Gavi (Spain / Barcelona) — born 2004

Gavi became the youngest player to score a World Cup goal for Spain (2022), the youngest La Liga debutant for Barcelona in 50 years (2021), and won the Golden Boy in 2022. His pressing intensity — averaging 8.4 successful presses per 90 minutes — is the highest of any midfielder in La Liga history. An ACL injury in 2023 cost him 18 months, but he returned to full fitness for the 2025–26 season at 21 and is considered one of the two or three most important players in Spain's national team project for the next decade.