso Assis Central midfielder	Moreirense	20	16	5810.8%
49	Saïmon Bouabré Central midfielder	Al-Hilal Saudi FC	20	184400%	5714.8%
50	A. Bah Defensive midfielder	Al-Hazm	21	38±0%	570.9%