Who's with the ball: five RPL players made it to the list of the best young footballers in the world

The International Center for Sports Research (CIES) has published a ranking of the best young footballers in the world under 21 years old, broken down by position. The top of the top "impact" attacking midfielders is headed by Lokomotiv Moscow talent Alexey Batrakov, who has already made his debut for the Russian national team. Also on the list were several more RPL players: Ilya Rozhkov (Rubin), Sergei Pinyaev, Vadim Rakov (both - Lokomotiv) and Pedro (Zenit). More details - in the material of "Izvestia".

Batrakov is the best

The 19-year-old Russian headed the top young attacking midfielder in the world. The compilers of the list gave Batrakov a rating of 80.6 points, also noting his role in creation. "The category consists of players who are characterized by their focus on completing the attack. Alexey Batrakov's role in Lokomotiv's system shows his active participation not only in this, but also in distributing and creating chances," the CIES report said.

Vladimir Kuzmichev, the Russian's representative, noted in a conversation with Izvestia that making the list is an additional motivation for Batrakov to develop further.

- "Of course, it's nice, because, anyway, I did a small part of the work when I was in charge of Lokomotiv's academy," Kuzmichev emphasized. - The fact that it was recognized as the best in the world, of course, is cool. It's clear that we saw everything in Russia, and it was clear that he had a terrific stretch. I think Alexey is pleased with it too, but it's just an incentive to move on. Because he has a lot of potential.

Also in the top three were American Rokas Pukstas from Croatian Hajduk and 17-year-old Argentine Franco Mastantuono - the youngest representative of the top 10. Then comes one of the most famous representatives of the ranking, Job Bellingham - the younger brother of Real Madrid leader Jude. In the second ten is Roma pupil Niccolo Pizzili, who broke into the Roma squad this season. Batrakov is also ahead of Strasbourg and Brighton's Habib Diarra and Julio Enciso.

Alexey is undoubtedly the revelation of the Russian championship - 2024/25. The 19-year-old midfielder has established himself in Lokomotiv's core and became one of the most productive players of the entire tournament. The player scored 16 (10+6) points in 17 games in the RPL on a goal + pass system - only Manfred Ugalde from Spartak (15+2) scored one more.

It should be noted that Batrakov's contract with Loko runs through mid-2027. In the near future, the Moscow club intends to extend the agreement with the midfielder.

- How many percent that Batrakov will extend his contract with Lokomotiv in winter? I won't name the exact percentages," Kuzmichev continued. - But the probability that we will agree on a new contract with Lokomotiv is very high. There is a mutual interest of the parties in such a development.

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The talents of Rubin, Loko and Zenit

Batrakov is not the only representative of the Russian championship in the report of the International Center for Sports Research. The first to appear in the analysis was Rubin player Ilya Rozhkov. He got to the 13th line of the best attacking left backs. The leader in this category was the representative of Prague "Slavia" Malik Diouf.

But the 19-year-old Russian was ahead of Portuguese Diego Moreira, who signed with Chelsea last summer. In early December, after news of interest from Dynamo Moscow, Ilya extended his contract with Rubin until 2028. This season he played 16 matches in the RPL, noting a goal and an assist.

- Indeed, Ilya was of substantial interest from other clubs, including Dynamo," Rubin's sporting director Konstantin Dzyuba told Izvestia. - And I am grateful to the player and his family for their decision to stay in Kazan. For them, Rubin is not an empty sound. Ilya appreciates and respects the club, where he grew up as a footballer, and is grateful for the fact that here he was given a way into big soccer. Therefore, the footballer and his family decided to continue his career at his native club. It is clear that financial conditions are always important for footballers, but in this case intangibles were the key factor in the decision, here it is more about soccer, loyalty, development.

The top 10 best left wingers "penetrating the penalty area" included two more RPL players - Sergei Pinyaev from Lokomotiv and Pedro from Zenit, who were ranked seventh and ninth respectively.

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This metric evaluated players whose contribution to goals exceeds their work in creating chances. Pedro was the youngest player in the top 10, while the top 3 were already stars of big clubs - Kenan Yildiz of Juventus, Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United and Jamie Gittens of Borussia Dortmund.

Lokomotiv Lokomotiv's Vadim Rakov was 18th in the ranking of left wingers aimed at strikes and goal assists. The 19-year-old Russian has 5 (3+2) points in 16 games in all tournaments this season. The leader of the top was 20-year-old Argentine Thiago Fernandez from Velez, and behind Vadim was the bright Turk from Eintracht Jan Uzun, who has already made his debut for the national team.