Under-17 World Cup 2023: Arsenal's record-breaking teenager, Argentina's 'next Messi' and 17 wonderkids to watch

Mexico qualified for the tournament after winning the CONCACAF U17 Championship in February, and Alvarez proved to be the star of the show as he picked up the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

The 17-year-old, who plays his club football for Pachuca, is a winger who plays predominantly off the left-hand side and uses his quick feet and change of pace to beat defenders before crossing for team-mates or cutting inside onto his favoured right foot.

Alvarez has already spent time at Feyenoord on trial, and further European clubs are sure to take notice if he can repeat his heroics from the continental championship on the global scale.

With Robert Lewandowski likely closing in on international retirement, Polish football is on the lookout for a new poster boy, and Borys has all the potential to fill that void over the next decade.

The 17-year-old midfielder is noted for his all-round game, though his dribbling ability and willingness to commit defenders with his close control is what sets him apart from his peers, while he scored three goals in Poland's run to the semi-finals of the U17 Euros that secured their World Cup qualification.

Having previously spent time on trial at Manchester United, Borys has also been linked with Manchester City and PSV after impressing in his handful of appearances for boyhood club Slock Wrocklaw, for whom he is their youngest-ever player.

Dubbed 'the next Youssoufa Moukoko' at Borussia Dortmund thanks to his outrageous goalscoring numbers for the club's youth teams, Brunner was voted Player of the Tournament and was the competition's joint-top scorer as Germany won the U17 Euros during the summer.

The 17-year-old forward has netted 10 times in eight league games for Dortmund's U19s so far this season, and has likened his own game to that of Leroy Sane's due to his tendency to bring the ball forward from deep to get into dangerous positions.

Barcelona are said to be tracking his progress, though there are some character concerns that need ironing out, with Brunner having recently been suspended by Dortmund following an unspecified incident that has meant he hasn't played since mid-October.

La Masia is not renowned for producing top-tier centre-backs, but in Pau Cubarsi, Barcelona look to have unearthed a defensive gem with the capabilities of becoming a mainstay at Camp Nou in the coming years.

Like many up-and-coming defenders, the 16-year-old is supremely comfortable when in possession, though it is his reading of the game at such a young age which really makes him stand out from his peers.

Cubarsi has already made Xavi's matchday squad on a number of occasions this season, including for El Clasico and in the Champions League, and was recently linked with Chelsea as the Blues look to continue sweeping up top talents from around the globe.

Set to captain Germany at the tournament, Darvich was the subject of a bidding war over the summer, as a host of top European clubs battled for his services. Barcelona eventually beat off competition from Arsenal, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich by agreeing a €5 million (£4.4m/$5.3m) deal with Freiburg for the midfielder.

Darvich, 17, has slotted straight into the Barca Atletic squad who play in the third tier of Spanish football, with the left-footer's classy style of play particularly suited to the style in which Rafa Marquez's young team look to play.

Expect to see him play in an advanced midfield role in Indonesia having scored twice for Germany in their triumphant U17 Euros campaign earlier this year.

One of the youngest players at the tournament, Diouf arrives having led Senegal to their first U17 Africa Cup of Nations title in May, with his five goals enough to win both the Golden Boot and surpass Osimhen's record for the most scored in a single tournament.

The 15-year-old striker has since gone onto debut for the senior national side after learning his trade at the famed Generation Foot academy that also trained the likes of Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr and Pape Matar Sarr in their respective youth careers.

The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Man City are all said to have shown an interest in signing Diouf, but he is instead set to follow in the footsteps of Mane and join French side Metz in the near future.

Argentina have high hopes for Echeverri, who will captain his country in Indonesia after finishing as joint-top scorer at the South American U17 Championship in May with five goals from his attacking midfield role.

Also capable of playing from the left-hand side, the 17-year-old has perhaps inevitably been likened to Lionel Messi, with the hype only having grown after some assured performances in his first senior appearances for River Plate.

Real Madrid are said to be sniffing around Echeverri, and playing a starring role over the next month will likely lead to more interest from around Europe.

The United States head into this competition more with hope than expectation, but if they are to make an impact on the tournament, then the goals of star striker Figueroa are likely to be key in them progressing.

The son of former Premier League, MLS and Honduras defender Maynor Figueroa, the 17-year-old has opted to represent the country where he spent the bulk of his early childhood, though he now resides in England having joined the Liverpool academy in 2018.

Figueroa has already caught the eye for the Reds' youth teams, and showed off his goalscoring capabilities by netting seven times in as many games as the U.S. reached the final of the recent CONCACAF U17 Championship.

When Spain reached the semi-finals of the U17 Euros six months ago, they did so off the back of the attacking brilliance of Lamine Yamal, who finished as the tournament's joint-top scorer. However, the Barcelona wonderkid has since outgrown age-group football, and is now breaking records on a weekly basis for both club and country.

