Ranking Chelsea youngsters’ performances at the U20 World Cup

2. Kendry Paez

At only 16 years old, Ray Kendry Paez is already one of football’s most exciting young prospects. The skillful attacking midfielder is a must watch on the ball, able to get past players with the silkiest of touches and create chances with ease for his teammates. His precision in picking out his teammates with his left foot resembles the ability of Hakim Ziyech, but he adds a touch of flair and pace to his game.

At the U20 World Cup, Paez played as a consistent starter for the Ecuadorian national team, contributing two assists and a goal. His goal against Fiji in Ecuador’s last group stage match made him the youngest ever scorer in the history of the FIFA U20 World Cup.  Paez will join Chelsea once he turns 18 and if he continues on this trajectory, we could be talking about a generational talent that could directly slot into the first team.

3. Andrey Santos

Coming into the tournament, Andrey Santos was likely the Chelsea prospect with the most expectations to impress. Santos captained Brazil to triumph in the U20 South American Championship while being his nation’s top scorer. Although Brazil was eliminated by Israel in the quarterfinals of this tournament, Santos showed his quality once more registering two goals and an assist. The young Brazilian is versatile in terms of where he can play in the midfield. Though not a traditional defensive midfielder, he frequently drops deep, combining defensive duties with forward surges, usually adding to Brazil’s attacks either by being a goal threat in the box or utilizing his passing and ball-carrying ability to create chances. His genius flick in the box to teammate Matheus Nascimento to assist Brazil’s second goal against Israel is an example of how instrumental he was in the buildup and end product of a majority of Brazil’s attacks.