Liverpool star ranked above Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham as one of the best U23 players in the world
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Liverpool have always been keen to sign young, rising stars and develop them into world-class talents, and one of their latest additions is on course for a great career.The Reds spent big in the 2025 summer transfer window, including paying out a record fee for Alexander Isak.Isak has struggled since his move, but fellow recent addition Florian Wirtz is now the fourth-highest-ranked U23 player in world football. Is a fifth-place finish enough to warrant Arne Slot remaining Liverpool manager?
Credit: Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/Getty Images Wirtz was criticised during his first few months at Anfield, but the German has now cemented himself as a regular starter in Arne Slot’s squad.Still only 22, the former Bayer Leverkusen man is, on paper, still some way off his prime years.And CIES Football Observatory has now released a list of the top-performing U23 footballers in the world over the last six months.They state that ‘the rankings have been compiled based on players’ performances across eight game areas, the sporting level of matches played, results and playing time’.Unsurprisingly, Lamine Yamal tops the list with a score of 100, Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz takes second place (96.0), followed by PSG’s Warren Zaïre-Emery (94.3) and then Wirtz (93.8).The versatile Liverpool player ranks above a number of notable names, including Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham (92.5).Reds transfer target Yan Diomande is 13th on the list with a score of 88.5, while Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki, who Liverpool looked at alongside Wirtz last summer, has a rating of 90.0.Given his lack of game time this season, it is perhaps not surprising to see rising star Rio Ngumoha failing to make the table.However, Liverpool do have one more player included in CIES’s rankings, with fellow new addition Milos Kerkez given a score of 85.8.Aside from Ngumoha, the Reds do not have a lot of U23 players who are currently in form or getting enough minutes to prove they are among the best in the world right now for their age group.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox