NXGN 2025: The 25 best teenage wonderkids in women's football

The annual NXGN lists are back for another year, highlighting 25 of the most incredible female talents to have been born on or after January 1, 2006

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  25Giovanna Waksman (FC Florida)

  There's a lot of hype about Giovanna Waksman in Brazil, so much so that the phrase 'generational talent' is being used to describe her by some. The first thing that stands out is her dribbling ability, and for more reasons than one. Yes, Waksman is technically superb and anticipates the movements of her markers well, but it's the way she seems to get faster, stronger and more elusive as her run continues that really catches the attention.

  Watching her at 15 years old, the fact that her decision-making will only improve, her finishing will become more clinical and her physical presence will only grow makes her a thrilling prospect. But what most will hope doesn't change about Waksman is that skill, that trickery and entertainment factor about her which, sadly, is sometimes ironed out of these talented youngsters as they near the senior game.

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  24Choe Il-son (April 25)

  North Korea had itself quite a year when it came to youth women's football in 2024, with the nation doing the Asian Cup and World Cup double in both the Under-17 and Under-20 age categories. Choe Il-son, who celebrated her 18th birthday on New Year's Day, was prominent in all four of those triumphs, especially the U20 World Cup.

  At 17 years old, she was the youngest member of the Korean squad in Colombia, and yet she emerged from the tournament with the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards, as well as her winners' medal, after netting six goals in six games, including the title-deciding strike in the final. Choe's excellent goal-poaching instincts, fantastic movement and an ability to use both feet without hesitation all served her well, as did her very real threat from range.

  North Korea have long been a stalwart on the international stage in the women's game, and have won three senior Asian Cups, but haven't played at a major tournament since the Olympics in 2012, for a myriad of reasons. But if the success of the youth national teams in 2024 can be translated to senior level, Choe may well light up the biggest of stages in years to come.

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  23Momo Saruang Ueki Sato (Daisho Gakuen High School)

  Japan has been excellent at producing and developing young talent for a long time now, with the presence of six players aged 21 and under in the latest senior national team squad a testament to that work. That four of those names are already playing for huge clubs abroad - Feyenoord, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester City - is further evidence of the good place the Nadeshiko is in moving forwards.

  There are plenty of players coming up right behind them, with Momo Saruang Ueki Sato one of the most prominent stars in the youth set-up who looks capable of making the jump in the years to come. A versatile forward whose ability to use both feet helps to make her a clinical finisher, as does the 17-year-old's remarkable calmness in front of goal, Sato is not a towering and intimidating presence in the front line, but that fact allows her to draw inspiration from one of Japan's most prolific strikers of all-time.

  "Shinji Okazaki is not very tall and not particularly skilful, but I feel similar to him in some ways," she told FIFA last year. "I admire his movement towards the goal and the way he uses his smaller stature to make certain moves. I watch his videos and his interviews to reference his way of thinking."

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  22Fridah Mukoma (ZESCO Ndola Girls)

  In recent years, Zambia has started to produce some of the biggest stars in the women's game, with Barbra Banda a bonafide sensation and Racheal Kundananji the most expensive female footballer of all-time, until Naomi Girma's recent move to Chelsea. It's clear that there is a lot of promising young talent that could follow in the footsteps of those big names, too, with Fridah Mukoma at the very forefront of the next generation.

  The 18-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2024, which began at club level. Mukoma's performances for ZESCO Ndola Girls in Zambia's domestic league, in which she netted five goals and provided 13 assists in 30 games, earned her the division's Young Player of the Year award, and she has quickly started to take that quality to the national-team level, too.

  A direct, fast and hard-working forward, Mukoma starred at the COSAFA Women's Championship, sharing the Golden Boot with team-mate Ochumba Lubandji as Zambia defeated South Africa in the final. A debut at the African Cup of Nations surely looms in 2025, where the teenager will hope to showcase her powerful finishing to an even bigger audience.

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  21Juju Harris (Florida United)

  Brazil claimed a third successive U17 South American Championship in 2024, and Juju Harris was a big reason why. With five goals in seven games, the young striker was the joint-top goal-scorer in the tournament, helping her nation to qualify for an U17 World Cup where they disappointed massively, failing to get out of the group stage, but saw their only two goals delivered by the ever-dependable Harris.

  An instinctive finisher with good awareness and a strong physical presence, the 18-year-old is currently playing in the United States with Florida United, a girls' youth academy which has produced a flurry of American prospects in recent years. Harris has briefly fallen into that category, winning call-ups for the U15s in the U.S.

