22nd January 2026
January 22 – Juventus may still trade heavily on history but they got a potential glimpse into the future this week. According to the latest data from the CIES Football Observatory, winger Kenan Yildiz has outperformed his Juventus teammates more than any other under-22 player across Europe’s top five leagues.
Yildiz tops the T5 rankings with a performance index of 1.23. The Turkish international is rated as contributing significantly more than anyone else in black and white.
CIES’ 530th Weekly Post examines under-22 outfield players who most exceeded the average performance level of their teams across 65 leagues worldwide. The rankings are built using Impect data, measuring eight areas of match performance to produce a ratio comparing each player to their teammates.
While Yildiz leads the combined top-five list, there is plenty of league-specific intrigue. In the Premier League, Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh comes out on top – in part reflecting how clubs outside the so-called ‘big six’ continue to provide clearer pathways for young talent to stand out. With limited under-22 regulars at England’s biggest clubs, Minteh’s influence at Brighton is magnified.
La Liga’s chart is headed, unsurprisingly, by Lamine Yamal. At just 18, the Barcelona winger is already rated as the club’s most impactful player despite operating in one of the strongest lineups in world football – underlining why he is being viewed as a generational talent.
France’s leading under-22 performer is Olympique Lyonnais winger Malick Fofana, while Germany’s standout is Luka Vušković – the Hamburg centre-back on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, who will return to his parent club at the end of the season.
Across all leagues, the three highest ratios belong to Swiss\-based Frenchman Joris Manquant, Yildiz and Belgium’s Wout Asselman. CIES also notes how quickly this profile can translate into moves, with several players in the study already securing transfers to more prestigious clubs.
In short, the numbers point to the same conclusion: Europe’s next wave is already making itself felt – and often carrying clubs with them.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [moc.l1769079350labto1769079350ofdlr1769079350owedi1769079350sni@g1769079350niwe.1769079350yrrah1769079350](javascript:;)