1. Rubén Neves (18 years old, FC Porto, midfielder)
Fernando Santos’ spell as Portugal coach has been a peculiar one. His mix of experience and youth has gone from one extreme to the other, with Ricardo Carvalho recalled at the age of 36 and Benfica winger Goncalo Guedes enlisted for November’s friendlies with Russia and Luxembourg, three weeks before his 19th birthday.
One thing is clear—Santos simply has to take Ruben Neves to France. Rarely can there have been such a vivid personification of the cliché that ‘if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.