  However, it's with Brazil's youth teams that she has really started to make a name for herself, and it is with the Selecao that she appears keen to translate that into the senior game. "Being a Brazilian is a gift that gives me confidence and power on and off the field," she wrote on her website. "Futbol is the DNA of a Brazilian. Nothing succeeds it, and that is how I live my life."

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  20Habiba Sabry (Masar)

  Having only ever qualified for the African Cup of Nations twice, and never for a global tournament, Egypt is certainly a way off becoming a powerhouse in the women's game, but it does appear to have one of the most promising goalkeepers in the game in its ranks. Habiba Sabry showed everyone her quality in 2024, helping Masar do the league and cup double before reaching the CAF Women's Champions League semi-finals.

  There is plenty to be excited about when it comes to the 19-year-old's potential. Her laser-focus is evident in her great footwork and positioning, with the teenager an excellent shot-stopper thanks to her alertness, awareness and agility. As with any young goalkeeper, there are still some areas for growth, though improvements in the commanding of her area will come with age and experience. Sabry is accumulating plenty of the latter, too, having been Masar's first-choice 'keeper for almost two years already.

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  19Karla Torres (Santa Fe, loan at Leicester City)

  Colombia has been producing a lot of top young talent on the women's side over the last few years, and Karla Torres is one of those starting to have her breakthrough now. The 18-year-old had a superb tournament at last year's U20 Women's World Cup, so much so that she earned her first caps for the senior national team before the year was out and, in January, secured a loan move to Leicester City.

  A versatile forward who can play across the front line, Torres arrived in England off the back of an excellent scoring season with Santa Fe in the Colombian top-flight and now finds herself working under a manager, in Amandine Miquel, who has a remarkable track record when it comes to developing top talent. Having shown plenty of her potential already over the last few years, Torres feels well-positioned to go to the next level now, for club and country.

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  18Miracle Usani (Edo Queens)

  It was back in 2022 that Miracle Usani first started to grab the attention, starting every game as Nigeria stormed to the semi-finals of the U17 Women's World Cup. The young full-back kicked-off her tournament with a sublime free-kick strike against Germany and ended it with a bronze medal, having helped her nation enjoy a best-ever performance at the event.

  But despite her consistently offering smart and effective support for the winger in front of her throughout, it wasn't just Usani's attacking qualities that caught the eye. Technically sound and secure in possession, helped by her ability to use both feet, the teenager reads the game well off the ball too, positioning herself well and rarely making rash decisions.

  Still only 17 years old, Usani stood out on another big stage in 2024, as she helped Edo Queens reach the semi-finals of the CAF Women's Champions League. Only defeat in extra-time prevented the Nigerian side from making the showpiece event, while a penalty shootout was their undoing in the third-placed match. Usani was named to the Team of the Tournament, with it no surprise that she has started to earn opportunities with the senior national team as well.

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  17Kishi Nunez (Boca Juniors)

  When you watch Kishi Nunez play football, she exudes incredible joy. She is the cliche of a player playing the professional game like a child on the playground or in the park with their friends. A technically-gifted winger who can use both feet brilliantly, those traits no doubt helped by a prolific futsal background, Nunez wants to face up to her marker and take them on with her skill, speed and slightly deceptive strength. Once she's done that - and she succeeds in the task more often that not - that ability to deliver that final product with either her left or her right makes her unpredictable and particularly tough to mark, with goals and assists flying off both wings.

  Aiding her development in a very encouraging way is the exposure to senior football that Nunez has been enjoying for several years now, despite still being just 18 years old. The forward debuted in Argentina's top-flight with Argentinos Juniors when she was just 15, started to produce big moments in the Copa Libertadores with Boca Juniors only a year later and made her senior debut for Argentina last May, just two weeks after her 18th birthday.

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  16Daniela Galic (Twente)

  After establishing herself as Australia's most promising teenage talent through two strong seasons in the A-League Women, Daniela Galic made the leap abroad in 2024, joining Dutch giants Twente in the summer. It's a move that will require patience. After all, Galic is not only settling into a different environment altogether, but also having to deal with the demands of being a senior Australia international based in Europe - all while still 18 years old.

