20 Best Young Phenoms to Watch in Sports This Year

Renato Sanches has made a name for himself as Portugal made its way through UEFA Euro 2016 to the final. Some have even compared the young phenom to his compatriot and international teammate—Cristiano Ronaldo.

But he's not the only one. All the time, young athletes are emerging as bright new stars. Recruits, prospects, Olympic hopefuls—they are the future of sports. And in this, an Olympic year, even more young stars are at the forefront of the sports consciousness.

From the first Olympians born in the 2000s to the next big thing in college basketball, here are 20 exciting and talented teenage phenoms to watch this year.

Age: 18

Miles Bridges is a 5-star recruit committed to play Michigan State basketball, per 247Sports, and his athleticism is impressive, to say the least.

In June, the 6'6" small forward tweeted a video of himself maxing out the vertical test. According to Kyle Austin of MLive.com, the 43-inch jump would have ranked third-highest at the NBA combine this year. His dunks at the Moneyball Pro-Am weren't half-bad, either.

Watch out for Bridges in the college basketball highlights in 2016-17.

Age: 17

English defender Reece Oxford made his Premier League debut for West Ham in 2015 at the age of 16. Bryan Nelson of Newcastle Toons called him "one of the most exciting prospects in English football from a defensive perspective."

Now, the teenager is the talk of the market. Simon Mullock of the Daily Mirror reported Oxford chose not to sign a contract with West Ham and might now be available for £10 million.

Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City are reportedly all interested.

Age: 19

There is controversy over Thon Maker's true age—that is, there are rumors he might be older than 19, per the Boston Globe (via CBS Sports).

Still, let's go with his age on record here and also just marvel at his athletic talent. The Milwaukee Bucks took the 7'1" big man at No. 10 overall in the 2016 NBA draft.

On top of the age controversy, it was also only through a loophole that Maker was even draft-eligible at all, not having completed a year in college. Stay tuned to see if the Bucks' decision will pay off.

Age: 16

American table-tennis sensation Kanak Jha will be one of the first Olympians born in the 2000s. He will also be the youngest male table tennis player in Olympic history.

Jha helped himself and his team qualify for Rio by winning the North American Olympic Qualification tournament in April.

USA Table Tennis CEO Gordon Kaye said, "He has this will and he has this determination, and it's really impressive to watch. Sometimes you scratch your head and say, 'That kid's only (16)?'" per Michelle R. Martinelli of USA Today.

Age: 18

Vashti Cunningham has a famous father (former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham), but she has also become an athlete to watch in her own right.

The teenage high jumper will compete for Team USA in Rio. Shalise Manza Young of Yahoo Sports called her the "youngest member of the U.S. Olympic track team in decades."

In March, Cunningham became an IAAF World Indoor Champion with a jump clearing six feet, five inches. She finished second to 32-year-old veteran Chaunte Lowe in Olympic qualifications, posting a jump of 6 feet, 5.5 inches.

Age: 18

Max Verstappen isn't just racing in Formula One, he's racing well. The Belgian-Dutch driver took home Rookie of the Year honors at the 2015 Autosport Awards and is continuing to wow in 2016.

Verstappen has already notched two podiums for Red Bull Racing—he won the Spanish Grand Prix in May and took second at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner called Verstappen and Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo the team's "best ever pairing," according to Matt Morlidge of Sky Sports.

Age: 18

For the first time in Olympic history, a team of refugees will compete in Rio.

Yusra Mardini is one of the 10 athletes on that team. The swimmer will compete in the women's 200-meter freestyle event.

Mardindi was born in Syria and later fled to Germany. On her journey, she and her sister helped push a boat of refugees stranded off the coast of Turkey bound for Greece.

"I want to represent all the refugees because I want to show everyone that, after the pain, after the storm, comes calm days," Mardini said, according to the UN Refugee Agency. "I want to inspire them to do something good in their lives."

Age: 19

Colombian footballer Marlos Moreno has been called a "prodigy" and a "wonderkid."

The Atletico Nacional forward scored his first international goal during the Copa America Centenario tournament in June.

Manchester City and Manchester United have been vying for Moreno's services, though Jack Gaughan of Mail Online reported City had agreed to an £8 million fee to acquire him.

Shoutout to Brazil's Gabriel Jesus, who is the subject of rumors involving La Liga juggernauts Barcelona and Real Madrid, per Goal.com.

Age: 18

Yana Kudryavtseva is a Russian rhythmic gymnast bound for Rio. The 18-year-old took all-around gold at the world championships in 2015 for the third straight time.

Like the American Simone Biles, Kudryavtseva is a favorite for the podium in her sport at the Summer Olympics in August.

Tune in to find out if she can live up to the hype (and also because rhythmic gymnastics is just sort of mesmerizing).

Age: 15

Owen Pappoe is an outside linebacker from Loganville, Georgia. He is listed at 6'0", 200 pounds by 247 Sports.

