Ten 'gems' that could make a splash in the Champions League: Nico Paz, Manzambi, Karetsas, Godts, Karl...

The Champions League , along with the World Cup , has become the great showcase of the "football planet" . Many young players each season look to leave their mark.

That is why at MARCA, to celebrate the start of the 2026-27 season, we wanted to select 10 prospects from outside LaLiga who could make a big splash in this edition. We have chosen ten players from 10 different teams to encourage diversity, all of them born on or after January 1, 2004 .

Nico Paz (Como/Argentina)

Position : Attacking midfielder. Age : 21 years old. Height : 1.85. Foot : Left-footed.

Como is making its debut... but the Spanish-Argentine already even knows what it is to score in the Champions League . He made his debut as a goalscorer in 2023 , at 19 years old, in Real Madrid's victory over Napoli (4-2) . Now he returns transformed into the star of Cesc's side and with the backing provided by the 20 goals and 17 assists he has recorded in 78 matches in "calcio". "The way we build our play is designed so that the ball reaches him in a certain way in every match," says Cesc . On the edge of the box he is lethal. He possesses a deadly shot from mid-range and great vision.

Rodrigo Mora (Roma/Portugal)

Position : Attacking midfielder . Age: 19 years old. Height: 1.68. Foot : Right-footed.

The " golden boy " of Porto did not fit into Francesco Farioli 's system and was forced to leave Do Dragao . The youngest player (17 years and 7 months) to score and assist in the same match for the "dragons" headed to Rome for a fee of 25 million. "He plays a kind of football that people love," said his former coach Vítor Bruno. He is not the strongest, but he has a low center of gravity that makes him terribly elusive . He turns well, changes direction easily and accelerates quickly. He has elegance to spare... but he lacks consistency.

Jérémy Jacquet (Liverpool/France)

Position : Centre-back. Age : 21 years old. Height : 1.90. Foot: Right-footed.

The former Rennes player, signed in January for 63.6 million euros , has become Van Dijk 's partner following Konaté departure to Real Madrid. "I know what my potential is," says Jacquet when asked about comparisons with Saliba . Charging forward, in full stride, he is a "bison". He has very long legs that help him win the ball easily and a great jumping ability that makes him difficult to beat in aerial duels . “He is still very young, I think he has all the qualities we will need for that position", maintains Andoni Iraola.

Konstantinos Karetsas (Borussia Dortmund/Greece)

Position : Attacking midfielder. Age: 18 years old. Height : 1.73. Preferred foot: Left-footed.

Borussia Dortmund has paid 30 million euros to Genk for this clone of Arda Güler. The Greek international possesses a "magic" left foot. Last season, without going any further, he recorded three goals and no fewer than 18 assists in 49 matches. "With his creativity and intelligence, he will enrich our team. He is very technically gifted and has the ability to find quick solutions in tight spaces," stressed Ole Book, the new sporting director of "BVB", by way of introduction. "He is a genuine old-school '10'," emphasizes his former coach Thorsten Fink.

Mika Godts (Paris Saint-Germain /Belgium)

Position : Winger. Age : 21 years old. Height : 1.76. Preferred foot : Right-footed.

A very different profile from Barcola . The new signing of Luis Enrique, who arrived from Ajax for 45 million euros , is already being compared in Belgium to Eden Hazard: right-footed , although he usually plays on the left; he is technically gifted, can go either way... The Eredivisie had become too small for him: he recorded 17 goals and 15 assists in 44 matches . "Some call it arrogance, but Mika exudes confidence. His dribbling is fantastic . He drives everyone crazy. Mika, in form, is a nightmare for any defender," says his former coach Hans Somers .

Robin Risser (Lens / France)

Position: Goalkeeper. Age : 21 years old. Height : 1.93. Foot: Right-footed.

One of the main "culprits" behind Lens winning the Cup and Super Cup... and finishing second in Ligue 1 . It's no surprise that Deschamps took him to the World Cup . Risser fits the profile of a modern goalkeeper . Very lanky (1.93 meters), he is comfortable between the posts and proves very consistent against point-blank shots . It is true that he often parries rather than catches . "He is very good on his line, he is good at managing depth, he is good with his feet and he is also good at coming off his line for aerial balls ," says his former coach Pierre Sage .

Johan Manzambi (Aston Villa / Switzerland)

Position : Midfielder. Age : 20 years old. Height : 1.82 m. Foot : Right-footed.

The former Freiburg player, signed for 60 million euros , was recently named "Best Young Player" of the Europa League and has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the World Cup . Manzambi, who scored seven goals and provided nine assists last season, stands out for his tremendous work rate. He can play in any position along the central axis (holding midfielder, central midfielder, box-to-box midfielder, attacking midfielder...) or out on the left . "He is a street footballer, one of those who need freedom . You've already seen it: he can press, has good dribbling ability, and knows how to finish,” says Murat Yakin . In the final stretch of the season, he especially developed his ability to get into attacking positions.

Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City /Morocco)

Position: Midfielder. Age: 18 years old. Height : 1.85. Preferred foot: Right-footed.

Morocco's "6" was the first big proper name of the World Cup. "I was hugely impressed . How the lad plays! Barely 18 years old and so much football. He was everywhere on the pitch, moving, creating plays, breaking things up . If he keeps this up, this kid will go far," said Romário after the 1-1 against Brazil . For now, he has arrived at Manchester City, which has paid 95 million to Lille to make him the biggest transfer abroad in the history of Ligue 1 . An all-action midfielder. His build -he stands 1.86 metres tall- and physique are reminiscent of Guendouzi . He likes to play vertically, although he needs to start "producing" numbers. With the "dogues" he did not score. He only recorded four assists in 96 matches.

Lennart Karl (Bayern/Germany)

Position : Winger. Age : 18 years old. Height: 1.68. Foot : Left-footed.

The Bayern youth product is so young that he has not even been included in the "A list" for the Champions League . Last season he already made his mark. Only Lamine Yamal (10) surpassed him in goals produced in the Champions League (4) before turning 18 . He grew up admiring Odegaard while "polishing" himself as an attacking midfielder , but he also shines playing as an inverted winger . "I'm very quick over the first few meters, I like 1-on-1s and I can finish . I'm a little under 1.70 meters tall, I'm not the tallest, but my low center of gravity helps me dribble" , says Karl himself.

Victor Froholdt (Porto/Denmark)

Position : Midfielder. Age : 20 years old. Height : 1.87. Foot : Right-footed.

His "box-to-box" condition -he has great back-and-forth ability- makes him an ideal footballer for Farioli . He has the legs to guarantee the high press and high-intensity runs demanded by Porto's "futebol" . He doesn't just win the ball back. He also gets forward. Last season, without going any further, he recorded eight goals and seven assists . "Technically, this is where I can improve the most. If I manage to develop this, I will be able to use my strength, interception ability, and long-range ball control to create danger, make chances, and score goals," points out Froholdt . "He has an incredible "engine." He is capable of repeating high-intensity actions , this is something unique," underlines Farioli.