Spanish football is full of talent, both on the bench and on the field. In every tier, not just in LaLiga or Liga Hypermotion, Primera Federación also has plenty of talent.

Spain's third tier has experienced a huge process of professionalization over the last five years: fewer clubs in precarious conditions, bigger investments from overseas, more accesibility for fans, who can now watch all their team's matches through high-quality streaming platforms.

This improving professionalism helps retain the abundant, young talent, which we will be talking about today. We have selected five young players under two conditions: they were born in 2003 or later and cannot play for any of the B teams in the two groups of Primera Federación.

Hamza Bellari - CD Eldense - 2003

Bellari is a left-footed winger who can comfortably play on both sides. The Moroccan, still owned by Valencia CF, experienced a great season last year in Segunda Federación, Spain's fourth tier, with Valencia's B team. He contributed to 4 goals, scoring two and assisting the other two.

At Eldense, he's shown how good a dribbly winger he can be. His performances in individual-related metrics have been solid. Among 66 wingers and attacking mids with over 450 minutes played in Primera Federación, Bellari is fourth in successful dribbles per game (3.5) and second in fouls won per game (3.59).

It's always important for this type of winger to be able to both successfully take on opponents and win fouls for his team. Bellari does exactly that.

With low outputs in metrics such as xA (expected assists), passes into the box, or completed open-play crosses, it is clear that he struggles to get involved in the aspects of the game that require combinative skills and vision to deliver the penultimate or final pass.

The contrast is evident when we look at the xG Chain metric, which measures how much a player participates in creating dangerous situations. If the player is involved in a sequence that ends with a shot, the xG of that shot is added to this metric.

Some players stand out because they orchestrate the team, others because they provide the final pass, and others because their role is to finish the play. Bellari belongs to this last group: only 11 wingers or attacking midfielders across the entire Primera Federación average more xG per game than the Moroccan (0.19), and only 17 of his counterparts surpass his average of 1.84 shots per game.

Still, despite not being the most associative player, Bellari’s verticality and directness benefit his team. His carrying ability can act as an individual solution against strong collective pressing from opponents. The Moroccan ranks above-average in his Primera Federación group for ball progressions, both by carrying the ball and via passing.

Enric Pujol - Nastic Tarragona - 2006

The sample we have of Enric Pujol is very limited, as is his experience in professional football. Last season, in his debut campaign, he played just 307 minutes. However, those minutes came in the most important matches of the season: the semifinal and final of the promotion playoff to Liga Hypermotion.

After failing to secure promotion, Pujol has become a regular in Nastic's squad over the season. As of last Saturday, he had played 90 or more minutes for the fourth consecutive match.

At 19 years old, the Catalan is a very promising centre-back who can play on either side of the defense, with a strong frame to challenge opposing forwards and enough aerial ability to be able to start games in this category.

With the ball at his feet, he stands out for his ability to progress play. Among 136 centre-backs with more than 450 minutes in Primera Federación, he ranks 15th, averaging 15.6 ball progressions via passes.

What's more interesting is that 40% of his ball progressions have been passess into the central channel, which is the most congested area of the pitch.

He stands out not only in terms of quality and volume, but also in the weight he carries within his team: when on the pitch, he is responsible for 14.1% of his team’s ball progressions, the 8th highest percentage among 71 defenders in his Primera Federación group.

Defensively, while his numbers show potential, they also highlight significant room for improvement. Pujol can be somewhat impulsive in duels (attempting many tackles, 3.28 per game), but his success rate is only 71.8%, well below the average.

Pujol is still at the beginning of his growth and learning curve, yet he already shows a generally competent performance for the category. A player to keep a close eye on.

Izan Gonzalez - CE Europa - 2004

The most eye-catching feature of Izan González is… his ponytail. Anyway, his game is very complete. It would be easy for someone to get distracted by the first thing and overlook the quality of this Blanes-born central midfielder.

At 21, he has already accumulated nearly 4,500 minutes over the past two seasons, proving vital for both of his teams. Last year he played for UE Cornellà, the club that still owns his rights; this year, he is at CE Europa, currently fourth in Group Two of Primera Federación.

Izan has a very well-rounded central midfield profile. He is reliable on the ball, losing possession on only 14% of his touches, but he also shows the ability to progress play. His 8.8 ball progressions per game place him in the top 40% among his peers. He is responsible for 10.4% of his team’s progressions, a figure above the average for central midfielders in his group.

Considering the roles and positions he usually occupies, Izan is a player without any notable weaknesses. He struggles to contribute dribbles and could be asked for more offensive output, but those are not the requirements of his role right now.

Defensively, he delivers his strongest performances, particularly in the number of defensive actions he completes. He is a player who always tries to anticipate or read the play before his opponents. Among 154 central midfielders with over 450 minutes in both groups of Primera Federación, his 7.67 defensive duels per game rank him 37th.