  As such, her involvements for the Dutch champions have been limited thus far, though have already included a first goal - and in the Champions League of all competitions. It feels like only a matter of time until Galic earns the consistent game-time that will allow her attacking qualities to really shine through, with the creative midfielder possessing excellent technical ability, impressive composure and a dynamic goal threat that makes her such a tantalising prospect.

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  15Maeline Mendy (Lyon, loan at Strasbourg)

  France have had a lot of success in European youth competitions in recent years and Maeline Mendy was a stand-out when they were crowned champions on the continent at U17 level in 2023, captaining her country to that glory and delivering performances that earned her a share of the top-scorer award as well as a place in the Team of the Tournament.

  Fast-forward a couple of years and she is now starting to make her mark in the senior game, having also stepped up into the U19 national team. A representative of Lyon since moving on from the boys' teams at RC Joinville back in 2022, the midfielder is currently gaining valuable experience on loan at Strasbourg, given it's no easy task to break into the first team of the eight-time Champions League winners.

  There, Mendy is showing what we've seen in spades in the youth national teams, that being her wonderful dynamism, fantastic footwork and the tenacious battling qualities that make her as much of an asset defensively as she is going forward. With an eye for goal from range also in her locker, she's got all the potential to be an all-round midfield star.

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  14Luisa Agudelo (Deportivo Cali)

  Pardon the pun, but goalkeeping appears to be in good hands for Deportivo Cali and Colombia, as Luisa Agudelo is one of two thriving teenage shot-stoppers on the books of both. Though team-mate Jimena Ospina, one year older than her at 18, started a few more club games in 2024, it is Agudelo who is Colombia's first-choice 'keeper at youth level, for both the U17s and U20s.

  It's easy to see why the 17-year-old has impressed her national-team coaches so much, too. Despite her age, she's already decisive in a very effective manner when it comes to commanding her area, while her strong positioning and cat-like reflexes make her a real asset. With some penalty-saving heroics already in her locker as well, Agudelo's future sure looks bright.

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  13Montse Saldivar (Club America)

  After making her professional debut at the tender age of 14, Montse Saldivar has only gone from strength to strength in Liga MX Femenil with Club America. Well on track to hit a century of appearances for the club before 2025 is out, despite still only being 18 years old, the versatile left-footer is starting to earn more opportunities further up the pitch now too, resulting in a significant increase in goal output. That's thanks to Salvidar's ability to arrive in the box in a timely fashion, her top-quality finishing on either foot and threat from long distance.

  Those traits have also been evident in her country's colours. Saldivar was one of the stars of Mexico's U20 Women's World Cup campaign last term, with her relentless effort out wide causing all opponents real issues. The 18-year-old created chances for team-mates consistently in Colombia, delivering some excellent crosses and making smart decisions in the final third to rack up three assists in four games. It's no surprise the young forward has started to get a look-in with the senior national team then, making her debut back in October.

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  12Emilia Szymczak (Barcelona)

  Barcelona's academy is really starting to expand on an international scale in the women's game now, and Emilia Szymczak is one of those foreign talents excelling in the youth set-up of the European champions. After breaking into the first team of Polish top-flight side Gornik Leczna as a 15-year-old, the versatile midfielder signed for Barca in the summer of 2023 and is developing fantastically in the club's B team.

  In the middle of the park, Szymczak thrives in duels, using her physicality and excellent close control to great effect, while her athletic profile also makes her a powerful and dynamic runner. But she's also a very good centre-back, and broke into the Poland senior national team as a starter in that position at the end of 2024. Again, that well-timed aggression in her individual battles helps there, and she is still able to showcase her quality in possession, with even more opportunities for her accurate long balls from deep.

  Breaking into the first team at Barcelona is never easy for a young player, but the club does trust in its academy and will give opportunities to those who appear capable and ready. Szymczak certainly has the potential to tick those boxes sooner rather than later.

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  11Sheika Scott (Alajuelense)

  One of several 16-year-olds to grab headlines at the 2023 Women's World Cup, there is a lot of anticipation building around Sheika Scott's future after she celebrated her 18th birthday back in October. The creative midfielder has been lighting up the domestic league in Costa Rica since debuting as a 14-year-old, and while the introduction of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup means she can enjoy some international fixtures with Alajuelense now as well, the intrigue is now on when she'll finally make that move abroad, and where to.

  Ahead of the January 2025 transfer window, Atletico Madrid were mentioned as a potential suitor, but nothing materialised on that front. As Scott continues to make a splash with the senior national team, the list of interested parties is sure to only grow, with there little doubt that she's ready to take that next step and export her game-changing talents to one of the world's best leagues.

