{"id":17522,"date":"2026-07-18T19:34:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T14:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/?p=17522"},"modified":"2026-07-18T19:34:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T14:04:13","slug":"young-player-race-one-left-standing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Player Race: One Left Standing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The semi-finals have done what semi-finals do \u2014 reduced the field to its very last essentials. Three players entered the final week of this tracker. Two of them are now competing for the bronze medal. The Best Young Player award at the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 has one name attached to it. All that remains is the Final to confirm it.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-black ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Page Contents:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#Lamine_Yamal_%E2%80%94_Spain_Barcelona\" title=\"Lamine Yamal \u2014 Spain \/ Barcelona\">Lamine Yamal \u2014 Spain \/ Barcelona<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#Desire_Doue_%E2%80%94_France_PSG\" title=\"D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9 \u2014 France \/ PSG\u00a0\">D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9 \u2014 France \/ PSG\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#Nico_OReilly_%E2%80%94_England_Manchester_City\" title=\"Nico O&#8217;Reilly \u2014 England \/ Manchester City\">Nico O&#8217;Reilly \u2014 England \/ Manchester City<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#The_Verdict\" title=\"The Verdict\">The Verdict<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Watch the <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\"><i>FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122<\/i><\/a><i> Final live on ZEE 5. Spain vs Argentina, July 20, 12:30 AM IST. Subscribe to the <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/myaccount\/subscription?plan-ref=0-11-7467&amp;asset-ref=0-6-4z5914493&amp;visibility=SELECTED&amp;context=FIFA\"><i>ZEE 5 FIFA Subscription<\/i><\/a><i> Quarterly Plan at \u20b9799 or the Annual Plan at \u20b91,699 \u2014 India&#8217;s exclusive streaming home of the tournament.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lamine_Yamal_%E2%80%94_Spain_Barcelona\"><\/span><b> Lamine Yamal \u2014 <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/spain\/spain-squad\"><b>Spain <\/b><\/a><b>\/ Barcelona<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Still first. Still the finalist.<\/p>\n<p>Against France in the semi-final, Yamal was the constant threat on Spain&#8217;s right \u2014 the player Deschamps dedicated the most defensive attention to and still could not contain. He kept finding pockets, kept combining with Porro and Olmo, kept pulling France&#8217;s defensive shape out of alignment in ways that created the corridors Spain eventually exploited. He scored a goal which was disallowed due to offside.<\/p>\n<p>He now plays in the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Final. He now plays against Argentina, who also prefer and excel at playing through the middle. Positionally, he would be up against Nicol\u00e1s Tagliafico \u2014 an experienced left-back who knows exactly how dangerous this teenager is. One more match. Whatever Yamal does in it, the case for this award is already made. Sunday night is just the final chapter.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Desire_Doue_%E2%80%94_France_PSG\"><\/span><b> D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9 \u2014 <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/france\/france-squad\"><b>France <\/b><\/a><b>\/ PSG\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9 won back-to-back Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year. His first goal at a World Cup came against Norway. France were in a deadlock against Paraguay for more than an hour. Then Dou\u00e9\u2019s dazzling run in the box got France their penalty. That was the only goal France scored in that match. He was also there with an assist for Mbapp\u00e9 in the quarter-final against Morocco. He had consistent performances across a difficult run of matches. He had his moments against Spain in the semi-finals as well. After France\u2019s 2-0 loss against Spain, this particular race is no longer his. He is 21 years old. He is just getting started.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Nico_OReilly_%E2%80%94_England_Manchester_City\"><\/span><b> Nico O&#8217;Reilly \u2014 <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/england\/england-squad\"><b>England <\/b><\/a><b>\/ Manchester City<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Premier League Young Player of the Year. He led England from the left back multiple times in this FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122. The semi-final itself offered him little. Eight minutes off the bench, introduced at the 82nd minute. O&#8217;Reilly&#8217;s contribution to England&#8217;s run was real and should not be diminished by the circumstances of the exit. His defensive intelligence, his reading of the game, his ability to track and neutralise wide forwards made England harder to beat. One of his most notable moments came in England\u2019s match against Norway. He backtracked and made a block to deny S\u00f8rloth.<\/p>\n<p>At his age, this finish is a foundation, not a ceiling. The award, though, was always going to require more visibility than this tournament gave him.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Verdict\"><\/span><b>The Verdict<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Lamine Yamal is expected to win this race. He was already ahead, and now it can be said with even greater certainty.