‘It’s a beautiful competition’: what players say about the UEFA Youth League’s impact on their careers
Thursday, April 18, 2024
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Some of the UEFA Youth League’s top graduates explain how the competition helped them make the step up to playing at the highest levels of European football.
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Since it started in 2013, the UEFA Youth League has forged a path to the top for some of Europe’s best footballers, with more than 1,000 players graduating to play in our senior club and national team competitions.
By bringing together the best Under-19 club teams from across the continent, the Youth League provides invaluable competitive experience against quality opposition. It also exposes players to the pressure of playing in front of large crowds and television cameras, often in a foreign country - all of which help them prepare for next step up.
We also use the competition to provide young players with an important grounding in life off the pitch. Participants attend educational sessions and learn first-hand about the contribution that players and clubs make to local community initiatives.
Competing against Europe’s best
Most under-19 players have limited or no previous experience against international opposition. The opportunity to test their skills against their European peers and experience different tactics is invaluable for their development and can accelerate their promotion into the first team.
“It’s a beautiful competition – the Champions League for young players,” says Benoît Badiashile, the Chelsea and France defender who appeared 10 times in the UEFA Youth League for Monaco between 2017 and 2019. “I was really surprised by the level because it’s very high. It’s a competition that everyone would want to play in at this age. We played against the best players in Europe, which helped us progress.”
German international Thilo Kehrer played 16 Youth League matches for Schalke 04 and also credits the competition for boosting his development. “The opportunity to compete against international players provides you with a great deal of experience,” he explains. “It prepares you for your next steps in professional football, including the Champions League.”
“It’s something that shaped us, helped us grow and gave us a taste of what it’s like to face the biggest teams in Europe,”
“It’s something that shaped us, helped us grow and gave us a taste of what it’s like to face the biggest teams in Europe,” says Presnel Kimpembe, a veteran of the inaugural competition in 2013/14 , where he started his rise from Paris Saint-Germain youth player to key member of the senior team. “At that age, it’s a pretty big deal. It was a great experience for us.”
Ramping up the pressure
Another important feature of the Youth League is the added pressure it brings. For many, the tournament is their first taste of international travel with their teammates. Games are played in bigger grounds than players may be used to, with larger crowds and more television cameras. Experiencing these factors at a young age is a key step in any would-be professional’s learning curve.
1,000 young players graduated to senior UEFA club competitions
Mason Mount won the Youth League with Chelsea in 2015/16 and remembers the heightened emotions of playing in the competition. “It was a totally different feeling,” says Mount, who went on to win the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea five years later. “The games are bigger because you know you’re coming up against top, top teams. You’re playing in front of loads of people, all the cameras are there. It’s that first taste of what can be in a couple of years.
"You’re playing in front of loads of people, all the cameras are there. It’s that first taste of what can be in a couple of years."
“All of it together: the travelling, the first experience of going home and away, playing against top teams. It gets you even more focused and motivated to step up to the big stage.”
His former Chelsea teammate Callum Hudson-Odoi agrees. “The opportunity to play in a competition where there’s cameras, lights and a big crowd coming to watch you, is different,” he explains. “Most league games at that young age, there aren’t many people watching.
“It all prepares you to come into the first team. I feel like the Youth League really helped us get to where we are now.”
For Manchester City centre-back Rúben Dias, who made 14 Youth League appearances for Benfica, it’s the small details that mattered. “We got to train with the Champions League ball,” says Dias, who win the actual trophy with Manchester City in 2023. “I don’t know what’s it like for other people but, for me, that meant a lot. It’s powerful.
“It definitely gives you more encouragement to work because you get a taste of that dream early on.”
The 2023/24 UEFA Youth League Finals are taking place in Nyon from 19-22 April.