Cristiano Ronaldo Names Neymar, Paul Pogba, More Among His Top Young Footballers

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has picked out Barcelona's Neymar, Juventus' Paul Pogba and Manchester United's Memphis Depay among his top five best young players in the world.

His Los Blancos team-mate Martin Odegaard and Chelsea's Eden Hazard round out the list, with Ronaldo, 30, highlighting the 16-year-old Norwegian's huge potential at such a young age, per BT Sport (via MailOnline's Luke Augustus):

"You see many players with potential, I will mention Odegaard of Madrid for example, at 16 he's still young, but you can see he's a very good player. Hazard for example, the No. 7 of Manchester, [Memphis] Depay, is a good player too, Pogba and maybe Neymar."

Neymar, Pogba and Hazard have already established themselves among the world's elite, with the trio all having excellent seasons in 2014-15.

Hazard, 24, was the player of the season in the Premier League as Chelsea won the title. Per Squawka, he is currently enduring a surprising barren spell, but his quality is undeniable:

Neymar truly came to the fore with Barcelona last season as they won the treble, and he has continued to improve as he has taken up the mantle at the Camp Nou in Lionel Messi's injury-enforced absence.

Still only 23, Neymar is the captain and talisman of the Brazil national side and is likely to be one of the world's best players for years to come.

Similarly, 22-year-old Pogba was key as Juventus won the domestic double and got to the Champions League final in 2014-15, and the Serie A giants have valued their star midfielder at €100 million (£71.7 million), per Marco Ruiz of Spanish outlet AS.

Odegaard and Depay, on the other hand, have yet to prove themselves as true stars on the world stage.

For the Norway international that is understandable considering his youth, but he is under a lot of pressure having made such a high-profile move to the Bernabeu for £2.3 million.

Depay excelled as top scorer in the Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven last season, but he has failed to truly make his mark since he took up the No. 7 shirt—formerly worn by Ronaldo—at United following his £3 million summer move.

Even Ronaldo took his time to bed in at Old Trafford, though, and Depay has certainly shown flashes of brilliance that show he has the potential to become one of the world's best.

Why Paul Pogba Will Spend 2 More Seasons at Juventus

If any combination of footballer and agent have successfully executed their presumed plan for world domination, Paul Pogba and Mino Raiola warrant gold medals of some distinction.

At one point surplus to the Manchester United first team under Sir Alex Ferguson, the French midfielder has blossomed into arguably the world's best under-23 player. While his client hones himself at Juventus, Raiola has used the rapid ascension expertly.

No longer an out-and-out prospect but now a legitimate world-class option, Pogba's value has skyrocketed over the past three seasons. This has meant a larger profile and, in turn, copious rumours about his leaving Italy for pastures deemed greener. 

"Give youth a chance," is the lesson of Paul Pogba.

The 22-year-old, though, sees Juventus as a green pasture.

They gave him an opportunity at a massive club—whereas United failed—and have been more than accommodating in terms of matches, minutes and money (all while employing a venerable list of midfield talent).

Pogba, rightly so, feels a sense of loyalty to the Old Lady, as he recently discussed with Juventus' official broadcasting network (via Football Italia):

Juve are the first team where I started to play. They are the team who allowed me to go to the [France] national team, the team where I scored my first goal, so now they are the club of my heart.

They let me prove myself in football, and had the confidence in me to put me on the pitch.

How much do I love Juve out of 10? 10! Since I've been here, I have always given my best for the club, for the shirt, for everything. I play at 100 percent, always.

Paul Pogba will leave Juventus; the question is "when," not "if."

Loyalty is often mentioned but scarcely found.

As a general rule: One is not loyal, nor beholden, to an entity—rather paycheques. Most loyalty evaporates like fog when the sun breaks once money is removed, but we cannot discount the minute percentage of relationships that display true allegiance.

Pogba's connection to "the club of his heart" cannot be easily broken, and only the Frenchman can answer how much money per week is enough for him to leave Juventus—but his agent has an idea about the transfer fee.

Raiola, as reported by the Sun's Carl Long, told reporters: "There were three big clubs with [£60 million] on the table, or a little more including add-ons, which took the total to [£70.6 million]. But a deal was not concluded because Pogba didn’t want to leave and Juventus wanted him to stay for at least another year."

