Ranked: The 20 breakout stars of world football in 2024

Breakout stars, surprise packages, and players who came out of nowhere – 2024 delivered a thrilling lineup of fresh talent. From Barça to Sporting to Manchester, this season was packed with jaw-dropping performances and unexpected revelations. Here’s our list of the top 20 breakout players of 2024!

Note, you won’t see names like stars Cole Palmer, Arda Güler, or Benjamin Šeško here – they were already making waves before 2024. This list is all about the new faces that took the football world by storm this year.

At just 20 years old, Ousmane Diomande has already established himself as the leader of Sporting’s defense. Standing tall at 1.90 meters, he’s a modern-day defensive powerhouse—strong, mobile, and commanding. His rock-solid performances were key to guiding Gyokeres & Co. to the league title in Portugal. Oh, and let’s not forget – he also lifted the African Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast.

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Seven starts in the Portuguese Liga this season? Nine goals. Five Europa League appearances? Four goals. Samu Omorodion is absolutely on fire. The 20-year-old Spanish striker, towering at 1.93 meters, has been a goal-scoring machine for Porto, building on the momentum of his breakout season with Alavés, where he netted nine times in 35 games (per Sofascore). Oh, and did we mention he’s also an Olympic champion with Spain? This kid is the real deal.

Desire Doue debuted at Stade Rennais last season, and he’s wasted no time making waves. This summer, PSG snapped him up for a cool €50 million (around £43 million or $54 million), according to Transfermarkt. At just 19, Doue is electric on the pitch—an elite dribbler with 2.1 successful dribbles per game last season and a 67% success rate (per Sofascore). His performances earned him a nomination for the UNFP “Best Young Player” award. The kid’s got talent, and now he’s got the stage to match.

Three months ago, Marc Casado was just a name known to Barça B fans. Fast forward to today, and the whole football world is buzzing about him. Handed his big break by Hansi Flick in September, the 21-year-old defensive midfielder has cemented his spot in Barça’s starting XI. He’s not just holding his own—he’s shining. An assist in a 4-1 win over Bayern, another in a 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid… This kid is unshakable. A true phenomenon.

Speaking of super-subs, Jhon Duran might just be the best in the business right now. In the Premier League, the 20-year-old Colombian has been an absolute menace off the bench. The numbers speak for themselves—four goals this season without a single start. And let’s not forget his Champions League heroics: a clutch winning goal against Bayern. Duran has all the makings of a future superstar.

Leny Yoro was named one of Ligue 1's top young prospects last year (though he lost out to Warren Zaire-Emery), and he certainly lived up to the hype with LOSC. The 19-year-old French defender impressed with his maturity and exceptional physical traits. This summer, his potential was too good to ignore, and Manchester United secured his signature for €62 million (around £53 million or $66 million), according to Transfermarkt.

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Fermin Lopez made a name for himself as the Blues' executioner and the top scorer of the Olympic tournament with six goals. But it was with Barça last season that he truly shone. Playing in 31 Liga matches, including 14 starts, he scored eight goals and became a key player in their campaign. This season, he’s continued to impress, contributing two assists in Barça’s dominant 4-1 win over Bayern. The kid's making his mark at the top level.

Rico Lewis may not grab headlines, but the 20-year-old English full-back is quietly becoming a key figure at Manchester City. This season, he’s featured in 11 of City’s 13 Premier League matches as a regular starter. On the international stage, he’s also earned three starts for England in the Nations League. It’s been an incredible rise for a player who was virtually unknown just a year ago.

While Juventus may not have had the best 2023-2024 season, Kenan Yildiz was a standout. The 19-year-old Turkish midfielder was exceptional, even if his stats don’t jump off the page (two goals in 27 Serie A appearances). What truly sets him apart is his technical brilliance. At 1.87 meters tall, he plays with a silky smooth style that belies his physicality, making him a crucial asset to the team.

Matias Soule, who was loaned to Frosinone by Juventus last season, quickly became one of the standout players in Serie A. The 21-year-old Argentine impressed with 11 goals and three assists before being loaned out once again, this time to Roma. His ability to make an impact has earned him a spot at one of Italy's biggest clubs.

The unlucky finalists of last season's Champions League, Borussia Dortmund, have a silver lining: they’ve got one of the brightest young talents in world football. Jamie Gittens, just 20 years old, is already proving he can do it all – full-back, winger, or wing-back, the Englishman is a versatile dynamo. This season, he’s bagged four goals and provided three assists in the Bundesliga, and in the Champions League, he’s scored four goals in as many appearances in the 2024-2025 campaign. Not bad for a player still in his teens!

Artem Dovbyk, last year’s La Liga top scorer with 24 goals, came out of nowhere. Before joining Girona, the Ukrainian striker made his mark at Dnipro-1 in the Ukrainian league. Originally signed for €7 million, his value skyrocketed after his standout season, leading to a €30 million (around £25 million or $31 million) move to Roma this summer. A true success story of a player who quickly became one of Europe’s most sought-after strikers.

Granted, Warren Zaire-Emery was already on the radar before the 2023-2024 season, but his performances were so impressive that we couldn’t leave him off this list. The 18-year-old Frenchman became the heartbeat of PSG's midfield alongside Vitinha, looking like he’d been at the club for years. Despite a dip in form towards the end of the season, Zaire-Emery remains one of the biggest revelations in football in 2024. His potential is undeniable, and he’s set to be a star for years to come.

At the start of the 2023-2024 season, nobody knew who Kobbie Mainoo was. Fast forward a year, and the 19-year-old midfielder was starting in the Euro final for England against Spain. A standout for Manchester United in what has otherwise been a tough season, Mainoo is a breath of fresh air. Extremely physical, versatile, and capable of defending, attacking, and scoring, he’s the epitome of the modern midfielder.

The central defender position is one of the toughest in football, usually requiring years of experience to earn a starting spot. Pau Cubarsi, however, defied the norm and did all that in just three months. At only 17 years old, the Spanish talent is already a regular starter in Barça’s defense. An Olympic champion with Spain, Cubarsi is an incredibly intelligent player, both with and without the ball. Under Hansi Flick, he’s particularly adept at executing the offside trap, making him a key figure in the Catalan defense.

Over the last five seasons, Viktor Gyokeres would have been number one without question. The Swedish powerhouse has been unstoppable in 2024, with a staggering 59 goals in 57 games. His signature celebration is already iconic, just like his stats from last season in La Liga: 29 goals and 10 assists. This season? 12 games, 16 goals. And to top it all off, he bagged a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League and a four-goal haul in the Nations League against Azerbaijan. Simply put, he’s a monster.

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