Top five best players at Men's Junior Hockey World Cup 2021

These athletes produced remarkable performances for their respective teams.

The recently concluded FIH Men's Junior Hockey World Cup 2021 was a thrilling affair from start to finish. Contested at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, a total of 16 teams fought for the ultimate crown. With a total of 327 goals scored in 48 games, the competition was truly one of a kind.

The Netherlands became the top scoring team with a scintillating 45 goals. India were deadly in the opposition half, penetrating the defence a record 175 times via circle entries. Moreover, the Indian Colts were at their defensive best as well, making a staggering 28 saves in the competition. These young players left no stone unturned to win their nation the coveted title.

As a result, today we do a countdown of some of the best international players at the Junior Hockey World Cup 2021. It is a recap of the performances of these young hockey stars, who commanded our attention and showed a lot of promise for the future:

5. Sanjay (India)

Chandigarh Hockey Academy product Sanjay was the star for India the Junior Hockey World Cup. In addition to scoring eight goals for the nation, he literally dominated proceedings on the turf. Every time Sanjay was on the pitch he was a treat to watch.

A penalty corner specialist, Sanjay is one of the hardest strikers of the ball. He used his power-packed flicks and ability to find corners to score goals. Sanjay was on a goalscoring spree in the tournament, which was laden with hat-tricks against France and Canada and a double against Poland. Already drawing comparisons to retired drag-flick legend Rupinder Pal Singh, Sanjay might just be the perfect successor.

4. Miles Bukkens (Netherlands)

One of the most surprising things this year was probably the Dutch team's early exit from the Junior Hockey World Cup. The Oranjes were knocked out at the quarterfinals by eventual champions Argentina. Despite that, they would find solace in the fact that their attacking game was on point.

Miles Bukkens contributed heavily to their attack. He scored 18 goals in the tournament to become the leading scorer of the Junior Hockey World Cup. Bukkens hit a total of 11 goals in the group stage against teams like Spain, South Korea and the USA. He then added seven more in the latter stages. He scored in every single match of the competition, contributing immensely to his team's success. Infact, it was his hat-trick against Belgium that helped the Dutch finish in the fifth spot.

3. Anton Brickman (Germany)

While Dutchman Miles Bukkens was poaching goals, German goalkeeper Anton Brinckman was saving them. Adjudged as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, Brinckman made some crucial saves to stop his side from conceding many goals. Some of his memorable saves included a penalty shot against Pakistan. Where, in spite of going the wrong way, Brinckman used his legs to deflect the ball away to safety.

Another one came against hosts India in the semi-finals which proved to be decisive. As Rahul Kumar Rajbhar came dangerously close to scoring in the 42nd minute, the confident Anton came off his line to close down the angle and thwart his chances. The goalkeeper was a pillar for his team and helped Germany win the silver medal.

2. Lautaro Domene (Argentina)

Probably one of the most underrated names on the list is that of Lautaro Domene. His performances must have stayed under the radar for many, but he was the player who paved the way for Argentina's success this year.

He scored at the most crucial times at the Junior Hockey World Cup. Domene opened his campaign with a brace against Egypt, but his stick remained silent in the remaining group stage fixtures. However, he defended well and supported his team in build-up play too.

The Argentine's goalscoring form changed in the final against Germany. He scored a hat-trick to give his side a 4-2 victory. This was Argentina's second title and Domene hit a total of five goals in the tournament.

1. Timothee Clement (France)

Finally, we look at the man who was without a doubt the player of the tournament. Timothee Clement undeniably led his team from the front. He managed to get the second-best result in the Junior Hockey World Cup for France by finishing in the third spot. Their last best result was also in India in 2013 in Delhi, when they finished runners up against Germany.

Clement also became the second-highest scorer of the tournament with 14 goals. He started the tournament by putting three past defending champions India. The French captain also scored all three goals for his team in the third-place playoff against the host nation. He hit hat-tricks against Canada in the group stage and Malaysia in the quarterfinals, while also grabbing a brace against Poland in the second match of the tournament.

It was a memorable tournament for Clement and he will look to continue is from for the senior team as well.

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