10 wonderkids you should track in 2016

Yes, there's another tricky winger coming out of the academy which presented Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani or Figo to the world. Gelson is extremely quick and a dribbling ace, which roughly can be translated into "a nightmare for opposite wingbacks". The youngster’s speciality is definitely the one on ones leading to crosses, but his manager Jorge Jesus already mentioned Martins could score more goals if he plays closer to the box.

The prodigious Belgian is undoubtedly one of the finest young passers and creative minds in the world. He can play as a defensive midfielder, but his class pops up if he plays as a box-to-box, providing the attacking front with some sweet moves and outstanding passes. Tielemans is shaped to be a future star and Man Utd, PSG and Chelsea are reportedly available to splash some serious cash on the wonderkid.

The Paraguayan has been labeled "the new Agüero" since he was 16 and starred in the Clausura tournament, scoring 11 goals in 19 matches for Cerro Porteño. He's a typical South American forward, great between lines, with a strong relationship with the goal. AS Roma reportedly tried to sign Díaz last summer but Cerro Porteño turned down several offers.

Bazoer was already tempted by a possible move to Manchester City when he was 16, but his mother convinced him to stay in the Netherlands. Unhappy at PSV playing as a centre back, Bazoer said bye-bye to Eindhoven and packed his bags to Amsterdam, signing for Ajax. Nowadays, the "Dutch Patrick Vieira" is one of the most interesting stars in the flamboyant Ajax, managed by Frank de Boer. He's now happy playing as no.6, sharing a very dynamic midfield with Gudelj and Klaassen, and all the big teams in Europe are scouting the wonderkid intensively.

Whenever someone compares a kid to a world-class player, the bar is definitely raised. I guess Balic can't escape from such comparison as everyone in Croatia is calling him the "Croatian Pirlo" for a while. Honestly, it's easy to understand why they call them that. The hair, the body-language, his quality with the ball, his intelligence on the pitch. Let's hope the lad can live up to the expectation.

Lopetegui, Porto's former manager, surprised everyone last season when he called up a virtually unknown 17 year-old from the B side to the first team. Nowadays, everyone would be surprised if Rúben doesn't start in the first eleven every Sunday. Porto's wonderkid is a classic deep-lying playmaker, with a lot of quality in the possession of the ball. He's incredibly talented from the mental point of view, something you wouldn't expect in such tender age.

Gerson is one of those rough diamonds every coach would like to cut. He had an extraordinary season at Fluminense and he was considered the best newcomer in the Brasileirão. Barcelona had first option on the prodigious midfielder but were unable to match Roma’s €16M bid. Consistency is not the best word to describe the Italian side this season and with so many key-players injured, Gerson can step up and become a reference in the Giallorossi.

Embolo is not exactly brand news to someone who's been following the world of football in the last couple of years. He made the headlines when he scored in the Champions League at just 17 year-old and everyone is expecting a move to a bigger club soon. He's now 18 and a premature transfer could make more harm than good to this kid. Let's all sit back, relax and enjoy his performances at Basel. At least, for the time being.

Do you know what Peñaranda has in common with Messi, Raúl, Fernando Torres and Agüero? They all scored 4 goals in La Liga at the age of 18. In the first half of the season, the Venezuelan was dividing his efforts between the reserve and the first teams, but the recent performances make us believe he's going to be one of the most interesting players to follow in 2016. Apparently Inter, Tottenham and Liverpool think the same, as they are persistently scouting Granada's matches.

It's unusual to spot great talents in Portugal outside the "big 3", but we can assure you this is one of those rare moments. Jota is a product of Paços de Ferreira youth system and he can play both as a winger or a centre forward. He's very quick and a pretty good finisher, counting 7 goals in 19 matches so far. He's been linked with a move to Benfica for months and apparently Atlético de Madrid is also following the forward. Jorge Mendes, Cristiano Ronaldo's agent, already signed Jota, which means, most likely, a transfer is imminent.