In this post, I will be sharing with you the best young strikers in the world of football in 2024. These players have been hitting the ground in Europe and for their teams. However, you will learn about their:
- Their age
- Their current team
Let’s have fun. Do well to note that this is done in no particular order but just a list.
1. Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak, born on September 21, 1999, is a Swedish professional footballer known for his role as a forward.
He is currently playing for Premier League club Newcastle United as well as the Sweden national team.
Isak began his professional career in 2016 with AIK. He later went on to represent Borussia Dortmund and Willem II before joining Real Sociedad in 2019.
As a full Swedish international since 2017, he has accumulated over 30 caps for his country and participated in UEFA Euro 2020. He is the youngest-ever goalscorer for both AIK and the Swedish national team.
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2. Moise Kean
Bioty Moise Kean, born on February 28, 2000, is an Italian professional footballer renowned for his position as a forward.
Currently, he plays for Serie A club Juventus and represents the Italy national team. Kean embarked on his career with Juventus in 2016, achieving a domestic double (league and cup) in his debut season.
After a loan spell at Hellas Verona, he returned to Juventus and secured another Serie A title in 2019.
In the same year, Kean moved to English club Everton, where he was then loaned to Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 and Juventus again in 2021.
In terms of his international career, Kean made his senior debut for Italy in 2018 and holds the distinction of being the third-youngest goalscorer for Italy in a competitive match.
3. Youssoufa Moukoko
Youssoufa Moukoko, born on November 20, 2004, is a German professional footballer who plays as a striker for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and the German national team.
He is widely recognized for his exceptional scoring abilities at a young age. Moukoko began his career at FC St. Pauli’s under-13 team, showcasing his talent as a striker.
In July 2016, he joined Borussia Dortmund’s youth academy, where he made history by playing in the Under 17 Bundesliga as a 13-year-old.
At the age of 14, he moved up to the under-19 team, setting records in the UEFA Youth League as the youngest player and goalscorer.
Moukoko made his debut for Dortmund’s senior team in 2020 at just 16 years old, becoming the youngest player in Bundesliga history. He continued to break records, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history as well.
Moukoko has also represented Germany at various youth levels and made his debut for the senior national team in 2022, becoming the youngest debutant since 1954.
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4. Darwin Núñez
Darwin Gabriel Núñez Ribeiro, born on June 24, 1999, is an Uruguayan professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for Liverpool in the Premier League and the Uruguay national team.
Núñez began his football journey at Peñarol’s youth academy and made his way to the first team in 2017. In 2019, he joined Spanish club Almería for a record fee, and in 2020, he signed with Benfica for a club-record transfer fee of €24 million, making it the most expensive signing in Portuguese football history.
During his second season at Benfica, he won the Bola de Prata award for being the top scorer in the Primeira Liga, netting 26 goals in 28 games.
He was also named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year and awarded Primeira Liga Player of the Year. In June 2022, Liverpool secured his services for €75 million (£64 million).
Núñez has represented Uruguay at various youth levels and made his international debut in October 2019, scoring against Peru. Although he missed the 2021 Copa América due to injury, he participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup for Uruguay.
5. Julián Álvarez
Julián Álvarez, born on January 31, 2000, is an Argentine professional footballer known as “The Spider that bites/sprints” for his aggressive pressing, dynamic scoring ability, and link-up play.
He currently plays as a forward for Manchester City in the Premier League and the Argentina national team. Álvarez began his career at River Plate, making his professional debut in 2018 and scoring his first goal in 2019.
He played a role in River Plate’s victories, including the Copa Libertadores and Copa Argentina. In May 2022, he scored six goals in a single match for River Plate in the Copa Libertadores.
On his 22nd birthday, he signed with Manchester City, making his competitive debut and scoring in the Community Shield against Liverpool. Álvarez has represented Argentina at various youth levels and made his senior international debut in 2021.
He scored his first international goal in 2022 and was part of Argentina’s winning squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, contributing goals throughout the tournament.
6. Jonathan David
Jonathan Christian David, born on January 14, 2000, is a Canadian professional soccer player who currently plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Lille.
Although he was born in New York City, he moved to Haiti as an infant before immigrating to Ottawa, Canada, at the age of six.
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Growing up in the Franco-Ontarian community of east Ottawa, he played for various local youth clubs before making his professional debut for Gent in Belgium in 2018.
After two successful seasons, David made a move to Lille in France. He played a pivotal role in winning the Ligue 1 title and the Trophée des Champions with the club. In 2019, David was honored as the male Canada Soccer Player of the Year.
7. Dušan Vlahović
Dušan Vlahović, born on January 28, 2000, is a Serbian professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Serie A club Juventus and the Serbia national team.
He began his football journey in Partizan’s youth system and made his debut for the first team in 2016, winning league and cup titles.