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  10Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal, loan at Brighton)

  If you're a fan of Arsenal or England, it's hard not to be excited about Michelle Agyemang's future. The 18-year-old forward has shown plenty of glimpses of her promising talent at various levels - in different age categories for her country, in cameos for the Gunners and in loan spells with Watford and Brighton. She's intelligent, she knows where the goal is and she's got the physical capabilities to bring those qualities to the senior game already.

  A product of Arsenal's fruitful academy, having joined the set-up aged six, Agyemang's technical skills and understanding of the game have been honed in that environment, while the maturity that belies her age, on and off the pitch, is also sure to be playing a role in how well she is adapting to first-team football. Learning new things from a wider role at Brighton, it's a position that is also highlighting the teenager's strong work ethic and team-first mentality, all of which she will hope helps her be a success at Arsenal in the not-so-distant future.

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  9Veerle Buurman (Chelsea, loan at PSV)

  It's fair to say Veerle Buurman had herself an eventful 2024. After completing a huge move to Chelsea in mid-September, the teenager helped the Netherlands reach the semi-finals of the U20 Women's World Cup and then, in October, made her senior international debut. Little over a month later, she was in the starting XI again as the Dutch took on the U.S., and she was able to mark that second cap with a first senior goal for her country. She's been ticking the milestones off at quite a frantic pace.

  On loan at previous club PSV for the 2024-25 season, it's easy to see what attracted Chelsea to Buurman. Already an imposing centre-back at 18 years old, she's been a captain at youth-team level, she covers ground quickly and she has good awareness and focus in defence, informing her intelligent positioning. Like most players in her position nowadays, the teenager is also composed, confident and certainly capable in possession.

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  8Ainhoa Alguacil (Valencia)

  There is so much talent coming through the Spain youth set-up right now that it can be hard to single individuals out at times, especially because of how well the national teams play together as entire units. But when watching the U19s triumph at last year's Euros, it was hard not to be drawn to Ainhoa Alguacil.

  One of very few players in the side who has extensive experience of the senior game, having made her debut for Valencia back in the summer of 2021, aged just 15, and blossomed into a regular starter since, that has started to translate into real confidence and leadership qualities, with her so often conducting the players around her while running the show in midfield.

  Alguacil has outstanding composure under pressure, she protects the ball brilliantly despite her diminutive stature and her passing range is seemingly without limits. As well as thriving in the short passing game, owing to her intelligent movement, the 19-year-old isn't afraid to play that longer ball to catch an opponent out.

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  7Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current)

  When Claire Hutton scored her first professional goal in August of last year, in the Kansas City Current's win over Mexican giants Tigres, Vlatko Andonovski, her head coach, didn't shy away from the hype. “She’s a player that is not just going to represent this team, but also a player that is ready to represent this country as well," he said of the United States youth international, adding that he would be "shocked" if she wasn't brought into Emma Hayes' senior side soon enough. In February, ahead of the SheBelieves Cup, that call finally came, with her debut following in a 2-1 win over Australia in the tournament.

  The teenager had certainly earned her chance. Hutton is one of the most exciting prospects in the NWSL and has proven to be wise beyond her 19 years while playing in a deep midfield role for the Current. She reads the game well, has the physicality to battle hard in the middle of the park and has wonderful technical skill, allowing her to dance her way out of pressure time and time again. We're talking about a remarkably well-rounded individual with an incredibly bright future.

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  6Toko Koga (Feyenoord)

  Toko Koga already looked set for big things this time last year. After going to the Women's World Cup as a training player in 2023, she had already been called-up for Japan's senior team and secured a milestone move to Europe, joining Dutch side Feyenoord shortly after her 18th birthday. Yet, in that time since all of those significant achievements, she's racked up even more.

  Last summer, Koga was chosen to be part of Japan's squad for the Olympic Games and, despite her young age and relative inexperience, she started all but one game before the team's heart-breaking extra-time defeat to the United States, the eventual champions, in the quarter-finals. She was able to gain a modicum of revenge, however, in the recent SheBelieves Cup, as Koga netted the winning goal against the U.S. to secure the trophy for Japan.

  Going from strength to strength at club level while establishing herself as a key starter for country, it already feels like Feyenoord will only be able to keep hold of their talented centre-back for so long, before clubs battling for trophies and playing Champions League football come knocking.