Pappoe recently became the youngest prospect ever to be invited to Nike's The Opening—an event for top high school football players to showcase their talent.

According to USA Today, Pappoe's nickname is "The Freak," and he has already drawn interest from big-time college programs like Alabama and Clemson.

Pappoe is still in high school, but college football fans should keep an eye on him.

Honorable mention to Jesus Machado—a linebacker who received an offer from Alabama as an eighth-grader.

Age: 16

At just 16 years of age, Australian footballer Ellie Carpenter has been named to the 18-player national team roster set to compete at the Rio Olympics.

Carpenter became the first player born in the 2000s to suit up for the Australian national team when she played in the Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament in Japan at just 15 years of age.

She also plays professionally for the Western Sydney Wanderers.

Age: 17

Sumail "Suma1L" Hassan Syed has taken the eSports world by storm.

The Dota 2 phenom from Pakistan helped his team, Evil Geniuses, take home six-figure prizes at the Dota 2 Asia Championships in 2015 and The International 2015. According to Rachel Gu of GameSpot, the success has made Syed a teenage millionaire.

Next up: Syed will compete as the position two carry for EG at The International 2016 in August.

Age: 16

Not only is Shareef O'Neal the offspring of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, but he's also a talented basketball player in his own right.

Listed at 6'9", 204 pounds by 247 Sports, O'Neal has already drummed up recruiting interest, though his father has indicated on The Big Podcast with Shaq (via ESPN.com) a preference for Shareef to play for one of the top coaches at LSU (Johnny Jones) Michigan State (Tom Izzo) or Kentucky (John Calipari).

LeBron James' two sons also appear to have inherited some of their father's talent, but O'Neal will hit the college basketball scene long before either one of them. Stay tuned.

Age: 18

Nineteen-year-old Lydia Ko has already made waves in the LPGA as a teenage phenom, but now she has company from Brooke Henderson.

The Canadian golfer is a former hockey goaltender who made Golf Canada's national women's team at age 14.

Josh Dubow of the Associated Press (via the Toronto Star) called Ko and Henderson the "top two women's golfers in the world."

Henderson defeated Ko in the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June to earn her first major victory, and the two are also competing at the U.S. Women's Open in San Martin, California.

Age: 19

It's not often a teenager plays in Major League Baseball games. And yet, the Los Angeles Dodgers called up 19-year-old pitcher Julio Urias in May.

One of the top prospects in baseball, Urias, a native of Mexico, started eight big league games and compiled a 4.95 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched.

He was optioned back to Triple-A in July to make room for a starter returning from injury, but keep an eye on this guy—the future looks bright.

Age: 17

Christian Pulisic is the youngest player on the U.S. men's national soccer team, and the word "prodigy" definitely gets tossed around next to his name.

The phenom saw playing time in the team's run through the Copa America Centenario, and he's also playing for the German club Borussia Dortmund of the Bundesliga.

Former U.S. U-20 coach Thomas Rongen said, "I really think that Pulisic is going to be the best player the United States has ever produced," per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

Age: 19

American swimmer Katie Ledecky is poised to make big headlines at the Rio Olympics. The 19-year-old will be the "prohibitive favorite" in three freestyle events, according to Bonnie D. Ford of ESPN.com.

Ledecky isn't new to the Olympic scene, but her legend has certainly grown. At age 15, she was the youngest U.S. Olympian at the London Games in 2012 and took gold in the 800-meter freestyle event. Now, she is the world-record holder in that as well as the 400-meter and 1,500-meter events.

Look for Ledecky to give Michael Phelps a run for his money in the "most talked about American swimmer" department.

Age: 18

In 2015, there was Connor McDavid, and in 2016, there is Auston Matthews.

The teenage hockey phenom was taken No. 1 overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL entry draft—to the surprise of no one.

The hype around the (possibly NHL-ready?) center reached McDavid-like levels, and it'll be fun to see if he can live up to the hype come the 2016-17 NHL season.

Age: 19

American gymnast Simone Biles is a three-time all-around world champion (before her 20th birthday). Rio will be her first Olympics, and to say the hype is real would be an understatement.

She's fun too. Biles threw out the first pitch at a Houston Astros game in July. Not only did she not botch the throw, but she also added a front flip. (See that 50 Cent?)

Check her out in Rio alongside American teammate and 2012 all-around gold medalist Gabby Douglas.

Age: 18

Renato Sanches is a Portuguese footballer making a name for himself on the national team's run through Euro 2016. He scored Portugal's only regulation goal in the quarterfinal win over Poland in his first international start.

Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich also signed the young midfielder for a cool €35 million in May amid competition from other big-time clubs like Manchester United.

Expectations are high for this one. Steve Douglas of the New Jersey Herald even called him "Ronaldo's heir." No pressure.