The new Spanish La Liga season kicks off on Thursday. The title favorites are once again FC Barcelona and Real Madrid - with both teams focusing on their young players.
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- Top international football is back. The new Spanish La Liga season kicks off on Thursday. blue Sport will be showing all the matches live.
- The battle for the title will once again come down to Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
- The key players in both teams are still very young. The new Clásico rivalry after the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has long since begun.
Thursday sees the return of top-class football in one of Europe's top leagues. The Spanish La Liga starts with the game between Athletic Bilbao and Getafe (18:00 on blue Sport). Ricardo Rodriguez gets the ball rolling at 21:30. The new signing from Betis Sevilla will make his debut against last season's surprise team, FC Girona.
However, the big favorites for the title are once again FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Both teams have undergone major upheavals and some of their superstars are very young. The next generation, which is likely to shape the future Clásicos, has long been ready. We have selected eight key players from Real Madrid and Barcelona who could shape the battle for the Spanish football crown for years to come.
Real Madrid
Endrick 🇧🇷
Age: 18
Market value: 60 million euros
The Brazilian signed for Real Madrid back in December 2022. Endrick was just 16 years old at the time, but Real were still prepared to pay €47.5 million for the super talent. Endrick played for Palmeiras in Brazil until this season, but has now made the definitive move to Madrid. Although Endrick has only just turned 18, the center forward has already played ten international matches for Brazil.
Arda Güler 🇹🇷
Age: 19
Market value: 45 million euros
Last summer, the Turkish mega-talent moved from Fenerbahce to Real Madrid. Güler missed the entire first half of the season due to a muscle injury, but after the winter break he put in an impressive performance. Although he only played 373 minutes in the league, he scored 6 goals, which equates to a goal every 62 minutes. He was a regular for Turkey at the European Championships and caused a sensation with his dream goal against Georgia.
Jude Bellingham 🏴
Age: 21
Market value: 180 million euros
Jude Bellingham really needs no further introduction. At the age of 21, he has already played over 200 professional games at club level and has 36 caps for England. He established himself as a leading player in his first season at Real Madrid, scoring 36 goals in 42 games.
Eduardo Camavinga 🇫🇷
Age: 21
Market value: 100 million euros
The central midfielder has developed magnificently at Real Madrid. Like Bellingham, he is only 21 years old and has already played 246 club matches at professional level. Following the retirement of Toni Kroos, he is likely to get even more playing time at Real than he did last season.
Rodrygo 🇧🇷
Age: 23
Market value: 100 million euros
The Brazilian has been playing for Real Madrid since 2019 and has established himself as a right winger. He is also 23 years old and still has his best footballing years ahead of him.
Vinicius Junior 🇧🇷
Age: 24
Market value: 180 million euros
The third attacking Brazilian in the squad. Vinicius Junior is considered a candidate for the Ballon d'Or. He still has a contract with Real Madrid until 2027 and has just turned down a billion-euro offer from Saudi Arabia. He is likely to shape the future of Real Madrid for some time to come.
Aurélien Tchouaméni 🇫🇷
Age: 24
Market value: 100 million euros
The Frenchman is regularly deployed in defensive midfield. Like his compatriot Camavinga, he is likely to be a regular in the future, especially as Kroos has retired and Luka Modrić is already 38 years old.
Kylian Mbappé 🇫🇷
Age: 25
Market value: 180 million euros
The royal transfer of the royals. The superstar has won almost everything there is to win - only the Champions League is still missing. Madrid is the right place for him. At 25, he is already one of the more experienced players in the potpourri of young superstars.
FC Barcelona
Squad value: 950 million euros
The next generation at FC Barcelona is even younger than that of Real Madrid. FC Barcelona has already firmly integrated eight players under the age of 21 into the team.
Lamine Yamal 🇪🇸
Age: 17
Market value: 120 million euros
Lamine Yamal made his breakthrough last season and became a superstar at the European Championships in the summer: first he became the youngest player at a European Championship, then the youngest goalscorer and finally the European champion. The right-back will start the new season as a regular for Barcelona.
Pau Cubarsi 🇪🇸
Age: 17
Market value: 30 million euros
After the winter break, central defender Cubarsi made his first La Liga appearance for Barcelona in January 2024, one day before his 17th birthday. And the center-back did so well that he played every single game until the end of the season. He may not have won the European Championships with Spain in the summer, but he won the Olympics.
Vitor Roque 🇧🇷
Age: 19
Market value: 30 million euros
Vitor Roque joined FC Barcelona from Athletico Paranaense in January 2024. The Catalans paid a whopping 40 million euros for the center forward. In the second half of the season, Roque only made a few substitute appearances and scored two goals. Behind Robert Lewandowski, he will probably continue to make only sporadic appearances.
Gavi 🇪🇸
Age: 20
Market value: 90 million euros
Last season was a lost one for Gavi. In November 2023, the midfielder suffered a cruciate ligament rupture. Gavi also missed the European Championships in the summer. He is due to return in September. The question is how the Spaniard has recovered from the serious injury.
Alejandro Balde 🇪🇸
Age: 20
Market value: 40 million euros
The Barça youngster was a regular starter but was ruled out for the rest of the season in January due to a torn tendon. Balde is now fit and should be back as a regular left-back.
Fermín López 🇪🇸
Age: 21
Market value: 30 million euros
Last season, Lopez oscillated between the bench and the starting eleven at Barcelona. The midfielder then enjoyed a dream summer. He became European champion with Spain - even though he was hardly used. Shortly afterwards, he led Spain to Olympic victory. Lopez was the outstanding player, scoring six goals and providing two assists in six games. Including two goals each in the quarter-finals and final.
Pedri 🇪🇸
Age: 21
Market value: 80 million euros
Thigh problems were a recurring problem for Pedri last season. Pedri was unlucky again at the European Championships. In the quarter-final against Germany, he strained an inner ligament in his knee in the starting phase. However, the 21-year-old midfielder should be fit again for the new season.
Ansu Fati 🇪🇸
Age: 21
Market value: 25 million euros
He should have been the new face at FC Barcelona. Ansu Fati's start at Barça was ultimately furious. He made his La Liga debut at 16, scored in his second game and, at 17 years and one month old, became the youngest goalscorer in the Champions League to date. There is a simple reason why Fati is not one of the best wingers in the world today: injuries. He missed almost a year from 2020 to 2021 with a meniscus tear and was repeatedly set back by injuries thereafter. Last season, Fati was loaned out to Brighton. It is questionable whether Barça plan to play him in the new season. Fati is currently suffering from a foot injury.
