CIES have been ranking the best youngsters in world football based on their scientific formula, and their study has thrown up a very interesting finding.
The mathematical process takes into account minutes played, individual performance and team performance when ranking players, and one West Ham player has come out as one of the brightest young footballers in the world.
Indeed, Ben Johnson earned a score of 86.5 out of 100 in CIES ranking system, rating him as the second-best young full-back in the world – behind only Alphonso Davies.
Johnson was actually ranked as one of the best young players on the planet, ranking ahead of the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Dejan Kulusevski – two stars from Juventus and Tottenham.
Of course, fans of those clubs may disagree, but the numbers don’t like and CIES’ study has rated the West Ham man higher than both of these young stars.
Johnson is certainly a talent, but these numers put into perspective just how much he is achieving for a player of his age.
So much has been made of West Ham’s academy helping develop an elite talent in the shape of Declan Rice, but Johnson deserves his own fair share of credit as one of the Hammers’ best academy graduated in recent years.
At the age of just 22, Johnson’s ceiling is incredibly high, and his ability to play across the entirety of the back four makes him not only one of the best young players around but also one of the most unique.
West Ham have often been known as The Academy of Football, and between Rice and Johnson, the Hammers have begun to embark on a new golden generation.
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