The onus to fire Spain to glory in Indonesia, then, will fall on one of Yamal's club-mates, Guiu, who himself has already announced himself to the world by scoring a late winner for Barca with his first touch for Xavi's side against Athletic Club in October.

Though not a natural goalscorer, the 17-year-old too netted four times at the aforementioned U17 Euros, and Guiu is likely to be a handful for defenders to deal with when the tournament gets under way.

The Rennes academy is one of France's best for producing elite talents, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Eduardo Camavinga and Mathys Tel having emerged at the Ligue 1 outfit in recent years, and there is real hope that Lambourde can follow in their footsteps.

The 17-year-old's standout trait is his electric pace, making him a real handful for defenders regardless of whether he plays through the middle or off the right-hand side. He is also a clinical finisher, and netted 25 goals for Rennes' various youth sides in 2022-23.

That has led to Lambourde making his first two senior appearances in the early weeks of the current campaign, and France will be relying on him to lead them to the latter stages in Indonesia after playing a key role in them reaching the U17 Euros final earlier this year.

After winning the South American U17 Championship earlier this year, defending champions Brazil head to the World Cup as one of the favourites, and that is no small part due to the presence of Lorran in their squad.

The 17-year-old has emerged as one of the brightest midfield talents in world football, and has already become the youngest player to ever score for Flamengo after making his debut for the Brazilian giants back in January.

Capable of playing centrally or wide on the right, it was recently reported that Manchester United and Chelsea have sent scouts to watch Lorran in action, while a host of other Premier League clubs, as well as Real Madrid, have also been linked with potential transfers.

There is no doubting who the star of the 2023 U17 Asian Cup was, as Nawata scooped both the Best Player and Top Scorer awards on his way to leading Japan to the title with two goals in the final victory over South Korea.

The 17-year-old forward is still playing high-school football in his homeland, where he averages one goal or assist per game in 2023, but is being tipped for a big future following his performances for the national team.

A mean free-kick taker and long-range shooter, Nawata also likes to play off the shoulder of the last defender and steal in for goalscoring opportunities, making him tough to deal with.

Nwaneri made headlines back in September 2022 when, at the age of 15, he became the youngest player in Premier League history after coming off the bench for Arsenal against Brentford. And though that remains his only first-team appearance to date, he remains one of England's brightest talents.

Now 16, the forward has scored four goals in as many games for the Gunners' U21s in Premier League 2 so far this season, and also helped fire the club to the FA Youth Cup final last season under the management of Jack Wilshere.

Arsenal had to fight hard to keep Nwaneri amid intense competition from Manchester City and Chelsea over the summer, and England will look to him to provide the goals as they aim to win the U17 World Cup for the first time since Foden & Co. in 2017.

Ecuador's runners-up finish at the South American U17 Championship was headlined by the performances of Chelsea-bound wonderkid Kendry Paez, but with him having gone on to both play and score for the full national side, eyes will be on Obando to lead from the front in Indonesia.

The 17-year-old striker scored three goals at the aforementioned continental tournament, and has been heavily linked with Manchester City, as well as with Borussia Dortmund, having broken through at club side Barcelona de Guayaquil.

An out-and-out No.9 with impressive finishing abilities, expect more European interest in Obando if he can add to his burgeoning reputation at the World Cup.

For those who read football's gossip columns regularly, Ouedraogo's name will not be unfamiliar, with the midfielder seemingly wanted by all of Europe's biggest clubs. Liverpool, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter are among those to have been linked with a player who is making quite the impact for Schalke.

The 17-year-old midfielder has this season become the German side's youngest player and youngest goalscorer - breaking Julian Draxler's record for the latter - as he begins to establish himself in the professional game in Bundesliga 2.

Likened to Michael Essien for his ability to drive with the ball from deep, Ouedraogo currently has a €20m (£17.4m/$21.3m) release clause, but Schalke might be hoping that impressive showings in Indonesia can drive the price up even further.

Having already captained his country at youth level, Rigg heads to Indonesia as England's most experienced players in terms of senior club appearances having played 10 times for Sunderland since debuting in January 2023.

The 16-year-old, all-action midfielder has already broken plenty of records since breaking into the Black Cats' first-team squad, including becoming the club's youngest-ever goalscorer, and the youngest player to ever find the net in the Carabao Cup.

Manchester United and Newcastle have both shown plenty of interest in signing Rigg, and it seems only a matter of time before he becomes a Premier League star.

Of all the players who will be in action in Indonesia over the next month, perhaps the most pre-tournament hype surrounds Estevao, who has been dubbed 'Messinho' in his native Brazil, such is his level of talent.

The 16-year-old forward is expected to follow Palmeiras team-mate Endrick in signing a huge deal to move to Europe in the near future, and it seems that Barcelona are at the front of the queue after Estevao recently admitted that he would jump at the chance to represent the Blaugrana.

Arsenal and PSG have also previously shown an interest in signing a player who can operate anywhere across the forward line, and if Brazil do go far in this tournament, there's a real chance that it will be Estevao who is leading them there.