Teenage talents out to take France by storm

One of the highlights of any major tournament is watching a bright new talent burst on to the scene, and UEFA EURO 2016 ought to prove no exception with ten teenage hopefuls looking to grab their chance.

The likes of Kingsley Coman and Marcus Rashford may be familiar names already thanks to their club feats, but they and their fellow teenagers face the greatest test of their potential yet. All ten, among the candidates for the Young Player of the Tournament award presented by SOCAR, must overcome stiff competition within their own squads before getting an opportunity to light up the competition.

• Rising stars vie for young player prize

They can nonetheless take inspiration from a stellar list of players to have lit up a UEFA European Championship before their 20th birthdays – not least Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, who are both back this year after sparkling on their major tournament debuts at UEFA EURO 2004. Before them, future stars such as Paolo Maldini, Patrick Kluivert and Enzo Scifo all graced the continental stage in their teenage years.

Curiously, three of the ten are in Switzerland's squad, and that trio will surely be mindful of how compatriot Johan Vonlanthen caught the eye in 2004, becoming the tournament's youngest scorer at the age of 18 years and 137 days. None of the current crop can pip that record – or end Jetro Willems' standing as youngest player – but each will be raring to leave his mark.

The teenage ten

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Ante Ćorić, Croatia
Age: 19
Position: Midfielder
Club: Dinamo Zagreb
Breakthrough moment: Became the fourth youngest scorer in UEFA Europa League history when he struck for Dinamo against Astra Giurgiu aged 17 and 157 days in September 2014.

Marcus Rashford, England
Age: 18
Position: Forward
Club: Manchester United
Breakthrough moment: A late replacement for the injured Anthony Martial, Rashford scored twice on his United debut in a UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie against Midtjylland in February.

Kingsley Coman, France
Age: 19
Position: Forward
Club: Bayern (on loan from Juventus)
Breakthrough moment: Already a UEFA Champions League runner-up with Juventus, scored and provided an assist to turn the tide for Bayern against his parent club in this season's round of 16.

Bartosz Kapustka, Poland
Age: 19
Position: Midfielder
Club: Cracovia
Breakthrough moment: Found the net 11 minutes into his Poland debut last September, coming off the bench to score the last goal in an 8-1 UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying win against Gibraltar.

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Renato Sanches, Portugal
Age: 18
Position: Midfielder
Club: Bayern
Breakthrough moment: Announced himself with a thunderous strike from 30 metres out as Benfica beat Académica in December – his maiden goal for the club he left for €35m in May.

Nico Elvedi, Switzerland
Age: 19
Position: Defender
Club: Mönchengladbach
Breakthrough moment: Earned a call-up to Switzerland's UEFA EURO 2016 squad just two days after his senior debut against Belgium, being preferred to the experienced Philippe Senderos.

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Denis Zakaria, Switzerland
Age: 19
Position: Midfielder
Club: Young Boys
Breakthrough moment: Was also capped for the first time against Belgium last month, having scored his maiden Swiss top-flight goal as Young Boys overcame St Gallen 2-1 back in November.

Breel Embolo, Switzerland
Age: 19
Position: Forward
Club: Basel
Breakthrough moment: Turned heads as the sixth youngest scorer in UEFA Champions League history with an expertly taken opener for Basel in their 4-0 success against Ludogorets in November 2014.

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Emre Mor, Turkey
Age: 18
Position: Forward
Club: Nordsjælland
Breakthrough moment: Earned comparisons with Lionel Messi as he showed incredible skill to slip past three defenders and angle in a shot during Nordsjælland's 2-0 win against København in March.

Olexandr Zinchenko, Ukraine
Age: 19
Position: Midfielder
Club: Ufa
Breakthrough moment: Broke Andriy Shevchenko's record as Ukraine's youngest goalscorer when he struck against Romania in his second appearance on 29 May.