Football’s Young Unicorns: The Uncategorizable
Whether we all like it or not, football is in the midst of an efficiency revolution. See it in the sudden uptick in tactical directness, as teams toss control to the side in favor of getting the ball to goal as quickly as possible; see it in the emphasis on set plays, as juggernauts like Arsenal drive the world crazy with their emphatically well-rehearsed long-throw and corner kick routines; see it however you’d like, but the revolution is here, and its effects will be lasting.
What does it all mean? Is it a sign that teams are getting smarter? Maybe. Does it make football more boring? Who knows. One thing is for certain, however: the arms race for maximum efficiency has created an acute sense of developmental homogenization. It is hard to find players breaking through today that eschew categorization, that reject footballing archetypes through the sheer idiosyncrasy of their profiles.
But still, some of these thrilling members of the on-field avant-garde do exist. There are still maverick talents out there who are like no other, young guys who insist on doing things their own way. I have compiled a list of four 23-year-olds and under who exemplify this individuality from across the globe. Will all of these players be world-beaters? Maybe not. But these guys are without a doubt flying the flag for absolute singularity in the modern game.
Anosike Ementa, Zulte Waregem, Denmark, 23 years old
Anosike Ementa is a center-forward who has scored three goals in 26 games (and over 2000 minutes) for Zulte Waregem in the Belgian Pro League this season. Not hugely impressive. What else could there be to say?
Well, quite a lot actually. It is impossible to talk about Ementa without first mentioning his height – at an unfathomably tall six foot eight, he is quite literally one of the largest footballers on the face of the Earth. Needless to say, he looks every inch of that frame – watch Ementa strutting his stuff, and witness a tree amongst shrubs, a guy who hangs over defenders like a cloud. It’s thoroughly intimidating stuff.
So what does this man, gargantuan, do with his physical tools? Not exactly what you would expect, as it turns out. Ementa is endearingly twinkle-toed – although not incredibly quick, he still completes almost a dribble and a half per 90 minutes (with a success rate of over 50%) with an arsenal of ball rolls and subtle jinks. Hugely intelligent, he creates more chances (two) per 90 minutes than any other center forward in the Belgian top flight, and the numbers are matched by the eye test.
While he does excel at layoff-heavy, traditional center forward hold-up play, Ementa has exceptional vision beyond this, frequently dropping deep to thread devastatingly accurate through balls on to onrushing teammates. And when faced with the opposition keeper, he is also a frequent purveyor of the cheeky dink and the sultry sidefoot; seldom does Ementa lash the ball into the onion basket harder than he has to.
This is not to say that the big man isn’t good at all of the age-old big man activities. In fact, he’s incredible at many of them. Ementa wins eight (EIGHT) aerial duels per 90 minutes at a 60% success rate, which is (once again) the most of any player in the entire Belgian Pro League.
He’s not an easy guy to push off the ball, either, and he has a tendency to bounce defenders as if made of rubber while on the dribble. And he never stops running out of possession, having no qualms about hurtling into his own half in open play or putting his body on the line defending set pieces.
There are certainly gaps in Ementa’s game. His low shot numbers (1.5 per 90) are not just an interesting statistical quirk; they’re supremely annoying to his own club side, who have (often futilely) had to rely upon goals from deeper positions throughout the 2025-26 season.
And Ementa is already 23 (one of the older players on this list), so the likelihood of him suddenly developing into an absolute shot-monster is perhaps low. He’s the kind of guy that needs supplementing by either a more trigger-happy strike partner or a pair of direct inside-forwards. Nonetheless, Ementa is still an ineffably unique player, a gentle giant who should have larger clubs intrigued.
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Rufai Mohammed, Elfsborg, Ghana, 20 years old
At the other side of the pitch, center back Rufai Mohammed is, in some ways, similar to Anosike Ementa. He is also towering (standing at six foot three), with telescopic legs and a tendency to win everything in the air – on loan at Allsvenskan side IFK Värnamo last season, he won almost five aerial duels per 90 minutes at a 73% success rate.
But while Ementa is a striker who can’t stop doing midfielder-y, defender-y stuff, Mohammed just can’t get enough of the fun going forward. He is an absolutely remarkable ball carrier for a guy in his position, averaging nearly 1 successful dribble per 90 on 86% efficiency in 2025. He gallivants up the pitch with great frequency, circumnavigating pressing forwards en route to spraying witty, instigating forward passes (he was in the top 10 percent of all Allsvenskan center backs last year for successful long balls, and created 0.5 open-play chances per 90).
There is a sort of comforting languidity to the way that Mohammed runs with the ball; unimpeachably calm, taking deliberate strides of impressive length, sidestepping dangling legs with panache. The tranquility translates to the off-ball phases, too. In 1v1 scenarios, Mohammed seldom blinks first, always knowing the right time to step in with a timely block or interception. Don’t mistake the lack of anxiety for a lack of effort; in the duel, Mohammed frequently bodies and tackles opposition players into the stratosphere. Nonetheless, that old-fashioned air of defensive elegance is still palpable in his game.
