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An exciting generation of midfield talent has emerged in European football in recent seasons, with Europes top leagues having witnessed some brilliant breakthroughs.

Midfield is often called the engine room of a side and with good reason, with those at the heart of the side required to create and enforce in equal measure, providing box-to-box influence on their teams.

As the old generation begins to make way for the new, weve picked out nine starlets who could define the next decade.

Pedri might not have been schooled in Barcelonas La Masia system, but there has rarely been a footballer as suited to the demands of the Spanish giants. Since arriving from Las Palmas as a teenager, Pedri has become an integral player for club and country.

His understanding of the game, technical talent and willingness to receive the ball in tight areas make Pedri the perfect profile for Xavis midfield, with his effortless ease in possession and ability to manoeuvre past opposition challenges having drawn comparisons to Andres Iniesta.

Still just 20, he has made more than a century of appearances for Barcelona across the last three seasons, a period which has seen the midfielder claim the Golden Boy, Kopa Trophy and feature in the Olympics, World Cup and European Championship for the Spain national team.

This season he has begun to add goals to his game, with six in La Liga matching his total from the past two seasons combined. At home in an advanced number eight role, his consistent ability to find space and unerring accuracy of pass has made Pedri the standout star of Spains next generation. A gem of a footballer, he will be the centrepiece of Barcelonas rebuild.

Barcelonas breathtaking side that dominated Spanish and European football between 2005-2015 was built on the brilliance of Lionel Messi and an iconic midfield pairing of Xavi and Andres Iniesta. The latter duo dovetailed in sublime fashion as Barcelona monopolised possession, a scenario the Catalans will hope can repeat after Gavis emergence.

Gavi and Pedri are the great hopes of the new era at Camp Nou, a pair of prospects already mixing it at the elite level. Gavi broke into the side last season and has already amassed quite the list of achievements, becoming Spains youngest debutant and goalscorer and the youngest player to score at a World Cup since Pele.

He won the Golden Boy and Kopa Trophy in 2022, emerging as one of Europes most exciting talents with his intelligence, close control and change of acceleration. Gavis best position is perhaps unclear, a testament to his wide-ranging attributes which could allow him to settle in several midfield roles.

Europes wealthiest sides remain on red-alert as Barcelona dispute a registration issue involving the midfielder, after a court ruling ordered that his new contract replacing his youth deal was to be revoked as it would exceed Barcelonas salary limit. Should the issue not be resolved, he would be available on a free transfer this summer.

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Real Madrids faith in Aurelien Tchouamni saw the club allow Casemiro to leave the club last summer, after the Spanish giants beat Liverpool in the race to sign the highly-rated midfielder.

Tchouamni had made a major impression across two seasons at Monaco, emerging as an elite ball-winner at the Ligue 1 side to earn inclusion in the divisional Team of the Season in consecutive campaigns. Last season the 23-year-old more tackles and interceptions combined (170) than any other player in Europes top 5 leagues, form which persuaded Real Madrid to sign the Frenchman in an 80m deal.

Tchouamni has filled the void left by Casemiros departure, replacing the five-time Champions League winner at the base of the midfield. Combative out of possession and quick across the ground, he has provided the perfect safety blanket in Carlo Ancelottis midfield. Already owner of 21 caps for France, he appears the natural successor to NGolo Kante with the national team.

Enzo Fernandez has had a meteoric rise this season, with the midfielder having gone from exciting prospect to World Cup winner and the Premier Leagues most expensive footballer within six months.

Fernandez signed for Benfica last summer after a promising emergence at River Plate, but was catapulted into the consciousness of the casual fan following his exploits in Qatar. The 22-year-old was named as the World Cups Best Young Player after a string of impressive performances in Argentinas triumphant tournament.

Those displays in the Middle East sparked predictable transfer interest, with Chelsea breaking the bank to land the midfielder in January. The west Londoners activated Fernandezs 106.1m release clause at Benfica, a deal which set a new British record.

Fernandez has already demonstrated the attributes which made him so sought after, with his ability to regain and use the ball effectively on show during his opening outings at Stamford Bridge. He looks set to be Chelseas conduit in midfield as Graham Potter seeks to mould his expensively assembled squad.

Eduardo Camavinga appears to be coming of age at Real Madrid this season. After a frustrating start to the campaign which saw Premier League clubs make ambitious enquiries into his availability, the 20-year-old has started 18 of 20 games for the Spanish champions since the new year.