Given Juventus' iconic "No. 10" shirt, surely Paul Pogba will wear it longer than one season.

Summer 2016 seems the natural conclusion to this episode, but assumptions can be misleading.

Next summer's transfer window, however, will be invariably muddled by the European Championship. France host the tournament, meaning Pogba's plate should be full. Transfers are likely to happen early, though, which will set the table for chaos.

The three clubs Long's piece hints were chasing the young central midfielder are Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea; Raiola excluded Barcelona from proceedings, asserting the Catalan giants buying Pogba has "no chance."

All have the finical wherewithal to capture the 22-year-old, and should he become available, the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich or even Manchester United cannot be discounted either.

Moving during an already-chaotic period seems like unnecessary clutter. There's no real harm in waiting until 2017.

Raiola is waiting for the ideal time to move his prized asset, and Pogba apparently wants to further repay the debt he feels to Juventus for his career.

Next summer might be too early for both wishes to be fulfilled.

Summer 2017 would give Pogba five years in Turin, a healthy portion for any career, and ample time to weigh each potential next step without the added burden/pressure of carrying a nation's hopes on his shoulders.

In the end, he might find leaving Juventus makes no sense and decide to stay longer, or discover a club that further matches his ambitions.

Pogba Backs 'Old Man' Martial

Manchester United new boy Anthony Martial has the backing of Juventus star Paul Pogba.

Khune's Howler Makes The Rounds In England

Martial was the subject a £36 million transfer from French club Monaco to Manchester United on deadline day.

Pogba believes the 19-year-old has a bright future ahead of him and thinks Martial will have a big impact in the Premier League.

"I already call him 'little old man,'" Pogba told Telefoot.

"He's 19 and he's already very mature for his age.

"He has great qualities and very big potential. He's going to bring a lot to the French team and I'm very happy for him.

"Now he's changed club and he's going to get to know the Premier League. He's going to play with some big players and he'll make a lot of progress."

The United starlet also received praise from Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who is captain of the French national team.

"Above all, he's still a young player and a likeable guy," the Spurs man told reporters on Sunday.

"He's quite reserved but he's involved in the squad.

"He has to get his bearings too – it's never easy. There's been a lot of talk about him recently and he'll have to come to terms with all of that.

"He's going to continue his progress but he has big potential to become a great player."

'Van Gaal's Time Is Up'

The 19-year-old could make his debut for the Red Devils this weekend when they face Liverpool.

Do you think Martial could be a surprise package in the Premier League? Have your say in the comments section below. 

Did Paul Pogba turn down summer moves for a future at Barcelona?

The transfer window may be closed, but the rumours just keep ticking. As always, Transfer Talk has the latest and greatest. See all the summer deals right here.

TOP STORY: Pogba to Barca still in play

Transfer fans may now be finding out why none of the long-mooted summer moves for Paul Pogba to any number of suitors -- Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, et al -- never materialised. The 22-year-old French starlet may have had his sights set on Barcelona all along.

Mundo Deportivo are reporting that a deal for Pogba to move from Turin to Catalonia has been pre-agreed between the two sides and that legitimate summer offers for Pogba were turned back to honor said gentlemen's agreement between Juve's and Barca's sporting directors Beppe Marotta and Ariedo Braida.

This is certainly not a done deal at the moment by any means. For one thing, Barcelona will have to come up with quite the cash outlay to pay Juventus for Pogba -- Chelsea were said to have bid €85 million. Mundo has predicted initial offers to bring the midfielder to Barca will start around €100m.

DONE DEAL: Man United sign new Paul Pogba

Former Arsenal midfielder Matthew Willock has signed a new contract with Manchester United.

The 19-year-old, who turns 20 later this month, announced his big news on Instagram.

Willock posted a photo of himself putting pen to paper while sitting next to Louis van Gaal’s assistant manager, Ryan Giggs.

Four United youngsters have now signed new deals this week – Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Josh Harrop, Joel Castro Pereira and Willock.

Willock, who has been compared to Juventus and France star Paul Pogba due to his appearance and style of play, joined United from Arsenal in 2012.

His two brothers – Chris and Joe – are still on the Gunners books.

Marcello Lippi Backs Paul Pogba to Become Juventus' New Leader

​Marcello Lippi has hailed Paul Pogba as a genius and expects him to show that he is Juventus' natural leader after he was assigned the club's iconic No.10 shirt. 

