Ranking the Top 15 South American Players Aged 21 & Under

There is no doubt about it, South America is a breeding ground for some of the world's finest football talent. Even as stars like Lionel Messi, Neymar, James Rodriguez and Alexis Sanchez light up the sport, the next generation is patiently honing its craft and waiting for the chance to burst into the scene. 

From Chile to Colombia and Argentina to Paraguay, a host of the continent's nations already have what they hope will be the next best thing in football lined up in the background. Picking just 15 players from this fertile earth, therefore, is never going to be an easy job. 

But taking into account those players who this year celebrated their 21st birthday or younger players, here are some of the very finest prospects looking to make a name for themselves in world football over the next few years. 

Club: Roma (Italy)

Nationality: Paraguayan

Age: 18

Position: Forward

Ex-Cerro Porteno wonderkid Juan Iturbe is not the only youngster with Paraguayan links that Roma can count on this season. The electrifying Antonio Sanabria turned down the chance to continue his development with Barcelona in favour of an Italian move, and it should not be too long before the 18-year-old features on a regular basis in the Eternal City. 

More of an out-and-out striker than his team-mate, Tonny is blessed with outrageous talent with the ball at feet as well as a natural eye for goal. The Paraguayan prospect can hit from inside or outside the box, and has already appeared three times for the national team despite his tender age. 

Club: Porto (Portugal)

Nationality: Chilean

Age: 20

Position: Centre-back

On a continent that has spawned the likes of Diego Maradona, Pele, Carlos Valderrama, Ivan Zamorano and Marcelo Salas, to name just a select few, it is hard to gain attention at the back. Forward and playmaking talents dominate the headlines and transfer rumours, leaving defenders to plug away without the same publicity machine. 

That is why you may not have heard of Chile's 20-year-old Igor Lichnovsky yet. But the Porto B centre-back is improving all the time, and it should not be long before the lanky defender breaks out of the reserves and becomes a regular face for both the Dragao and his nation. 

Club: River Plate (Argentina) 

Nationality: Argentine

Age: 19

Position: Attacking Midfielder

Fittingly for the club that has produced talents like Ariel Ortega, Hernan Crespo, Javier Saviola and Erik Lamela in the last 15 years, the River Plate academy is bursting with attacking prospects. Lucas Boye, Giovanni Simeone and Sebastian Driussi have all seen first-team action this year under adventurous young coach Marcelo Gallardo. 

Attacking midfielder Tomas Martinez, however, might just be the best of the lot. The 19-year-old's dead-ball ability stands out as one of his biggest strengths, but a brilliant eye for the pass and ease moving forward suggest that wonderful things are to come from the native of Beccar. 

Club: Real Madrid (Spain)

Nationality: Peruvian/Spanish

Age: 20

Position: Attacking Midfield

Born in Alcala de Henares to a Spanish father and Peruvian mother, assured young midfielder Cristian Benavente could have represented either the European or South American nation in international football. The Real Madrid prospect opted for the Inca, however, appearing in a World Cup qualifying defeat against Argentina at just 19 to settle his future. 

Benavente is a mainstay of the Merengue's Castilla feeder team, where he excels as a forward-looking midfielder who loves to score goals. Yet to debut for the first-team, his path in Madrid will not be easy but the Peruvian has the talent to make a real bid for stardom in one of the most demanding clubs in the world. 

Club: Defensor Sporting (Uruguay)

Nationality: Uruguayan

Age: 20

Position: Attacking Midfielder

He may have a name more reminiscent of a Florence renaissance painter than a 21st-century footballer, but Giorgian De Arrascaeta is just as much a handful for defences as he is for most spellchecks. At just 20, the playmaker is making big waves in Uruguayan football and made his national team debut following Brazil 2014. 

De Arrascaeta was key in taking the unfashionable Defensor to third place in 2014's Copa Libertadores, heading a fantastic generation of young stars in the Montevideo club used to living in Nacional and Penarol's shadow. A big future awaits the youngster already signalled as the heir to Diego Forlan at No. 10 for the Celeste. 

Club: River (Argentina)

Nationality: Colombian

Age: 21

Position: Centre-back

The football trajectory of burly River defender Balanta has stalled somewhat since 2013, when the Colombian was tipped as the next world-class centre-back to emerge on the scene. Constant rumours over a European move seemed to unsettle the youngster, but at just 21 he has all the time in the world to fulfil his potential. 

Strong in the air and hard to pass, Balanta's secret weapon is an ease with the ball at feet that would put most midfielders to shame. The Colombian is now a regular member of Jose Pekerman's Cafetero squad, and when the European transfer does arrive it could give his career the boost it needs to put this fantastically talented stopper on the road to glory. 

Club: Porto 

Nationality: Colombian

Age: 21

Position: Attacking Midfielder

Real Madrid wonderkid James Rodriguez is not the only Colombian creative mastermind who honed his trade with Envigado and later Porto. 21-year-old Juan Fernando Quintero is a little way behind the star of the World Cup, but his direct talents will take the prospect a long way. 

Quintero is built more like Lionel Messi than his taller Cafetero colleague, giving him a low centre of gravity that makes it almost impossible to take the ball off him as he surges from midfield. The youngster's goalscoring stats are not mindblowing, but his overall game is fantastic and he and James should build the core of the Colombia squad for years to come. 