<\/p>\n<p>Six matches. Constant, relentless threat from the right. La Liga Player of the Year at 18. A World Cup Final at 19. The Best Young Player award at the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 will also likely go to him \u2014 the only remaining question is whether, against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/argentina\/argentina-squad\">Argentina<\/a>, he gets one final moment to etch his name a little deeper into history.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Spain vs Argentina \u2014 the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Final. Watch it live on ZEE 5<\/i> <i>on July 20 at 12:30 AM IST. Don&#8217;t miss it.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Disclaimer: Subscription pack prices are subject to change from time to time. Please visit the subscription page for the most up-to-date pricing information.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The semi-finals have done what semi-finals do \u2014 reduced the field to its very last essentials. Three players entered the final week of this tracker. Two of them are now competing for the bronze medal. The Best Young Player award at the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 has one name attached to it. All that remains [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":15163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3019],"tags":[3640,3031,3598],"class_list":["post-17522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-best-young-player","tag-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-finals"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Sourav K","author_link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/sourav-k\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Young Player Race: One Left Standing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"FIFA 2026: Lamine Yamal leads the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Best Young Player race ahead of the final against Argentina.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Young Player Race: One Left Standing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"FIFA 2026: Lamine Yamal leads the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Best Young Player race ahead of the final against Argentina.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ZEE5 Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZEE5India\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-18T14:04:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1132\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sourav K\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ZEE5India\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ZEE5India\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sourav K\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sourav K\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b7f51287e926eac1996d50ea278b7033\"},\"headline\":\"Young Player Race: One Left Standing\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-18T14:04:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/\"},\"wordCount\":629,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Best Young Player\",\"FIFA World cup 2026\",\"Finals\"],\"articleSection\":[\"FIFA World Cup 2026\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/\",\"name\":\"Young Player Race: One Left Standing\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-18T14:04:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"FIFA 2026: Lamine Yamal leads the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Best Young Player race ahead of the final against Argentina.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png\",\"width\":1132,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"FIFA World Cup 2026 All Access Pack for \u20b9399\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"FIFA World Cup 2026\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/category\/fifa-world-cup-2026\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Young Player Race: One Left Standing\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"ZEE5 Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ZEE5\",\"alternateName\":\"Zee Entertainment Enterprises\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Appicon_Z5Global_512x512.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Appicon_Z5Global_512x512.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"ZEE5\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZEE5India\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/ZEE5India\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCXOgAl4w-FQero1ERbGHpXQ\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b7f51287e926eac1996d50ea278b7033\",\"name\":\"Sourav K\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6e67504e85eace1cfa60dcd37f6d3ebfe062cd8f24a419171fff86280ffae669?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6e67504e85eace1cfa60dcd37f6d3ebfe062cd8f24a419171fff86280ffae669?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sourav K\"},\"description\":\"With over 10 years of experience in sports journalism, Sourav is a passionate football writer who has been closely following the game since the 2002 FIFA World Cup. What began as a childhood fascination with football has evolved into a lifelong commitment to understanding and analysing the sport at every level. As both an ardent fan and a former football player, Sourav brings a unique perspective to his writing. He blends firsthand playing experience with in-depth statistical analysis. Having witnessed the rise and fall of footballing dynasties across multiple FIFA World Cups, UEFA Champions League campaigns, Premier League seasons, and international tournaments, he offers readers insightful, balanced, and engaging coverage of the beautiful game. His work is driven by a desire to make football analysis accessible to everyone, right from casual followers looking to stay informed to passionate supporters seeking deeper tactical insights.