The Irish forward has been named alongside some of the world’s best youngsters in this year’s GOAL NXGN Awards.
Ferguson has been a revelation since breaking into the Brighton team. The 18-year-old has netted six goals in 14 appearances for the Seagulls, and marked his first senior start for the Republic of Ireland with a debut goal against Latvia.
He is joined on the list by Brighton teammate Facundo Buonanotte. The Argentine joined Albion from Rosario Central in January and has so far made four appearances for the Seagulls.
But who else has made this list of the game’s brightest stars of the future?
The 50 unranked nominees feature talents from across European football’s biggest clubs – including FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
This year, instead of selecting a sole award winner, GOAL chose an elite group that they believe are the very top of the class – known as the NXGN Nine.
Here is part two – looking at the next 25 nominees for the NXGN award.
You can view the first 25 nominees here.
1. Football wonderkids: Brighton starlet named in top 50 list alongside Newcastle, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City hotshots - gallery
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Evan Ferguson (centre-right) has been included in a list of the top 50 best wonderkids in world football Photo: Getty Images
![Chelsea beat off interest from FC Barcelona to sign top Brazilian talent Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama in January. The 18-year-old became the youngest goal scorer in Vasco's history in June 2022, netting in a 3-2 Série B victory at Náutico. Santos captained Brazil under-20s to the 2023 South American U-20 Championship in February, scoring a joint-top six goals. Santos, who went returned to Vasco on loan in a bid to secure a UK work permit, was called-up by interim coach Ramon Menezes for Brazil's friendly in Morocco on Saturday [March 25]. He made his made his debut starting in the 2-1 defeat](https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjM4MGFlYzZmLWZkNzAtNDJhMi05ZmQ3LWZkMjdmNzNiMzg5ZDpmNjMzYWY5OC03NmE2LTRlODktYjJkYy05N2IyY2JkNmM0M2E=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
2. Andrey Santos - Chelsea (on loan at CR Vasco da Gama)
Chelsea beat off interest from FC Barcelona to sign top Brazilian talent Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama in January. The 18-year-old became the youngest goal scorer in Vasco's history in June 2022, netting in a 3-2 Série B victory at Náutico. Santos captained Brazil under-20s to the 2023 South American U-20 Championship in February, scoring a joint-top six goals. Santos, who went returned to Vasco on loan in a bid to secure a UK work permit, was called-up by interim coach Ramon Menezes for Brazil's friendly in Morocco on Saturday [March 25]. He made his made his debut starting in the 2-1 defeat Photo: JUAN PABLO PINO/AFP via Getty Images
3. Stefan Bajcetic - Liverpool
Stefan Bajcetic has been a revelation since breaking into the Liverpool first team. The midfielder became the Reds' youngest-ever player in the UEFA Champions League when he came on as a late substitute against Ajax in September. The Spain youth international netted his first senior Liverpool goal in December's 3-1 win at Aston Villa - becoming the third youngest player to score for the Reds in the Premier League, behind Michael Owen and Raheem Sterling, and the second youngest Spanish player to score in the Premier League, behind Cesc Fàbregas. An excellent January saw the young gun sign a new long-term contract in January, and win the Liverpool fans' Player of the Month award. Bajcetic, who has made 19 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool this season, suffered a season-ending adductor injury in March Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images
4. Eliesse Ben Seghir - AS Monaco
Eliesse Ben Seghir has been red-hot for AS Monaco since making his senior debut in December. The France under-18 international scored two stunning goals off the bench to secure a thrilling 3-2 win at Auxerre. The 18-year-old forward has since netted three goals in six Ligue 1 games Photo: VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images