Though yet to turn 21, they have not had to wait long to make their entrance into the world of international football. A host of promising young players received maiden call-ups for their countries in 2023, some of them without having starred at youth level. Mindful that the future of football is always played out in the present, FIFA looks back at the maiden national-team appearances of nine young players with big careers ahead of them.

Lamine Camara, 19, Senegal
Camara has had quite a year. The latest young talent to roll off the production line at Senegalese club Generation Foot, he won his first senior cap in January at the 2022 CAF African Nations Championship, helping the Lions of Teranga to claim the trophy. His career then took off, with a move to Metz following in February. It did not take the versatile midfielder long to impress for his new club, as he made 17 Ligue 1 appearances, showing a maturity beyond his years. There have also been a further eight appearances for his country, two of them coming in FIFA World Cup 26™ qualifiers: a 4-0 defeat of South Sudan and a goalless draw with Togo.

Benjamin Cremaschi, 18, USA
Cremaschi has also had a year to remember. When his club, Inter Miami, were going through a tough patch, along came a certain Lionel Messi in August to change everything, with the Florida outfit lifting the Leagues Cup. In the process, Cremaschi enjoyed the steepest of learning curves alongside the likes of Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. The son of a former Argentinian rugby player and a hockey player, the US midfielder earned his first cap for the Stars and Stripes in the 4-0 win over Oman in September. Given his talent and potential, that match may well have marked the start of a long and successful international career – and one that could well take in the next FIFA World Cup™ in his home country.