Tournament started in Indonesia
The starting signal for the U17 World Cup in Indonesia was given on Friday at 10 a.m. German time. All games in the Junior World Championship will be broadcast free of charge Live stream on FIFA+ transmitted (Click here for the U17 World Cup on FIFA+). Hosts Indonesia are currently playing against Ecuador and Spain against Canada. The first game of the DFB selection will kick off on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Mexico (advertisement).
The U17 World Cup was the springboard for the careers of many great players, including Cesc Fabregas, Toni Kroos and Phil Foden. The Transfermarkt team has selected ten players from around the world to keep an eye on.
To the overview of the most valuable U17 World Cup participants
Claudio Echeverri – Argentina (River Plate)
Scott Christensen, Area Manager Argentina: “Claudio Echeverri is undoubtedly Argentina’s greatest talent. We’ve been hearing about the boy for four or five years, who made his debut for River Plate’s first team this year. Surprisingly, Gianluca Prestianni, probably the country’s second-biggest talent, did not make the World Cup squad. This is believed to be related to discipline problems at his club.
Echeverri is very skilled, a good dribbler, creative, unpredictable and has a good finisher. He is one of those players who constantly demands the ball and takes the initiative. There is a rumor linking him to Real Madrid and he has already trained with the senior team.”
Kauā Elias – Brazil (Fluminense)
Thiago Rabelo, Content Manager Brazil: “Kauã Elias is a classic center forward. Strong, fast and with great finishing power. He was recently named one of the 60 most promising players in world football by The Guardian. He was top scorer at the South American U17 Championship in Ecuador and is heading to the World Cup with the responsibility of once again being the top scorer and star of the Brazilian team.”
Taryck Tahid – Canada (Vancouver FC)
Manuel Veth, Area Manager North America: “Taryck Tahid made big headlines in the Canadian Premier League this season. The 16-year-old playmaker set a historic record when he made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Cavalry FC on May 7, 2023, becoming the youngest player in the league’s history. Tahid also holds the record as the youngest goalscorer since he scored in a 3-6 defeat of rivals Pacific FC on June 3, 2023.
Tahid is a very skilled footballer who regularly gets playing time with the professionals and is one of only two CPL players in a squad dominated by MLS academy players. As a result, Tahid is expected to lead Canada’s team in the tournament.”
Ethan Nwaneri – England (Arsenal)
Ben Littlemore, UK Content Manager: “Ethan Nwaneri broke the record as the youngest Premier League player when he came on as a substitute in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Brentford last season, aged 15 years, five months and 28 days. With electrifying dribbling and outstanding shooting technique, he was a star in the Gunners’ youth teams and has scored five goals in six games from attacking midfield for Arsenal’s U21s this season.
Both Man City and Chelsea tried to lure the boy away from north London, but Mikel Arteta convinced him to stay and he signed a training contract dated until 2025. He will be one of the players to watch out for in this U17 World Cup. Nwaneri will hope Arteta is watching too.”
Nwaneri makes his historic Arsenal debut as the youngest Premier League player.
Bastien Meupiyou – France (Nantes)
Joachim Durand, Content Manager France: “At first glance, the numbers don’t look good for Bastien Meupiyou, who was sent off after nine minutes in Ligue 1 this season. However, FC Nantes’ talent has been being watched by some of the biggest names in Europe for several months, including Borussia Dortmund, City Football Group and Red Bull’s football division. Regularly selected for the junior national teams (22 games), he will be the defensive leader of the French U17 team during the World Cup.”
Assan Ouédraogo – Germany (Schalke)
Bundesliga expert Manuel Veth: “The prodigy Assan Ouédraogo from Schalke 04 is one of the big winners of the market value update of the 2nd Bundesliga. The 17-year-old saw his market value rise from €500,000 to €6 million, making him one of the 20 most valuable U17 players in the world and the most valuable player of this tournament.
This is not surprising, as Ouédraogo is already a regular player for Schalke in the second division and is scouted by virtually every major club in Germany and abroad that can afford a transfer. What kind of footballer is Ouédraogo? The midfielder mixes qualities of Leroy Sané and Jude Bellingham and is undoubtedly one of the greatest talents of his generation.”
Gaku Nawata – Japan (Kamimura Gakuen High School)
Takako Maruga, Area Manager Japan: “Coach Yoshiro Moriyama only called up four new players (Homare Tokuda, Alen Inoue, Katsuma Fuse, Haruki Komori). It is interesting that there are many talented strikers in this generation and among them, Gaku Nawata is definitely the player to keep an eye on. He can play both as a number 9 and as a hanging wing and has contributed six goals and six assists in twelve games in the Prince Takamado U18 Premier League West.”
Fidel Barajas – Mexico (Charleston Battery)
Manuel Veth: “It says a lot about the youth development in Mexico in recent years that the most promising player in the squad plays for the USL Championship team Charleston Battery. Without a doubt, this US league is slowly becoming a hotbed of talent and is the only league to be featured twice in this list.
Barajas has performed impressively against veteran players in the USL, where he scored five goals and 11 assists in 32 games for Charleston during the regular season and playoffs. His club will fight for the title in the final against Phoenix Rising on Monday night. Given this, it is not surprising that Barajas is already being linked with a move to Europe, where PSV Eindhoven is interested.”
Barajas has been linked with PSG and is considered Mexico’s brightest talent.
Marc Guiu – Spain (FC Barcelona)
Ivan Turmo, Area Manager Spain: “Barça homegrown Marc Guiu is one of the most important players in the Spanish team and scored eight goals in twelve games before the tournament. At the U17 European Championship, he attracted attention with four goals – the same number as Lamine Yamal, the most valuable U17 footballer in the world, but who already plays for Spain’s senior team.
Striker Guiu, who scored the winning goal on his debut in the Barcelona first team shortly after coming on as a substitute, is an imposing attacker at 1.87 meters and a classic nine. Because of his power, speed and strength in finishing, he is compared to Robert Lewandowski.”
Bryce Jamison – USA (Orange County SC)
Manuel Veth: “This is a very talented US squad that Gonzalo Segares has put together for the U17 World Cup. But one name in particular stands out: Bryce Jamison of USL Championship team Orange County SC. Jamison is a physical winger who contributed two goals and two assists in 29 games for OCSC this season. “Orange County is one of the most prolific clubs in the United States when it comes to sending players to Europe and Jamison will be next – probably to partner club Feyenoord Rotterdam.”
The goals and highlights of all games in the U17 World Cup will be available shortly after the final whistle can be seen on FIFA+.
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