Estevao Willian, Franco Mastantuono and 10 NXGN wonderkids set to make their Champions League debuts

Premier League fans may not realise given the maturity that Lucas Bergvall plays with, but the Tottenham midfielder only turned 19 in February, and thus has to be among the most exciting prospects currently plying their trade in the English top-flight. Bergvall opened his Premier League goal account on Saturday against West Ham, but it is the Sweden international's all-round game that has stood out ever since he broke into the Spurs line up early last season.

Bergvall's game promises to go to the next level under Thomas Frank's tutelage, and he will this season get the chance on the grandest stage possible to show exactly why Barcelona were so upset when they missed on signing him from Djurgardens in early 2024.

The Champions League comes to the Arctic Circle in 2025-26 as another chapter prepares to be written in the Bodo/Glimt fairy tale. After reaching the Europa League semi-finals last term, the Norwegian side are dining at Europe's top table for the first time, and they are doing so with a homegrown teenager within their squad who could be set for even greater things.

Mikkel Bro Hansen won't turn 17 until January, but he has already netted seven goals in eight appearances for the Bodo first team, including two hat-tricks in the Norwegian Cup. On Friday, he fired home from the penalty spot to become the youngest league goal-scorer in the club's history, with it clear why Barca and Spurs are among the clubs to have been linked with the striker in recent months.

Perhaps the most exciting English talent right now, Max Dowman's long-awaited Arsenal debut eventually arrived in August, and the way he ran rings around Premier League defenders during the Gunners' 5-0 win over Leeds United only added to the suggestion that the Gunners have got a serious talent on their hands.

Capable of playing in central midfield or out wide, the 15-year-old will become the youngest-ever player to appear in the Champions League if he makes his European debut before the turn of the year, and given his fearless approach to the game, it wouldn't be a shock if Dowman made his first mark on the competition before the campaign is out.

Given their propensity to hoover up first-team ready players from their Bundesliga rivals and beyond, it's not always easy for Bayern Munich's homegrown youngsters to force their way into the first-team picture at the Allianz Arena. Lennart Karl, however, is hoping to buck that trend after earning the trust of Vincent Kompany.

The 17-year-old attacker, who can play centrally or out wide, made his senior debut at the Club World Cup and, after an eye-catching pre-season, has now begun to make cameos off the bench for the Bundesliga champions. Regarded as the top talent within Germany right now, Karl should force his way onto the pitch in Europe in the weeks and months to come.

Real Madrid rarely miss when they spend big on South American teenagers, and it already feels like the summer signing of Franco Mastantuono will prove to be a home run for Los Blancos. Madrid beat Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain to the signing of the River Plate attacker who has been likened to Lionel Messi by some in Argentina, and he has already impressed many with his performances in La Liga for Xabi Alonso's side.

The 18-year-old, who earlier this year became the youngest player to ever represent Argentina at senior level, has a €45 million (£39m/$53m) price tag to live up to at Santiago Bernabeu, but as he slots into Madrid's star-studded forward line, it shouldn't be long before Mastantuono begins making a real mark on his new club.

For all their struggles in recent years, Ajax keep on giving opportunities to outstanding young players, both homegrown and those who they acquire from elsewhere. Jorthy Mokio falls into the latter category having arrived in Amsterdam from Gent in 2024, but he has wasted little time in becoming a regular for the Dutch giants.

Capable of playing at centre-back, left-back and in central midfield, the lanky 17-year-old has over 20 first-team appearances under his belt and earned a maiden call-up to the Belgium senior squad earlier this year. Previously a target of Barcelona's, Mokio has since been linked with Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United, and some strong Champions League displays will only lead to him earning more potential suitors.

Olympiacos were the surprise winners of the 2024 UEFA Youth League, and the Greek giants have understandably looked to build on that success by bringing through the stars of that team into their senior squad. Teenage striker Charalampos Kostoulas has since flown the nest and joined Brighton in a big-money deal, and it is expected that midfielder Christos Mouzakitis will follow him earning a move to one of Europe's 'big five' leagues over the next 12 months.

The 18-year-old playmaker is being tracked by the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and AC Milan, and already has five senior caps for Greece under his belt to with his almost-40 appearances for Olympiacos. Now, Mouzakitis will be out to make his mark on the Champions League in Athens.

When Liverpool managed to prise Rio Ngumoha away from Chelsea in the summer of 2024, the Reds knew they had pulled off something of a coup by bringing the teenager to Merseyside. Even they, however, must be slightly surprised by the way the winger has taken to first-team football under Arne Slot.

Having made his debut in the FA Cup last season, Ngumoha wrote his name into the record books in August when he became Liverpool's youngest-ever goal-scorer with his stoppage-time strike to beat Newcastle in the Premier League. That strike came off the back of an eye-catching pre-season, and with Federico Chiesa not named in the Reds' Champions League squad, there should be more opportunities for 17-year-old Ngumoha to introduce himself to fans across the continent.

The presence of Kairat Almaty is one of the most intriguing storylines in this season's Champions League, if for no other reason than the travel that is involved for teams who have been drawn to play the Kazakh champions away from home. And while this may prove to be the pinnacle of many of the Kairat players' careers, one member of their squad is being tipped for greater things down the line.

Dastan Satpaev has earned comparisons to Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Aguero in his homeland with his performances in the Kazakh top-flight having scored nine goals and provided seven assists during the 2025 season despite having only turned 17 in August. He also netted three times in Kairat's Champions League qualifying campaign, with Chelsea fans likely to be paying particular attention to his performances in this season's Champions League given they have already agreed a deal to sign Satpaev next summer.

Estevao Willian already has plenty of continental competition having scored five goals in 12 Copa Libertadores appearances for Palmeiras before he left to join Chelsea in July, and his performances thus far for the Blues suggest he could be the breakout star of this season's European campaign.

The 18-year-old winger, who has already established himself in the Brazil national team, faces plenty of competition for minutes at Stamford Bridge after another spending spree from the Blues, but his talent is such that he should be able to establish himself as a regular starter under Enzo Maresca sooner rather than later.