CIES Names Best U23 Footballers: Only One Representative from Armenia

The international research center CIES Football Observatory has published its 542nd weekly report analyzing the performances of under-23 footballers across 67 leagues worldwide. The ranking is based on a comprehensive assessment of players’ impact on their teams, taking into account eight game aspects, match level, results, and playing time over the past six months.

Only one Armenian representative made the list of the best U23 players by league — central defender Georgiy Harutyunyan of Hungarian club “Puskás Akadémia.”

The 21-year-old footballer received a score of 67.1 out of 100. Analysts particularly highlighted his strength in Build Up (the initial attacking phase), meaning his ability to progress the ball from defense through short and medium passes when building from the back.

Interestingly, this very component remains a problematic area for the Armenian national team, including in matches featuring Harutyunyan himself. However, at club level, the defender demonstrates confident and consistent performances in this aspect.

Armenian players who were considered candidates but did not make the final ranking include: Artyom Bandikyan, Grant-Leon Ranos, Stepa Mkrtchyan, Pavel Gorelov, David Hakobyan, and Irakli Egoyan.

Best U23 Footballers According to CIES

• Lamine Yamal — 100
• Kenan Yıldız — 96
• Warren Zaïre-Emery — 94.3

The report also highlighted positional leaders:
Pau Cubarsí (centre-backs),
Warren Zaïre-Emery (full-backs),
Aleksandar Pavlović (central midfielders),
Kenan Yıldız (attacking midfielders),
Lamine Yamal (wingers), and
Vitor Roque (forwards).

Thus, Georgiy Harutyunyan remains the only Armenian footballer included in the global CIES U23 ranking, confirming his international potential.