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.
17. Youssoufa Moukoko - Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund and Germany forward Youssoufa Moukoko has broken records left, right and centre. The 18-year-old is the Bundesliga's youngest ever goal scorer, the UEFA Champions League's youngest ever debutant, and the youngest player to ever play at a FIFA World Cup for Germany. Moukoko has netted 11 goals in 63 appearances for BVB and has been touted to become one of the best strikers in the world Photo: INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images
18. Brooke Norton-Cuffey - Arsenal (on loan at Coventry City)
Defender Brooke Norton-Cuffey has yet to make his debut for Arsenal, but has shone on loan at Football League clubs Lincoln City, Rotherham United and, most-recently, Coventry City. The 19-year-old was part of the England under-19 squad that won the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship Photo: Matt McNulty/Getty Images
19. Ethan Nwaneri - Arsenal
Ethan Nwaneri is already an Arsenal history-maker. The midfielder became the youngest player to ever appear in the English top-flight - a record that had stood since 1964 - following his substitute appearance against Brentford in September. The England under-17 international also became the Gunners' youngest-ever player in any competition, breaking the previous record set by Cesc Fàbregas. Manchester City and Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Nwaneri Photo: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
20. Gianluca Prestianni - Velez Sarsfield
Argentina under-17 international Gianluca Prestianni has become a regular at Velez Sarsfield. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are both reportedly interested in signing the tricky winger Photo: JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty Images