There are consequences to Mohammed’s cavalier play, of course. His club side, Värnamo, ended up conceding more than any other team in the Swedish top flight last year (they shipped 12 more goals than the second-leakiest defense) and went down in last place. Värnamo’s frequent lack of game control, therefore, really laid bare the consequences of Mohammed getting caught out of position, which happened more often than one would have liked.
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But now, Mohammed finds himself back at parent club Elfsborg, which maintains an institutional presence within the Swedish top flight. With a more talented roster around him, and neighboring pieces that align more ergonomically with his skillset, it will be fascinating to track the center back’s growth this year – let’s just hope that his new side lets him be himself.
Breno Bidon, Corinthians, Brazil, 21 years old
It’s been a long while since Brazil has had a true flair player in midfield. In recent years, this region of the pitch has been populated by guys with more workmanlike profiles; think Casemiro, Fabinho, Bruno Guimaraes. This follows modern trends, in an era where midfielders are often asked to make things as simple as possible, to remain organized above all else, resolute.
Corinthians’ Breno Bidon is not that kind of player, but he could very well be Selecao’s next showman. Comfortable playing as a number eight or a number ten, Bidon broke through into his club’s first team two years ago, but has been a regular ever since. He has been largely overlooked by European scouts; that will change very soon.
Bidon is an utter joy to watch on the ball. He handles the ball as if it’s a piece of fine china, sending tough-tackling midfielders into bouts of dizziness with an array of body-swaying flicks and jinks (he has completed 1.2 dribbles per 90 in the Brazilian top flight this season, on a brilliant 83% efficiency). He has a winger-esque ability to turn on a dime, and is, in fact, not uncomfortable in the wide areas, driving down the flank or cutting inside.
He is also someone who has an evident, acute understanding of space, when to drive, and when to beckon forth his opponent to create room for others. There’s a bit of Moussa Dembele to Bidon – although he may not be as dispossession-proof as the big Belgian, there is still something reminiscent about those tight corners that the Brazilian wriggles out of time and time again, the impossibility of the angles that are navigable by the youngster.
This on-ball prowess is certainly Bidon’s prized asset, but he is a serviceable ball-player and finisher too. There is a bit of Bernardo Silva to the unique threat that he poses in the half-spaces, not necessarily creating chance after chance himself per se (a modest 1.21 per 90 so far this season), but frequently playing the dish-out before the final dish-out, remaining resolutely unafraid of risky, progressive passing.
He has also shown immense signs of growth in other areas of his game. Largely a defensive non-factor in the 2025 Brasileirao season, his numbers have jumped up a level this year; he is completing 1.7 tackles per 90 minutes and is seldom dribbled past. There is a bit of a wildness to his press that needs refining, and he frequently breaks Corinthians’ shape with his endeavors… but the enthusiasm is there, and that’s the important thing. Truly, a unique amalgamation of brains and brawn.
Ange Martial Tia, Reims, Mali, 19 years old
And speaking of unique amalgamations, Ange Martial Tia, currently plying his trade with Reims in the French second tier, is an utter positional unicorn. He’s a number eight who can also play as a number 10. Or as a number six. Or as a center forward. Or on the right wing, as a matter of fact. Basically, plop Tia down anywhere beyond the backline, and he’ll probably do a pretty good job for you.
But to give even the most vague of classifications, for much of this season, Tia has played as a sort of deeply removed second striker, blessing his team with undying vertical movement. He drops deep off the ball to press feverishly in the midfield, leaving no breathing room for the opposition and perpetually emerging victorious from his duels (he has won six and a half per 90 minutes on 52% efficiency through 2025-26).
Indeed, Tia possesses strength that belies his unassuming frame, which also comes in handy in possession as he hurtles into the box time and time again, Frank Lampard-style, to fire off menacing shots from the perimeter. He’s a gifted passer, albeit not a wholly creative one; the teenager is clearly aware of these limitations, though, and he excels at getting the ball to more astute lock-pickers before bursting into dangerous zones himself to get on the end of their deliveries. And he can whip in a threatening dead ball, too – an invaluable asset for today’s game.
Tia perhaps lacks the nous to play as a lone number 9, but that doesn’t mean he can’t do some center-forward things. He excels in the air, and the sheer diversity of his finishing arsenal is of note – sidefoots, lashes, toe-pokes, the works.
So, where next for Ange? It’s not quite clear. Scouting departments may balk at a prospect who is as nebulous as Tia, with such an idiosyncratic patchwork of strengths. They’d be wrong to do so. A guy as talented as Tia is bound to make a dent in the big leagues one day, whether it’s in defensive midfield, or attacking midfield, or as an eight, or… You get the idea.
By: Max Newman
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Hugo Pfeiffer / Icon Sport