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  5Lily Yohannes (Ajax)

  When Lily Yohannes announced in November that she would opt to play for the United States at international level, rather than the equally interested Netherlands, you could almost hear the sigh of relief from all those invested in the success of U.S. women's soccer. The midfielder exploded onto the scene during the 2023-24 season as a key player for Ajax, despite being just 16 years old, and thus began the sort of international tug-of-war that underlined just how hot a prospect Yohannes is. While she might be starring in the Netherlands for the time being when on club duty, Emma Hayes and co. will be hoping she can contribute towards another World Cup win for the U.S. in the years to come.

  An attack-minded player who has an abundance of natural skill, Yohannes is confident in her game and that makes her a real threat when she picks up the ball, as she backs herself to beat players, create chances and score goals. A surprisingly strong player given her age, no doubt owing to her exposure to boys' football in her youth and also the senior game in recent times, the 17-year-old is only going to get better as she continues to accumulate experience that thus far includes the Champions League and starts for the Olympic champions.

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  4Giulia Dragoni (Barcelona, loan at Roma)

  Barcelona have so much young talent to be excited about for the future, and Giulia Dragoni is prime among that next generation. Signed from Inter in January 2023, after becoming the youngest player in the professional history of Serie A Femminile, the midfielder would go to the World Cup that summer while still just 16 years old - and she'd start all three of Italy's games at the tournament, too.

  A dangerous attacking midfielder whose game is characterised by determined dribbling, a wicked strike from range and the ability to pair her intelligent scanning with defence-splitting passes, Dragoni is currently developing back in her home country, on loan at Roma, after understandably finding game time hard to come by in the Barcelona first-team last year. Still, given what she has been showing in Serie A and on the international stage in other colours, there is real belief that she can be a star in Catalunya, too.

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  3Sydney Schertenleib (Barcelona)

  Only a special talent can arrive at Barcelona from a foreign country and make a near immediate impact on the first-team. It's hard enough for senior players to do it, given how unique the style of play is at the club. For Sydney Schertenleib to have done so despite only celebrating her 18th birthday in January is a big indication of just how good she is.

  Signed from Grasshoppers in the summer of 2024, Schertenleib settled into the B team at first, but has started to force her way into Pere Romeu's plans now, with the Barca boss unable to ignore her qualities. Those are able to be showcased in a wide variety of positions, too, with the teenager capable of playing in various midfield roles, out on the wing or even as a central striker.

  A magician with the ball at her feet and a player who is developing brilliantly after being exposed to senior football from a young age in Zurich, Schertenleib could be the face of the Switzerland national team, for which she debuted on the senior stage over a year ago now, for a long time.

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  2Alara Sehitler (Bayern Munich)

  Despite being just 15 years old at the tournament, Alara Sehitler absolutely stole the show when Germany triumphed at the U17 Euros back in 2022. She was dominant in midfield, deadly over set-pieces and a real threat from range with her wicked left foot, which loves to produce some truly spectacular goals. It was no surprise, then, when Bayern Munich signed her up just a few months later.

  In the time since that statement summer, Sehitler's development has continued at a steady rate. She made her mark in Bayern's second team, has now started to produce game-changing moments with the first-team and has risen up through the national-team ranks to the point that she made her senior debut for Germany in November, just two days after her 18th birthday.

  Perhaps how far ahead Sehitler is of others her age is best demonstrated when she plays in those youth-team games. In February, she turned out for Germany's U23s and was by far and away the most impressive performer in a 3-2 win over England. She was also the youngest player on the pitch. We're talking about someone who is ready to impact games at the top level already, someone who looks set to be a true star of the women's game.

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  1Vicky Lopez (Barcelona)

  It's hard to find the right words to describe Vicky Lopez's talent. She is a delight, she plays with palpable joy and she delivers moments of the highest quality on a regular basis, all while playing for the reigning European champions, in Barcelona, and the reigning world champions, in Spain. For her to have established herself among those two sides already, at 18 years old, is an almost incomprehensible feat.

  However, that’s only the case on paper. Watch Lopez play football and it’s easy to see why she has been able to become such an important figure in both teams already, even if she is still so young. After all, she is remarkably good and, by all accounts, has the attitude and work ethic to match her talent.

  Incredible with both feet, capable of providing goals and assists that change games and with the footballing intelligence to perform to the highest level both in and out of possession, there is little doubt that she is on the right track to becoming one of the very best players in the world.