Camavinga has underlined his status as one of Europes top young midfielders in 2023, producing performances of maturity in the Madrid midfield. He was exceptional during the clubs 1-0 win over Liverpool in the Champions Leagues last 16, as he won four duels, made nine ball recoveries and completed ten passes into the final third.

The France international performs with an old head on young shoulders, rarely ruffled when under pressure and able to control the tempo of games. This season has even seen Camavinga used at left-back for club and country, with each of Carlo Ancelotti and Didier Deschamps having valued his dynamism and comfortability coming inside from full-back. Given the increasing popularity of inverted full-backs, it could be an option seen more often moving forward.

It is the centre of the pitch where Camavinga is most at home however, providing high-energy and determined defensive work to support ageing greats Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Replacing the clubs iconic centre represents a challenge, but the future of Reals engine room appears in safe hands.

Jude Bellingham is the name on everyones lips right now, as the midfielder prepares to spark an almighty scramble for his services this summer.

Not a day goes by without the front runner to sign Bellingham appearing to change, with the midfielders future either undecided or a close-kept secret despite the expectation he will leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season.

Bellingham has evolved into a complete midfield talent, with Real Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool all chasing a deal for a teenager who will cost in excess of 100m.

Bellingham has starred during Dortmunds title challenge this season and ranks among the Bundesliga leaders for progressive passes (2nd), take-ons completed (2nd), passes into the final third (3rd), shot-creating actions (6th), tackles (5th) and progressive carries (6th).

It is a versatile skillset that has Europes elite battling hard to secure his signature, with the successful suitor set to land a talent who can be moulded into an elite and complete midfielder.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi revealed earlier this year that he dreams of producing a team that fields only Parisian players. Kylian Mbappe is the current headliner in those plans, but Warren Zare-Emery appears the next Parisian product set for a major role.

Zare-Emery impressed Christophe Galtier in pre-season and the midfielder was handed his debut, aged just 16, in August. The teenager became the youngest debutant in PSG history and has since established himself in the senior side, breaking a number of records along the way.

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The youngest goalscorer in club history after netting his first senior goal against Montpellier last month, he then became the youngest player to start a Champions League knockout game as PSG lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

Zare-Emery has made 21 appearances in all competitions this season and the 17-year-olds breakthrough at one of Europes top clubs has been impressive. Already producing performances of maturity in midfield, he will hope to cement a permanent place in PSGs engine room as the home-grown heartbeat of the side.

Is Jamal Musiala the most exciting midfield talent in world football?

Its been a phenomenal season from the Bayern Munich midfielder, who has been in sublime form for the Bundesliga champions.

Musiala has turned talent into tangible output this season to emerge as one of the most productive players in Europe, having provided 19 goal contributions in 20 league starts.

The 20-year-old is an enthralling watch with his adhesive close control and ability to skip through defensive challenges with ease, a brand of dribbling which has earned the German international comparisons with Lionel Messi.

His quickness of mind and feet have made Musiala a must-watch this season.

Xavi Simons has long been backed for a big future in the game, but after a false start the midfielder is beginning to fulfil his early potential.

Simons came through the academy system at Barcelona and was hailed as one of La Masias most exciting talents, before a move to Paris Saint-Germain failed to provide the first-team breakthrough hoped. He signed for PSV Eindhoven last summer and has since thrived, forming part of Ruud van Nistelrooys exciting young side.

The 19-year-old has scored 15 goals and provided a further seven assists for PSV this season, operating in a number of advanced roles. He earned inclusion in the Netherlands squad for the World Cup in Qatar and made his debut in the round of 16 win over the USA.

Simons has averaged a goal or assist every 113 minutes in the Eredivisie this season, a return which has seen Europes top clubs renew their interest. Paris Saint-Germain, sensibly, included a buy-back clause in the deal that took the teenager to the Netherlands last summer.

Read Six Premier League players to watch during the international break

Read Also Midfield Magicians: A bona fide winner who simply oozed class, Clarence Seedorf

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Nine young midfielders that could dominate the game for the next ... - The Football Faithful

Erling Haaland first came into the limelight when he scored nine goals for Norway in a match against Honduras. This was in 2019 at the FIFA U20 World Cup, and it showed that he was going to be a special player.

Haaland has since featured for RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City, where he has continued to grab headlines. His goalscoring feats for club and country have made him one of the best strikers in world football.

Still only in his debut season at City, Erling Haaland is on course to break the record for most goals by a Premier League player in a season. Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Mohamed Salah currently hold the record with 44 goals, while Haaland has 42 goals with quite some time still left in the campaign.