Izan is not particularly tall, but his aerial ability is another of his biggest strengths. His 3.63 score in our Aerial Efficiency model places him 13th out of 154 central midfielders. He wins 58.2% of the aerial duels he contests.

The Catalan player is already being linked to reinforce the squads of several Liga Hypermotion teams, meaning that, if this transfer goes through, he would have moved from the fourth to the second tier in less than a year.

Borja Vázquez - Ponferradina - 2005

The 4-4-2 formation, once one of the most popular offensive structures in world football, has now become the way many teams defend. However, there are still teams making the most of it—or at least trying to use it offensively. That benefits Borja Vázquez greatly.

Vázquez is mainly a wide player who play was a winger, wide-midfielder and even as a wing-back. He's tall and strong, has a a powerful stride and the ability to repeat efforts. His average top speed of 32.5 km/h, measured using Driblab’s physical data in Primera Federación, makes him the tenth fastest winger among the 38 in his group.

He can play on either side and has so far delivered encouraging performances both offensively and defensively. His 3.27 successful tackles per game rank him 11th among 74 wide players (excluding full-backs) who have played at least 450 minutes in both groups of Primera Federación. Also, his 2.53 ball recoveries per game place him 23rd out of 74. These are impressive defensive numbers for a clearly offensive player.

Offensively, his carries ara Vazquez's main weapon. They are also a useful tool for Ponferradina to progress play forward. Vázquez's figure of 2.8 progressive carries, those who get the ball closer to the opposition goal at least a 20%, is the fourth highest among wide players in Primera Federación's Group One.

Additionally, his ability to carry the ball forward is boosted by two complementary aspects: dribbles and fouls won. Among the 118 wide players with over 450 minutes played in Primera Federación (both groups), Vázquez ranks 21st in fouls won and is in the top 40% for dribbles completed per game.

On the other side, finishing is the area of his game where Borja Vázquez can improve the most. There are reasons to believe that doing so could lead to a significant leap in his performance. His shot volume is already solid, but the placement and danger of his attempts could be better. On average, his shots have a 5% chance of resulting in a goal—a very low figure for someone who shoots at a frequency above the league average.

Due to his team’s poor performance—a Ponferradina side closer to relegation than the promotion playoff, struggling to generate consistent attacking situations—Vázquez averages 1.77 touches in the opponent’s box per game. Across the entire Primera Federación, only 14 wide players (out of 118) register fewer than 1.77 touches in the opponent’s area per match.

Similarly, despite not having the influence inside the box that he would like, Borja Vázquez is very important for Ponferradina. He is responsible for 11.4% of the team’s ball progressions in the final third, a figure surpassed by only six wide players in Primera Federación. Additionally, when on the pitch, he completes 37.6% of his team’s passes into the box—another number well above the league average.

Alex Comparada - Pontevedra - 2004

Last season, Comparada scored 16 goals for Arosa SC in Tercera Federación, Spain's fifth tier. No player in our list played at a lower level last year. Even so, Pontevedra CF bet on him and the Galician has paid back the trust.

That said, he first had to go through a ten-match period of adaptation. Comparada played a total of just 27 minutes during that time. However, after his first start and goals against Merida, the striker has recorded eight starts in the last 11 matches, scoring five goals.

Compared to other strikers, Comparada doesn't take many shots. He stands out for his ability to find good shooting positions in low-service situations. His 0.36 expected goals per game points to a forward who, even in a Pontevedra side primarily focused on avoiding relegation, finds finishing opportunities with relative ease: basedon his xg figures, he's expected to score once every three games.

Comparada has scored 5 goals from 20 shots. He needs very little to score due to his ability to find shooting positions. On average, his shots have a 20% chance of ending in goal. Only 9 of the 109 strikers with over 450 minutes played in Primera Federación have a higher figure.

In other words, Pontevedra has a striker who does not spend much time in the box—his 2.89 touches in the opponent’s area are below the league average—but who is able to find dangerous shooting situations consistently, finishes with ease (scoring on 27.2% of his shots and directing 72.2% on target), and does not hesitate when he has a chance. He averages one shot every 11.6 touches, a figure higher than 80% of the strikers in the division.

Despite his young age, responsibility does not weigh on him. Comparada is responsible for 33.6% of Pontevedra’s expected goals per game when he's on the field.

There is one more aspect of Comparada’s game that stands out. We have often discussed the importance of winning fouls. If it is already important for a winger, it is even more so for a striker, as it gives his team time, provides breathing room during defensive moments in their own half, and can even create dangerous set-piece situations. Comparada wins 1.62 fouls per game, more than 73% of the strikers in his group.

In the future, Comparada will need to improve his ability to win aerial duels, both inside and outside the opponent’s box. Personally, I would not place much emphasis on his limited involvement away from the box, as I do not expect him to become the type of striker who contributes significantly in that area.