The Copa America is often the tournament where new stars are discovered. While stars like Messi, Neymar, Suarez and Cavani will surely attract the most interest from fans, these are the top five youngsters to watch out for:
Gonzalo Plata (Ecuador)
Aged 20, Plata may not be considered as a starter for this tournament but could certainly make the difference off the bench for Ecuador. The Sporting CP winger had shined with Ecuador in the 2019 U-20 World Cup in Poland, before making the leap to the seniors, for whom he has featured in almost all their 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Facundo Torres (Uruguay)
For those who have never heard of Facundo Torres, he plays for Penarol in the Argentinian Primera Division. He scored four goals in 10 appearances for the club this season, and at 21, is poised to be the future of the Uruguayan attack. Torres operates as a left-winger and made his debut for the national two weeks ago.
Emerson (Brazil)
Recently returning to Barcelona from an impressive spell at Real Betis, Emerson could replace Danilo as the first-choice right-back this tournament. He debuted for the national team in 2019 and will be the man to keep eyes on in the Brazil national team.
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
After being signed by Aston Villa, Martinez showed exactly how good he is as a first-choice goalkeeper by being chosen in all 38 games in the Premier League. While he isn’t the youngest, at 28, he is the most accomplished so far, having kept 15 clean sheets for Villa in 20/21.
Cristian Romero (Argentina)
The young centre-back was named the Serie A defender of the season for 20/21 and led Atalanta to yet another Champions League finish. He is absolutely brilliant one-on-one and will be the most important player for Argentina’s defence in the future.