While that is still in the offing, this article will focus on the records that the Norwegian striker has already broken.

Without further ado, here are five impressive records Erling Haaland has in his possession.

Erling Haaland arrived in the Premier League with a huge reputation after his success in Germany. The striker wasted no time in announcing himself to the league as he scored for fun from his first day in England.

Haaland had Manchester City in his blood through his dad Alf-Inge Haaland, so it was no surprise that he felt at home immediately. He broke the record for most goals at home in a single Premier League season when he scored a hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers to take his tally to 18 at home.

It took him only 11 games to reach this tally!

Haaland claimed the record from Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero, who was its previous holder with 16 goals. The Norwegian star, however, is yet to score any more league goals at the Etihad Stadium since that match against Wolves back in January.

Erling Haaland started his UEFA Champions League career with a bang, scoring goals for fun in the competition. He only needed 14 games to score 20 goals in the Champions League, becoming the fastest player to reach the tally.

Haaland was 20 years and 231 days old when he scored a brace against Sevilla in March 2021 to take his tally in the competition to 20 goals. He broke the record previously held by Kylian Mbappe, who was 21 years and 355 days old when he scored his 20th Champions League goal.

Erling Haaland scored his first goal in the competition on his debut for RB Salzburg against KRC Genk in 2019. He ended up scoring six times for the Austrian club in that group stage before moving to Borussia Dortmund.

While at the German club, he became the first player to score braces in four consecutive games in the competition. This came after he scored doubles against Club Brugge twice and Sevilla twice in succession.

Scoring five goals in a match is no mean feat in football. However, doing so in a UEFA Champions League game is one of the most difficult feats in the game. So far, only three players have achieved this feat, and Erling Haaland is one of them.

Haaland netted five times for Manchester City as they obliterated RB Leipzig in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second-leg clash earlier this month. The striker needed only 57 minutes to score five goals against the German outfit.

This helped him beat the record of 82 minutes previously held by Luiz Adriano, who scored five for Shakhtar Donetsk against BATE Borisov in 2014.

The only other player in Champions League history to have scored five times in a single game is Lionel Messi. La Pulga found the back of the net on five occasions against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012.

Messi and Haaland are notably the only players to score five goals in a Champions League knockout game.

Haaland broke another record as he scored a brace against Leeds United in December 2022, taking his tally for the season to 20 goals. This meant that he broke the record for being the quickest player to reach 20 goals in the competition.

Haaland needed only 14 appearances in the Premier League to score 20 goals. His explosive start to life in England saw him easily beat the previous record by seven games. Kevin Phillips had scored 20 goals in 21 appearances in the league and held the record previously.

Erling Haaland has been scoring for fun since arriving in England, and he does not look like stopping soon. He has added to his tally and now has 28 goals in the league for the Citizens with 11 matches still to play.

An absolute machine and relentless worker, Erling Haaland has written his name in Manchester City folklore despite being only 22 and in his first season. The Norwegian striker holds the record for the most goals scored by a City player in a season.

Haaland has scored 42 times this season with 28 of those coming in the league. He has netted 10 goals in the UEFA Champions League and four in the domestic cups.

By scoring against RB Leipzig earlier this month, the Norwegian broke the long-standing record of 38 goals set by Tommy Johnson in 1929.

Erling Haaland is likely to score more goals and create an indelible record that may never be matched in the future. He still has 11 more matches in the Premier League, while Manchester City have also qualified for the semifinals of the FA Cup and the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

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5 impressive records held by Erling Haaland - Sportskeeda

The 35-year-old Benzema has been hampered by niggling injuries at times this season.

According to AS, Los Blancos have set their sights on Haaland, the Norwegian international who currently plays for Manchester City.

Haaland has been in exceptional form this season, scoring 28 goals and providing five assists in 26 Premier League games.

He also equalled Lionel Messi's freak record of scoring five goals in a single UEFA Champions League knockout game, before being taken off by Pep Guardiola in the 7-0 win over RB Leipzig.

So far, Haaland has scored 42 goals in the 37 games he has played for City.

Real came close to signing Gabriel Jesus last summer, but the move fell apart due to the limitation on the number of non-EU players allowed. Now, they are looking to sign Haaland in 2024 after losing out to Manchester City last year. There were reports doing the rounds that Haaland had a release clause which would become active in 2024. However, it has been claimed that the clause was linked with Pep Guardiola's future at City and since he renewed until 2025, Haaland's exit clause is no longer applicable. Despite these claims, Real Madrid are not worried and plan to move for Haaland next year. The Premier League top scorer's signing in 2024 will be independent of what happens with the club's interest in Kylian Mbappe. Real are not ruling out the possibility of bringing Haaland, Mbappe, and Vinicius together in 2024.

