COPA AMÉRICA 2024
Top young players to follow at the Copa América 2024
The most important international competition on the continent will once again deploy some of its future figures. Many of them making their way to Europe.
The Copa América has raised the curtain in the United States for the second edition of the tournament to be played in the North American country. With the same dreams and a shared objective, the 16 participating countries - 10 from CONMEBOL and 6 from CONCACAF - will try to play their way to the Miami final.
Apart from the collective achievement of winning the tournament, another aspect of this intriguing competition that will capture the attention of the fans and scouts will be getting to unearth the stars of tomorrow from each team. We take a look...
Alejandro Garnacho (Argentina)
The attacker, born in Spain, will have his first experience in a major international tournament in the United States. In a season at Manchester United that has served as a launch pad - he will turn 20 during the Copa América - his level of participation with Argentina is unknown.
However, Lionel Scaloni may have a very valuable option in the Spanish-Argentine if he needs a way to open the game. The player has already shown what he can do in England and has been able to settle on both wings to play in attack; with his age he may have a great opportunity to make an impact.
Endrick (Brazil)
Without counting qualifiers, the Copa América will be Endrick’s first major tournament with his country. It will also be the final moment on the pitch before putting on the Real Madrid shirt, where the demands are raised to the maximum. As for the Brazilian national team, however, he could not have had a more fortuitous arrival.
At only 17-years-old, he has already scored against big teams, and has shown Dorival Júnior that he is ready for any situation that games require. The goal is engraved on his boots, as is the ability to be differential in moments. With the ‘9′ on his back, the Canarinha are already looking forward to a striker who can play - and score - for many years.
Kendry Páez (Ecuador)
Ecuador arrive with certain doubts but the young generation of La Tri is a huge reason to trust in the campaign they can have. Among them, Kendry Páez is the great talent that can trigger things in the Copa América.
With a delightful left foot and a fantastic ability to create danger in the final third, he is another of the South American youngsters who, at only 17, has managed to have a huge impact on the continent. His performances with Independiente del Valle did not go unnoticed and Chelsea quickly acquired him so as not to lose out on who could be the next great Ecuadorian talent.
Julio Enciso (Paraguay)
He has not had the best season of his career, and injuries since arriving in England have hit him hard. For Enciso, this Copa América can serve as a safe passage to recover the joy of being a footballer and show everyone the talent that had him being labelled as one of South America’s top talents.
The Paraguayan player is still only 20, and in some ways he is one of the biggest names in a team that has little to lose and a lot to gain in the United States. He will be one of the footballers asked to carry the weight of the game to turn his side into a surprise package.
Jhon Duran (Colombia)
Ecuador has a sense of hope ahead of the competition and among the big names there are also promising players like Jhon Duran. He is a player who, in his first contact with Europe, has not left anyone disappointed. At Aston Villa he has not played many minutes, but on the field he has always left something positive to offer up front... just take a look at those goals!
He is a footballer with a strong ability when his back is to the goal, but also a top talent with the ball at his feet and deadly in front of goal. At 20-years-old, he continues to be at the centre of speculation about going to bigger clubs. Now, it is his turn to have his sights set on the United States as a possible springboard.
Santiago Giménez (Mexico)
With a feeling for the back of the net running through his blood, Santi Giménez has already shown in Europe that he knows where to put the ball.
At Feyenoord he has made the fans celebrate in the Eredivisie, and at the age of 22 he has been labelled as one of the star names for El Tri during a Copa América in which the team are expected to move away from the previous poor results. At international level, however, he has not yet been able to fully recreate that deadly feeling that he has shown at the club level, meaning now may well be his prime opportunity.
Folarin Balogun (United States)
In the Arsenal youth team he positioned himself as one of the big names of the future; in France, he broke into the football spotlight of Europe. Balogun chose to play for the United States instead of England in what was a significant step in his career.
Leaving his career in England to settle in France, at the age of 22 he arrives at this Copa América without having played his best season. However, it is a great opportunity to shine alongside an American generation which has high expectations at home.
Facundo Pellistri (Uruguay)
With question marks ripe at the club level, Pellistri’s career is at a crucial moment for his development and get an opportunity to have stability at a club. The Uruguayan starlet, under Marcelo Bielsa, has been a near permanent fixture as a winger in the Uruguayan side. The truth is that, despite often not having the minutes that his career required, he has always responded with his country in the best possible way.
This Copa América could well mark a new path in the future for the attacker, who at 22-years-old still has a great opportunity to find a place in an incredibly exciting Uruguayan generation of players.
The Copa América began with Argentina getting a 2-0 win over Canada and continues until mid-July. Held in the United States, it will undoubtedly serve up some fascinating moments of football, which can be followed with AS USA.