In 2018, Vlahović made a move to Fiorentina in Italy. His outstanding performance in the 2020-21 Serie A season, scoring 21 league goals, earned him the accolade of Serie A Best Young Player.
Following his impressive goal-scoring form in the first half of the 2021-22 season, he was signed by Italian rivals Juventus in January 2022 for a reported fee of €70 million.
Vlahović has represented Serbia at various youth levels before making his senior international debut in 2020 during the UEFA Nations League.
8. Gonçalo Ramos
Gonçalo Matias Ramos, born on June 20, 2001, is a Portuguese professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for Primeira Liga club Benfica and the Portugal national team.
Hailing from Olhão, Ramos emerged through Benfica’s esteemed youth academy ranks.
He made his debut for Benfica B in 2019 and earned a promotion to the first team a year later. For three seasons, Ramos established himself as a vital player for the club.
Ramos has represented Portugal at various youth levels, even being part of the under-19 team that reached the finals of the 2019 UEFA European Championship and the under-21 team that finished as runners-up in the 2021 European Championship.
He made his debut for the senior national team in 2022.
9. Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé Lottin, born on December 20, 1998, is a French professional footballer who currently serves as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and captains the France national team.
He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. He is loved for his exceptional speed, dribbling prowess, and finishing abilities.
Beginning his senior club career with Monaco in 2015, he won the Ligue 1 title before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a staggering fee of €180 million, making him the second-most expensive player and the most expensive teenager in history.
At Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappé has achieved incredible achievements, including four Ligue 1 titles, three Coupes de France, and leading the club to its first-ever UEFA Champions League Final in 2020.
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He holds records as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and third in assists. Furthermore, Mbappé made his debut for the French national team at the age of 18 in 2017.
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, he became the youngest French player to score in a World Cup and the second teenager, following Pelé, to find the net in a World Cup Final.
He played an important role as France emerged as champions, finishing as the joint second-highest goalscorer and earning the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player award.
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Mbappé once again had an outstanding performance, winning the Golden Boot for the most goals scored in the tournament’s finals and the Silver Ball for his overall performance, helping France reach the final.
Mbappé has received lots of individual accolades, including being named to the FIFA FIFPro World11 and the UEFA Team of the Year multiple times.
He was awarded the Golden Boy in 2017 and has been recognized as Ligue 1 Player of the Year on three occasions. In the 2021-22 season, he became the first player to top both the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts and assist rankings.
Mbappé’s influence extends beyond football, as he was listed among Time’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.
10. Victor James Osimhen
Victor James Osimhen, born on December 29, 1998, is a Nigerian professional footballer who currently serves as a striker for Serie A club Napoli and the Nigeria national team.
Renowned as one of the world’s top strikers, Osimhen is highly regarded for his exceptional finishing skills, strength, and athleticism.
He began his senior career at VfL Wolfsburg in Germany in 2017 before moving on loan to Charleroi in Belgium for the 2018-19 season.
Later, he joined Lille in France, making his debut in European football during the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League. In 2020, Osimhen transferred to Napoli in Serie A for a club-record fee of €70 million. In the 2021-22 season, he was honored with the Serie A Best Young Player award.
Osimhen holds the record for the highest number of goals scored by an African player in a single Serie A season and is the highest-scoring African player in the history of the league.
He achieved international success by winning the Golden Boot at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup with Nigeria and has represented his country at the senior level, including participating in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Currently, Osimhen ranks as the ninth-highest goalscorer for the Nigerian national team.
11. Erling Haaland
Erling Braut Haaland, born on July 21, 2000, is a Norwegian professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester City and the Norway national team.
He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. He holds the record for the most goals scored by a player in a single Premier League season, with 36 goals at the time of writing.
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Haaland began his career in the youth system and played for Bryne’s reserve and senior teams before joining Molde in 2017.
After two seasons, he signed with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and achieved success by winning two league titles and one Austrian Cup.
In December 2019, he transferred to Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga, winning the DFB-Pokal in the 2020-21 season. Haaland made a notable move to Manchester City in the summer of 2022 for a fee of €60 million (£51.2 million).
Throughout his career, he has earned numerous individual awards and broken several records, including being the first teenager to score in five consecutive UEFA Champions League matches during the 2019-20 season.
He won the Golden Boy award in 2020 and was named Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2021. Haaland has also excelled in the Premier League, setting records for most goals scored in a season and being the fastest player to score multiple hat-tricks.
He has represented Norway at various youth levels, including winning the Golden Boot at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup with a record nine goals in a single match.
Haaland made his senior international debut in September 2019.
Let’s sum it up!
These are the best young strikers in 2024. If I may ask, which of these strikers really wow you, and what do you appreciate about him
Kenneth is a an avid soccer follower, fan and writer. He is a consistent follower of the sport and is a fan of Chelsea FC.