READ MORE:Euro 2024 qualifier tips: France vs Netherlands - Kylian Mbappe leads French new wave

The La Liga giants are looking to establish a new order with players like Toni Kroos (33), Eden Hazard (32), Luka Modric (37), and Benzema likely to step away after next season.

The article Real Madrid aiming to sign Manchester City striker Erling Haaland in 2024 report appeared first on Planetsport.com.

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Real Madrid aiming to sign Manchester City striker Erling Haaland in 2024 - report - Yahoo Eurosport UK

Roberto Mancini's Italy side start their qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 against the side they ended the last European Championships against as England visit Naples.

The Azzurri defeated the Three Lions on penalties at Wembley in July 2021 to win their second European Championship trophy but failed to qualify for the last World Cup with North Macedonia knocking them out in a play-off inPalermo.

They are well known for their 4-3-3 playing style, but Mancini was quick to suggest that certain formation may not be the way they go in the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Thursday.

He said "We have played in a different formation in our recent Nations League matches so we could mix things up. Of course, within the 4-3-3 that is where we feel the most comfortable, especially when it comes to playing an attacking brand of football however that doesnt necessarily mean well play 4-3-3 on Thursday"

Italy vs England is becoming a recurring theme in international matches, especially with the Nations League pitting them together in the last round of fixtures - a season that saw Italy win their group and England relegated to League B.

Il Mister spoke about playing the Three Lions, saying "Its become a bit of a classic now - Italy vs England. This is the fourth time weve come up against them in two years, I think England are one of the best sides in the world."

He touched on the pool of players that Gareth Southgate can choose from, adding "Theyve got an extraordinary group of players available for selection, theyve always been very unlucky and I think it will be a very tough match. Well try and play our own game because we want to start our campaign well - it wont be easy but the same goes for both sides.

Thursday night's game will be the first Italian national team game played since the death of their Head CoachGianluca Vialli. The president of the FIGC confirmed that for the game in Naples, the home team's players would be wearing a message on their shirts for the former Chelsea man who racked up nearly 90 appearances for the Blues.

Mancini admitted "Its very emotional, obviously. Its the first time weve played a game since his passing. We were very fortunate to have him as a team mate and also to have worked alongside him, you were lucky enough to have him in London and hed almost become an honorary Londoner so youll have seen what hes all about. It is with great sadness, but people like him will always be close to us, they are immortal and he will always be with us."

Mancini and Vialli had a very strong relationship, dating back to their days in a strike partnership at Sampdoria. He died in London in January 2023 at the age of 58.

Eyebrows have been raised at the inclusion of 23 year old striker Mateo Retegui into the Azzurri selection. The attackerwas born and has been raised in Argentina but qualified for Mancini's team due to his grandfather being from Sicily.

Currently on loan at Tigre from Boca Juniors, Retegui has scored 29 goals in 50 league appearances for the Buenos Aires outfit, therefore earning his call up to the Italian side.

When asked about his playing style, Mancini confirmed "Hes a traditional classic centre forward... I remember when Gabriel Batistuta came to Italy - this guy is very young, he still needs to get used to his teammates, its not easy but as I said hes got a good head on his shoulders and I dont think that it will take him too long (to get used to the group)"

Speaking about the failure of the Italian side when it comes to recent World Cups, Mancini admitted that the current stature of the Italian game "comes down to us, we need to try and use what weve done in the past, we need to go back to playing very well out there on the pitch, entertain people and win matches. I think thats absolutely crucial to be once again what we were in the past Euro 2020, maybe something has changed in the intervening period but that doesnt mean we cant achieve what we have done in the past"

Italy have failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, and despite winning the recent European Championship, Italy have not played a knockout game at a World Cup since they last won it in 2006.

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Mancini willing to "mix things up" against England - VAVEL.com

For many, Grace Harris going at 75 lakh in the auction was a major steal by UP Warriorz. The Australian all-rounder has established herself as arguably the most powerful hitter in the game, as was evident in her sensational 59 not out off 26 balls in UPWs first win of the Womens Premier League (WPL) against Gujarat Giants.

