Top seven U21 players with most goal contributions in 2022-23 season

The youngsters with the biggest impact in the 2022-23 season

The 2022-23 European club football season has been a captivating showcase of young talent making waves on the global stage. Among the standout performers, a group of remarkable U21 players have caught the attention with their exceptional ability to not only find the back of the net but also contribute to their team's attack through assists and goal involvement.

These rising phenoms have brought fresh energy and creativity to the game, leaving fans in awe of their remarkable skill sets. In this article, we look into the performances of the top seven U21 players who have made the biggest impact with their goal contributions, highlighting their extraordinary talent and the significant role they play in shaping their team's success.

Here are the top seven U21 players with the most goal contributions in 2022-23 season:

7. Rasmus Hojlund

What stands out with Højlund is that at a young age, he shows astute movement and remarkable athletic traits that will allow him to consistently have high-quality goal-scoring opportunities. The physical attributes are, of course, impossible to coach.

Højlund’s athletic ability already puts him ahead of many other young prospects in terms of his ceiling, and not even his athletic ability but his confidence to make assists and score goals has been eye-catchy this season, he has a total of 11 goal involvements in 2022-23 Serie A season, scoring 9 goals and assisting 2 goals for the Italian side, Atlanta.

6. Jude Bellingham

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham was named the Bundesliga player of the season. The England international turned in perhaps his best single season with Dortmund during his final season in the Bundesliga, he scored eight times and assisted four times this season. With four assists, he had the sixth-most in his team along with Marco Reus.

On the whole, Bellingham created 34 chances and shot 67 times while making 76 tackles. He will likely begin to replace the aging Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, partnering with Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga in a new-look Madrid midfield three.

5. Dango Ouattara

Dango Ouattara plays for English Premier League club Bournemouth. Dango Ouattara joined Bournemouth on 19 Jan 2023 from French Ligue 1 team Lorient. He spent two seasons at the French club, the Burkina Faso international is considered a hero in his country.

He wears number 11 at the English club, the current 21-year-old helped Bournemouth survive the relegation battle this season. He scored the last-minute winner against Spurs this season, as the number 11 suggests, he is a perfect player for that number as he can score and assist. In the 1,732 minutes that he played this season, he has total 12 goal contributions, the same amount of goal involvements Jude Bellingham had for Dortmund.

4. Gabri Veiga

Gabri Veiga, tipped to be the next young star of Spanish football, has a long list of skills and abilities, but if one thing sticks out about this supremely confident 21-year-old then it’s his ability to strike a ball. Veiga scored the two crucial goals on the final day of the season to see Celta Vigo beat champions Barcelona and secure their top-flight status.

Nobody scored more goals from midfield in LaLiga this season. Veiga had 13 goal involvements this season, after performing well in the LaLiga, he has attracted top European clubs. Real Madrid, Liverpool are amongst the top clubs looking to sign the youngster.

3. Bradley Barcola

Bradley Barcola is a French-Togolese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Lyon. He made his professional debut for Lyon in 2021, where he was a part of the Europa League squad, he managed to deliver an assist for Toko Ekambi for Lyon's third goal, helping his side qualify for the Round of 16. Since then he has been showing his talent, he had 13 goal involvements this season as well.

On 7 May 2023, he assisted three goals for Lyon and Lacazette for a comeback win against Montepllier in a nine-goal thriller, canceling out four goals scored by opponent striker Elye Wahi, somebody with amazing talent and goal scoring instinct.

2. Jamal Musiala

Bayern Munich prodigy is a perfect example of a player who was touted to become a star from young age and then went on to fulfill his talent. Since his joining, he has been an integral part of the Bayern Munich and the club relies on the youngster to produce season, match changing moments.

On the final day, where Dortmund had to win in order to put their hands on the trophy, that day Musiala scored the winning goal to take the tittle away from their arch rivals Dortmund. He is a talent who enchants world stars and world-class coaches, he has made an exciting journey from Germany to England and back again.

1. Elye Wahi

Montpellier president Louis Nicollin has confirmed Arsenal are keen on the centre-forward. It is obvious that the attack is not an easy position, and for him to already have this capacity to be as effective and as impactful in a Ligue 1 team is impressive. He was a goal machine this season for Montpellier, Wahi scored his first goal for Montpellier in a 3–2 loss to Monaco on 15 January 2021. In doing so, he became the club's second-youngest-ever goal scorer at the age of 18 years and 13 days.

After extending his contract in 2022, he scored his 20th career Ligue 1 goal, he became the second teenager after Kylian Mbappe to reach this milestone in the previous forty years. After ending this season with 5-4 away defeat to Lyon, he scored all the 4 goals, ending this season with 24 goal involvements in 2,530 minutes played.