Club: Monaco (France) 

Nationality: Argentine

Age: 20

Position: Winger

Lightning-quick winger Lucas Ocampos is already in his third season of Ligue 1 football with Monaco, despite only turning 20 this July. While stars such as James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao have left the principality and its casino glamour, the Argentine has remained and has been rewarded with an increase in first-team football. 

Ocampos is reminiscent of a young Angel Di Maria in his dogged insistence in beating the man and making it to the byline. The final product still needs to be worked on, but the former River Plate wonderkid has all the tools to become a top player in European football over the next four years. 

Club: River Plate (Argentina)

Nationality: Argentine

Age: 20

Position: Defensive Midfield

How River have missed the talents of young Matias Kranevitter as the early leaders of the Transicion championship have slowed down over the past couple of months. The tenacious yet cultured defensive midfielder was ruled out in October with a foot fracture, and his absence has been sorely felt in the Monumental. 

The Tucuman native's feisty tackling and ability to bring the ball out of midfield have invited comparisons with Real Madrid legend Fernando Redondo, and there is no doubt that if not for injury he would have featured in at least one of Argentina's recent friendlies to make his debut. Kranevitter is a one-off talent, and if all goes well should be the long-term successor to Javier Mascherano in the Albiceleste engine room. 

Club: Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

Nationality: Chilean

Age: 20

Position: Forward

Angelo Henriquez's rise as a teenager was nothing short of meteoric. Having only dedicated himself to football at 13 after turning his back on tennis, just two years later the Universidad de Chile youngster had already secured a future move to English giants Manchester United. 

His apprenticeship since leaving Santiago in 2012 has mostly taken place away from Old Trafford, thanks to various loan spells. But his current form in Croatia for Dinamo cannnot be ignored. 14 goals in all competitions have helped the Zagreb club fly to the top of the league, and if United do not take back their Chilean starlet he will have no shortage of suitors. 

Club: Inter (Italy)

Nationality: Argentine

Age: 21

Position: Forward

From Rosario to Spain and La Masia. Lionel Messi pioneered that route as a teenager, and young Mauro Icardi followed in his footsteps when the promising striker landed in Barcelona having been brought up in the Canary Islands. The teenager failed to break into the Catalans' first-team, but that has hardly held him back. 

A scintillating spell with Sampdoria brought Icardi into the spotlight, and since moving to giants Inter the Argentine has barely been out of the headlines. Some of that has been in the gossip columns following a high-profile marriage to Wanda Nara, but a total of 20 goals in 39 games for the Nerazzurri marks the youngster out as a natural in front of the net. 

Club: Roma (Italy)

Nationality: Argentine

Age: 21

Position: Attacking Midfield/ Forward

Despite having only turned 21 in June, the "Guarani Lionel Messi" Juan Iturbe is already into his fifth season of professional football. At just 16 the diminutive yet tough creative star was turning out for Paraguay's Cerro Porteno, but eventually plumped to play for Argentina having been born in Buenos Aires to parents from Asuncion. 

Iturbe's fantastic dribbling skills, low centre of gravity and ferocious shot have raised Argentine hopes that the Roma is indeed Messi's long-term heir. Early signs in the Italian capital have been positive, and the youngster is one to watch over the next few seasons as he establishes himself in Serie A. 

Club: Benfica (Portugal)

Nationality: Brazilian

Age: 20

Position: Forward

Former Bahia wonderkid Anderson Talisca has wasted no time in endearing himself to the Benfica faithful. The forward has smashed eight goals in his first nine league games in Portugal, and added a Champions League winner against Monaco to mark himself out as a real star of the future. 

Built like Yaya Toure but with the easy ball control and skill of compatriot Neymar or even the great Rivaldo, Talisca is in the perfect environment to hone his talents without too much pressure falling on his shoulders. The 2015 Copa America is the next goal for the striker, and if he keeps up his current form a place in the Brazil squad is more than possible. 

Club: Villarreal (Spain) 

Nationality: Argentine

Age: 20

Position: Forward

Luciano Vietto has come a long way since Estudiantes rejected the Cordoba youngster when he was a teenager. Avellaneda's Racing Club quickly snapped him up, and at just 17 then-coach Diego Simeone had no hesitation in placing Vietto into first-team action. 

The forward formed part of a golden generation of Racing kids alongside Valencia duo Rodrigo de Paul and Bruno Zuculini, and skilful winger Ricardo Centurion. The youngster's tricks and enthusiasm made La Academia a brilliant team to watch, with Vietto's goalscoring and delicate play around the area a particular highlight. 

Still only 20, the striker has made an encouraging start to life with Villarreal in La Liga, regularly coming off the bench and impressing. He needs a little more precision in front of goal, but all the talent is there for Vietto to become an Argentina international in the near future. 

Club: Santos (Brazil)

Nationality: Brazilian

Age: 18

Position: Forward

The Brazilian port city of Santos, Sao Paulo state, is known for creating footballers of outrageous quality. The incomparable Pele burst from the club's ranks, as did stars such as Robinho, Diego and Elano in more recent times. 

Neymar, of course, was a scintillating talent in O Peixe before moving to Barcelona in 2013. But Gabriel Barbosa, known to admirers as Gabigol for his incredible ability to hit the net, could just eclipse even the fantastic Barca star as he begins his career. 

Despite turning 18 as recently as August, Gabigol has already carved out a place in the Santos first-team and has over 20 goals to his name so far in 2014. His skill on the ball and lightning turn of pace, not to mention his haircut, have drawn inevitable comparisons with Neymar, but there is no doubt that the teenager is the top prospect currently active in South American football.