Meg Lanning finished as the leading run-scorer at the end of the league stage with 310 runs in eight innings. Despite playing half the number of innings, Harris returned with 216 runs at a strike-rate of 170.08.

The 29-year-old played a major role in UPWs run to the playoffs and is determined to deliver another strong performance when her team faces Mumbai Indians in the eliminator at the DY Patil Stadium on Friday. Excerpts from an interview with Harris:

Youre one of the best ball-strikers in the womens game. How do you train for power hitting?

The first step to power hitting is that you have to have a good base. Your footwork is not necessarily important, but you have to have access to the ball and be still. You have to be able to power-hit from a still base. Its a bit like baseball. If you watch them, they anchor their feet and power-hit with their hips. So, batting is pretty similar to that, except your bat could end up on a different line based on where the ball has pitched. Other than that, its just about a clean bat swing. Often, players get it wrong when they try to over-swing you try to hit the ball 100 metres instead of just 60. So, in my head its about 90 percent swing and if you make good, clean contact with a still base and eyes on the ball, more often than not it goes for six. These are the three key things for me to hit sixes.

In training, I start by hitting a bulk number of balls just on one line and length, and then change. And once Ive hit a heap of balls from those lines and lengths, I get a thrower in and hit random balls. Your instincts take over at that point and you know how to do it.

Have you been specifically assigned the role of finisher in the UPW Warriorz team?

I try to take one innings and ball at a time. Our coach Jon Lewis tries to ensure were playing to our strengths at all times. Wherever I line up, I just try to figure out the match situation Im in, the bowlers that are left, who I can potentially target, and which end I can target if theres a short boundary and Im not quite set but can get away with a little bit. And then its about working with your partner at the other end and being flexible. I mean at the end of the day its just cricket, right?

Your thoughts on the performance of Indias domestic players in the WPL?

Im actually still surprised by the depth in Indian cricket. There are a number of great players, the ones in our team are quite young so I can understand why they are still uncapped. Theyre either very young or still relatively new to cricket even if they are a bit older in age. Ive learned that they havent been playing cricket for too long, and it takes time to know your own game and understand it. So, I wouldnt be surprised if some of the players in our team earn India caps in the coming years. Im thoroughly impressed by the domestic players. I know they arent in the lists of top performers, but thats irrelevant really for the first season. Internationals dominated the first season of the WBBL too. So, its not shocking. In a couple of seasons, there will be domestic players running wild in the top performers lists. Im looking forward to seeing that. Its what the WPL is all about really.

Australia are undoubtedly the strongest team in the womens game and their players have had a big say this season. Several players have had to deal with more losses than they are perhaps used to. How has the experience been?

Overall, its been quite positive. I dont think any Australian player went into the tournament thinking they were going to win every game. Youre in a domestic team competition, after all, and know that even if youre the one player who can change the game, you still need the others to perform to win the competition. So, I think theyve just been trying to embrace the whole experience, its mainly about developing world cricket and Indian domestic talent. Its about helping the youngsters in whatever way possible and passing on the knowledge.

Is there a sense of competition among the Aussies?

Im not going to lie. The Aussies definitely want to win games and stand up for their franchises. There is competition around. You keep an eye on who has made the final, who hasnt, whos scoring more runs and taking wickets. You always want to beat the Australians in the other team that youre coming up against (laughs). Its all healthy competition though, and theres no animosity between any of us. Were just enjoying the experience.

How do you look at the eliminator against Mumbai Indians?

Theyre very competitive and will put up a strong fight. We may have beaten them in the league stage but that doesnt matter anymore. Mumbai Indians have world-class players and a great domestic list as well. Harmanpreet Kaur loves a good knockout game, doesnt she? She always stands up in these big games. So, it might be a battle between her and Alyssa Healy, who is also a big-game player. Itll be great to beat Mumbai in Mumbai again. Wed love to have more UP Warriorz support in the stands, but you know what, well take it however it comes and just roll with it.

In Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Parshavi Chopra and yourself, UPW have a strong spin attack. Your thoughts?

Our spinners have been outstanding throughout the tournament. Parshavi has been absolutely amazing and has probably been one of the bigger revelations for us. She bowled the 19th over to a set Ash Gardner and delivered very well. So, I think our spinners can take a lot of confidence into games. When we are bowling our lines and lengths, we know that world-class players are going to struggle because there are going to be good balls. So yeah, credit to our spinners its made batting a lot easier for me.

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Im thoroughly impressed by Indias domestic players: Grace Harris - Hindustan Times