Caleb Yirenkyi is world's best playmaking U20 midfielder outside top 5 leagues

At just 19 years old, Caleb Yirenkyi has been officially ranked as the best playmaking midfielder in the world among footballers under the age of 20 playing outside Europe's top five leagues.

The CIES Football Observatory's latest performance index placed the FC Nordsjaelland and Ghana international at the summit of its U20 playmaking midfielder rankings, with a commanding score of 82.1 out of 100—a full 12.2 points clear of his nearest rival.

The right-footed Ghanaian, already capped at senior level, operates primarily as a central or playmaking midfielder but is equally comfortable at right back or right wing back. His versatility, combined with technical refinement and tactical intelligence, has placed him firmly on the radar of Europe's elite clubs.

"While the playmaking midfielder category regroups the fewest players, the score of the top-ranked footballer, Caleb Yirenkyi, is very high: 82.1 out of 100," CIES noted in its report. "Already a Ghanaian international, his estimated transfer value for a big club is up to €25 million."

The rankings evaluated players born in 2006 or later across 66 leagues worldwide, excluding the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1. Eight performance areas were assessed: air defence, ground defence, build-up, orchestration, take-ons, chance creation, finishing, and air attack.

Yirenkyi's dominance is underlined by the gap to second place—his own Nordsjaelland teammate, Denmark's Justin Janssen, who scored 69.9. The top 10 also includes highly rated teenagers such as Sporting Lisbon's Eduardo Felicissimo and Nashville's Matthew Corcoran.

The Top 10 U20 Playmaking Midfielders (Outside Top 5 Leagues):

1. Caleb Yirenkyi (Nordsjaelland, Ghana) – 82.1 2. Justin Janssen (Nordsjaelland, Denmark) – 69.9 3. Mathew Corcoran (Nashville, USA) – 69.3 4. Haine Eames (Central Coast Mariners, Australia) – 69.0 5. Oleksandr Soroka (Jong Gent, Ukraine) – 69.0 6. Mateja Prokopijevic (FC Cukaricki, Serbia) – 68.6 7. Eduardo Felicissimo (Sporting CP, Portugal) – 68.4 8. Elkin Rivero (Atletico Nacional, Colombia) – 68.4 9. Alejandro Granados (Club NXT, Spain) – 68.1 10. Renato Nhaga (Casa Pia, Guinea-Bissau)

Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea have all been linked with Yirenkyi, with scouts regularly attending Nordsjaelland matches. The Danish club rejected a €15 million offer in January and are holding out for a fee in the region of his €25 million valuation.

A move to one of Europe's top five leagues is widely expected after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Yirenkyi is poised to represent Ghana.

Also featuring in the rankings is 18-year-old Guinea-Bissauan midfielder Renato Sam-Na Nhaga, who placed 10th. Unlike Yirenkyi, Nhaga has already secured his next move, joining Turkish giants Galatasaray in January for €6.5 million on a four-and-a-half-year contract.

For now, Yirenkyi remains at Nordsjaelland—the top-ranked playmaking midfielder of his generation outside football's traditional powerhouses. But not for much longer.