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Men’s breakout star: Endrick (Real Madrid and Brazil)
All eyes will be on Endrick when he formally joins Real Madrid in July 2024 for an initial €35 million (£26 million) that could rise to €70 million, having turned 18. The Brazilian forward is hardly an unknown quantity – having won every competition possible at under-age level in his home country and recently leading Palmeiras to the league title – but he has not yet played in Europe. He is expected to follow in the footsteps of Vinicius Jnr and Rodrygo, two fellow Brazilians who joined Madrid before they were 18 and who are now world stars.
There should be an honourable mention for Manchester City winger Joel Ndala who shone for England in their otherwise disappointing campaign at the Under-17s World Cup and is wanted by a host of top clubs. It remains to be seen what City’s plan is for the 17-year-old.
Men’s player of the year: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid and England)
The mantle for the best player in the world appears to be a straight shoot-out between Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe – and England’s Jude Bellingham. It may depend on whether Manchester City can retain the Premier League and Champions League or, indeed, how France and England fare at next summer’s European Championships.
At present, given his extraordinary exploits at Real Madrid, the stand-out candidate is Bellingham and the midfielder will surely only go from strength-to-strength in 2024 for club and for country. The 20-year-old has already scooped both major prizes as the best young player in the world and his present trajectory is taking him towards the Ballon D’Or sooner rather than later.
Women’s breakout star: Khadija Shaw (Manchester City and Jamaica)
Shaw took time to find her feet when she arrived at Manchester City in the summer of 2021 but this season has established herself as a goalscoring sensation. She scored a 37-minute hat-trick against Tottenham last month and is the WSL’s top scorer with nine goals in as many appearances.