Everyone knows Sunderland have some of the best young talent in the Championship, but one Black Cats star is now officially one of the best youngsters in the world.
Regis Le Bris is blessed with a highly talented squad right now, and if things go well over the next couple of months, Sunderland could end up in the Premier League next season.
However, if they fail in that hunt for promotion, the Mackems could well be stripped of most of their top assets, leaving the Frenchman with an almighty rebuild on his hands.
After the latest ranking of the best young players in the world has emerged, there may be nothing that can stop Sunderland losing one key star, as he will most definitely be on every top club’s radar now.
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Chris Rigg is one of the 30 best wonderkids in the world
As per the NXGN 2025 list of the 50 best wonderkids in world football, Sunderland fans may be happy — and a little bit worried — that Chris Rigg made it not only onto the ranking, but came in at a very respectable 29th position.
On Rigg, GOAL wrote: “Sunderland are in the grips of a battle for promotion back to the Premier League, but even if the Black Cats come up short, homegrown midfielder Chris Rigg will almost certainly be leaving the Championship behind this summer as a queue of England’s biggest clubs continues to grow in the hope that they will be able to sign one of the second tier’s most impressive performers.
“The 17-year-old made headlines in August 2023 when he became Sunderland’s youngest-ever goal-scorer, and after a season of sporadic appearances last term, Rigg is now a regular in Regis Le Bris’ line up at the Stadium of Light. Manchester United have long been linked with the energetic youngster, while Arsenal, Liverpool and even Real Madrid are said to be closely monitoring his progress.”
In making it to the top 30, Rigg beat the likes of Manchester United’s Chidi Obi, PSG’s Senny Mayulu, Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha, and Chelsea’s Marc Guiu.
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Unsurprisingly, it was Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal who topped the list.
Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Sunderland are fighting a losing battle for Chris Rigg’s future
It’s always been clear that Rigg was set for a spectacular career ever since his debut over two years ago, and the 17-year-old is certainly fulfilling his promise so far.
Sadly, though, it would seem inevitable that Rigg will move on sooner rather than later. If Sunderland can get promoted this season, they might be able to keep him for another year, but fail, and he will surely go.
The likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid, and more recently Inter Milan have all shown an interest in the teenager.
Sunderland are expected to ask for £25m for Rigg, although after seeing this list, they may want to bump that up a notch.