Five Club World Cup youngsters you’ve never heard of set to be future stars

A host of football’s biggest stars are involved in the Club World Cup but it could also be a stage for a host of youngsters from smaller clubs to audition for moves to European giants

From Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to Erling Haaland, FIFA’s sprawling Club World Cup will see many of the world ’s best players in action.

But with teams from Africa, Asia and the Americas all looking to spring a surprise against the big boys from Europe, a handful of lesser-known faces are hoping to announce themselves to a bigger audience.

Here Mirror Football takes a look at five youngsters who are determined to go from diamond in the rough to household faces – from a French centre half in Salzburg to a River Plate youngster inspired by former Manchester City star Julian Alvarez.

You may not have heard their names before but in a month they might be linked with every Champions League club.

READ MORE: All 32 teams at FIFA Club World Cup 2025 from UEFA giants to African minnowsREAD MORE: FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Full list of dates, fixtures, kick-off times, TV channels and venues

Luighi – Palmeiras

The next star off the rank at prolific Palmeiras, big striker is expected to follow Real Madrid’s Endrick and Chelsea new boy Estevao in swapping Sao Paulo for Europe. Luighi, 19, was previously linked with Arsenal but Borussia Dortmund currently appear most keen. He recently signed a new deal to 2029 that Brazilian media have said contains a £70m release clause.

Joane Gadou – RB Salzburg

The Red Bull empire have high hopes for Joane Gadou. French central defender, 18, signed for Salzburg last year from PSG in a £8.5m deal and became one of the first names on the Austrians’ team-sheet in the second half of their league campaign. If he can keep big-name forwards such as Al Hilal’s Aleksandar Mitrovic and Real Madrid’s plethora of options quiet, the queue to sign him will be lengthy.

Rodrigo Mora – Porto

Another to have recently penned a new deal to protect his value, with a £59m price tag attached. Attacking midfielder, 18, comes into the tournament after earning a first senior international call-up – though he remained unused as Portugal won the Nations League last weekend. Began the season in Porto’s B team, ended it with 10 goals and a player of the month award.

Ian Subiabre – River Plate

Clubmate Franco Mastantuono, 17, may be heading to Real in a £33m switch after this tournament but there is plenty of chatter around versatile forward Subiabre, 18, who models part of his game on former Man City star and River academy product Julian Alvarez. He prefers playing down the middle but can also feature on either flank.

Obed Vargas – Seattle Sounders

Central midfielder, 19, made his MLS debut aged 15 and has since switched allegiance from the US to Mexico. He is already being watched closely by European scouts and his club’s general manager Craig Waibel said earlier this week that he has “set off the red alarms” ahead of a likely European switch.

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The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world’s best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.

Fans can watch every match live and for free by signing up to DAZN.