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/sourav-k\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Young Player Race: One Left Standing","description":"FIFA 2026: Lamine Yamal leads the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Best Young Player race ahead of the final against Argentina.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Young Player Race: One Left Standing","og_description":"FIFA 2026: Lamine Yamal leads the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Best Young Player race ahead of the final against Argentina.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/","og_site_name":"ZEE5 Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZEE5India\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-18T14:04:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1132,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Sourav K","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ZEE5India","twitter_site":"@ZEE5India","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sourav K","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/"},"author":{"name":"Sourav K","@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b7f51287e926eac1996d50ea278b7033"},"headline":"Young Player Race: One Left Standing","datePublished":"2026-07-18T14:04:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/"},"wordCount":629,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png","keywords":["Best Young Player","FIFA World cup 2026","Finals"],"articleSection":["FIFA World Cup 2026"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/","name":"Young Player Race: One Left Standing","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png","datePublished":"2026-07-18T14:04:13+00:00","description":"FIFA 2026: Lamine Yamal leads the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Best Young Player race ahead of the final against Argentina.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png","width":1132,"height":400,"caption":"FIFA World Cup 2026 All Access Pack for \u20b9399"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/young-player-race-one-left-standing\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"FIFA World Cup 2026","item":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/category\/fifa-world-cup-2026\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Young Player Race: One Left Standing"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/","name":"ZEE5 Blog","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#organization","name":"ZEE5","alternateName":"Zee Entertainment Enterprises","url":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Appicon_Z5Global_512x512.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Appicon_Z5Global_512x512.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"ZEE5"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZEE5India\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ZEE5India","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCXOgAl4w-FQero1ERbGHpXQ"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b7f51287e926eac1996d50ea278b7033","name":"Sourav K","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6e67504e85eace1cfa60dcd37f6d3ebfe062cd8f24a419171fff86280ffae669?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6e67504e85eace1cfa60dcd37f6d3ebfe062cd8f24a419171fff86280ffae669?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sourav K"},"description":"With over 10 years of experience in sports journalism, Sourav is a passionate football writer who has been closely following the game since the 2002 FIFA World Cup. What began as a childhood fascination with football has evolved into a lifelong commitment to understanding and analysing the sport at every level. As both an ardent fan and a former football player, Sourav brings a unique perspective to his writing. He blends firsthand playing experience with in-depth statistical analysis. Having witnessed the rise and fall of footballing dynasties across multiple FIFA World Cups, UEFA Champions League campaigns, Premier League seasons, and international tournaments, he offers readers insightful, balanced, and engaging coverage of the beautiful game. His work is driven by a desire to make football analysis accessible to everyone, right from casual followers looking to stay informed to passionate supporters seeking deeper tactical insights.","url":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/sourav-k\/"}]}},"blog_post_layout_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png",150,53,false],"full":["https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png",1132,400,false]},"categories_names":{"3019":{"name":"FIFA World Cup 2026","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/category\/fifa-world-cup-2026\/"}},"tags_names":{"3640":{"name":"Best Young Player","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/tag\/best-young-player\/"},"3031":{"name":"FIFA World cup 2026","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/tag\/fifa-world-cup-2026\/"},"3598":{"name":"Finals","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/tag\/finals\/"}},"comments_number":"0","wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png",150,53,false],"cvmm-medium":["https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png",300,106,false],"cvmm-medium-plus":["https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png",305,108,false],"cvmm-portrait":["https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png",400,141,false],"cvmm-medium-square":["https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png",600,212,false],"cvmm-large":["https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png",1024,362,false],"cvmm-small":["https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png",130,46,false],"full":["https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png",1132,400,false]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17522"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17523,"href":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17522\/revisions\/17523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}