The Serie A champions are preparing to defend their fourth consecutive Scudetto without the likes of Carlos Tevez, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal who left the club this summer, prompting the club to install Pogba as the new bearer of the coveted number. Pogba has also been linked with a move away from Turin but he now looks to start the new season as the main source of inspiration.

And Lippi believes the Turin giants' faith in the 22-year-old will be rewarded, backing the starlet to come of age this season and realise his full potential despite growing interest from Europe's top sides.

"Pogba is a born leader, and he deserves the No.10," the former World Cup-winning boss toldTuttosport. "By choosing to stay at Juventus, he showed his character.

"Now he must confirm his leadership skills along with his genius, by dispensing with parts of his game that are needless, such as tricks that he does in some areas of the pitch."

Despite the summer exits of the Bianconeri's key players, Lippi does not expect their title credentials to have taken too much of a setback, although he acknowledged the renewed threat coming from Roma and AC Milan.

Projecting Paul Pogba's 2015-16 season

Paul Pogba is not the kind of player to just go ahead and back down from a challenge. Maybe he's able to do that because he's a whole lot better than a good portion of the players he's up against over the course of any given season. Or maybe it's because he's got the maturity of a 10-year veteran despite still being so incredibly young.

There's no doubting that Pogba's desire to be world class teamed with his amazing array of skills has brought him to where he is today. And the same goes for Pogba asking to wear Juventus' famed No. 10 jersey — he not only wants to be the guy who is expected to produce, he welcomes the responsibility that comes with a number that's expected to produce. That means after the first No. 10 after Alessandro Del Piero's two-decade reign in Turin, Carlos Tévez, spent two über-productive seasons in the No. 10 jersey, it's now Pogba's turn to make his own mark after wearing the No. 6 for three years.

Pogba has basically brought the pressure that comes with having Juventus' most famous jersey number upon himself. Essentially, Pogba has channelled wrestling superstar — like, oh, I dunno, The Rock — and told the pressure one simple thing.

To be completely honest with you, seeing some pictures of Pogba this summer and how absolutely jacked he is physically, he could probably hold his own in wrestling's beloved squared circle. That just happens when you're blessed with incredible strength and skill. Pogba's got the size and strength to shed away would-be tacklers. His insanely powerful shots have become YouTube, Vine and gif sensations across the interwebs.

But the main difference between Pogba's upcoming season and his past three in Turin is pretty easy to recognize.

This, for all intents and purposes, can be dubbed The Season of Pogba. It's not only because he has politely asked for and subsequently taken over as Juventus' No. 10. (Although that does add a good bit to the equation.) But with the summer departures of both Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, Pogba's role in Juventus midfield has grown only that much more. Claudio Marchisio is still around, but Pogba is the star of the show as Il Principino flies under the radar despite continued awesomeness.

Throw in the fact that Pogba, at age 22, will be expected to star at the 2016 European Championships on his home soil 10 months from now and you have plenty of motivation for Pogba to take his already-impressive game to yet another level. And there's no doubting that he's capable of it, too. Now all that's left is for Pogba to actually do so.

We've seen him progress so much since he arrived in the summer of 2012 that it's hard to believe there's more room for Pogba to grow as a player. Yet, there is. Seriously, there is. He's still so young compared to some of the other elite players at his position in the game today that it's hard to think that anything other than "the sky's the limit" is applicable. Pogba's tally of eight Serie A goals last season was tied for second on the Juventus squad with Álvaro Morata. That's as a midfielder who played barely over 2,000 minutes in league play.

I mean, it's not even close to a common occurrence that Marcello Lippi is saying this about a player:

"Pogba is a born leader, and he deserves the No.10. By choosing to stay at Juventus, he showed his character. "Now he must confirm his leadership skills along with his genius, by dispensing with parts of his game that are needless, such as tricks that he does in some areas of the pitch."

(Source: Europsport)

That's what Lippi said about Pogba just a few short days ago. That's praise — and it's not the first time somebody has lauded the talent that Pogba brings to the table. He has garnered praise from some of the game's players both past and present.

No pressure, right? Right. But he can handle it.

PAUL POGBA 2015-16 PROJECTION (SERIE A ONLY)

Games: 33

Starts: 30

Goals: 11

Assists: 9