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<p>"The boy is a remarkable surprise."</p>
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alt="Who is Johannes Moser? Austria's teenage sensation leading the nation to the U17 WC final"
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title="Who is Johannes Moser? Austria's teenage sensation leading the nation to the U17 WC final">
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<p><span>©IMAGO</span></p>
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<p>Austria has made history before even stepping onto the pitch for Thursday’s U17 World Cup final. For the first time at any age level, Austria will compete in a World Cup final, largely thanks to the incredible talent of Johannes Moser. The 17-year-old midfielder excelled in the semi-finals against Italy, scoring first with an impressive counter-attack in the 57th minute and then adding a direct free-kick in the closing moments. His teammates have become accustomed to such standout performances throughout the tournament.</p>
<p>As Moser heads into the final against Portugal, he has already tallied three goals and assists in the group stage, alongside a goal and assist in a 2-0 victory over Tunisia in the knockout round. He netted two goals against England in the Round of 16, scored the lone goal in Austria's tight win over Japan in the quarter-finals, and had a notable brace against Italy. This means Moser has accumulated an impressive total of 10 goals and assists in just seven matches during this year's competition, outpacing every other player by three goal contributions. If he scores twice in the final, he will tie Victor Osimhen for the most goals in the tournament's history.</p>
<p>So, who is this teenage phenomenon? To gain more insight, we turned to Dorian Schuster, Transfermarkt’s Area Manager for Austria, to learn about the nation's emerging star.</p>
<p>“The boy is a huge surprise,” Schuster remarked about Moser's swift ascent. “He dominated the U16 league a few years back with Red Bull Salzburg, but didn’t shine as brightly in the U18 Youth League.” This aligns with Moser’s stats: he scored 17 goals in 20 matches for Salzburg’s U16 side but managed only eight in 21 games at U18.</p>
<p>Despite being versatile enough to play in central midfield, on the right wing, and even as a wing-back, Moser has exclusively appeared on the left wing in this year's U17 World Cup. Dorian added, “In April, he made his professional debut in the second division with FC Liefering (Red Bull Salzburg's reserve team) and has performed well; his standout moment so far came in the derby against Austria Salzburg, where he scored his first professional goal with a stunning free kick, helping to secure a victory for Liefering.”</p>
<p>Although Moser has recorded only one goal and one assist in 13 games for FC Liefering this season, he continues to excel at the youth level. If he brings the same determination and consistency to senior football as he has shown with Red Bull Salzburg and the Austrian youth teams, he will soon be climbing the ranks as one of the most valuable players in the Austrian Bundesliga. But for now, Moser has a World Cup final to focus on winning.</p>
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