Who or what are the next big things in world sport?

PEOPLE are always searching for the next big thing.

In no field is that more true than professional sports, where young stars nowadays are so often household names before they can legally buy a beer.

But who among the current crop of prodigies and upstarts will go on to conquer the world?

This is our top five.

Gabriel Jesus

Soccer player
Age: 19
Nationality: Brazil

Eastlands is awash with superstar talent, but this youngster from Sao Paulo might well be the best of a very, very good bunch.

Gabriel Jesus has made an immediate impact at Manchester City since arriving from Palmeiras in January 2017.

Blessed with pace, skill and a mature physique, he netted three goals in his first four Premier League games before suffering a foot injury in February.

He has also struck four times in six appearances for Brazil.

Most impressive of all is Gabriel’s appetite for the contest and his willingness to put in the hard yards – such a rare commodity in a teenage forward.

The English football media are already lauding Jesus as a once-in-a-generation player, and all signs suggest they are right on the money.

Jon Rahm

Golfer
Age: 22
Nationality: Spain

There is plenty of competition for the title of ‘next big thing in golf’.

The unorthodox Bryson DeChambeau is a strong contender, while Curtis Luck – the 20-year-old Australian amateur – has impressed pundits worldwide with his mature, unflustered approach to the game.

But those in the know will tell you the best bet of the next crop is a hard-hitting Basque who turned many a head during his time at Arizona State.

Rahm won the prestigious Ben Hogan Award in both 2015 and 2016, becoming the first two-time recipient of the highest individual honour in US college golf.

He promptly backed that up with a promising display at Oakmont in the 2016 US Open, where he tied for 23rd to finish as top amateur.

Now with a professional win under his belt after claiming the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2017, Rahm is one to watch on this year’s PGA Tour and beyond.

Katie Ledecky

Swimmer
Age: 19
Nationality: United States

Can you call someone a future superstar when they already have a stack of Olympic gold medals on their mantle?

Ledecky is, quite simply, the biggest thing to happen to swimming since Michael Phelps.

She shocked us all at London 2012 when, at a mere 15 years of age, she took out gold in the 800m freestyle.

Clean sweeps of the 2014 Pan Pacific and the 2015 World Championships followed, so it was no surprise when she scooped four gold medals and a silver at Rio 2016.

What is frightening about Ledecky is how much more she has left to give.

The young Washingtonian is already one of the world’s most successful female swimmers, but she may well become the greatest Olympic athlete of all time if she keeps this up.

Nick Kyrgios

Tennis player
Age: 21
Nationality: Australia

People forget this guy is only 21 years old.

The way people the Australian public and the media talk about him, you would think Kyrgios was a seasoned pro.

His talent is there for all to see, which is why pundits and former stars from all over the world continue to hail the young Canberran as a future Grand Slam champion.

While a bad attitude has restricted Nick’s progress on the senior stage and turned off many a die-hard Aussie tennis fan, there is hope for him yet.

John McEnroe had a reasonable career despite his uncontrollable temper, while the likes of Andre Agassi, Marat Safin and even the great Roger Federer were notoriously unprofessional in their younger and more vulnerable years.

They did not suffer anything like the same scrutiny in their youth as Kyrgios, who is already Australia’s best player in the barren years that have followed Lleyton Hewitt’s heyday.

Give him time to mature and he may yet deliver on his immeasurable promise.

The eSports revolution

This is truly the next big thing in the world of sports.

Competitive video gaming has built up a strong following in recent years through online shooter titles such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Defense of the Ancients 2 (Dota2) and League of Legends (LoL).

Nearly 20,000 fans rocked up to the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the 2016 LoL World Championship finals, which prompted organisers of the LA 2020 Olympics bid to include eSports as a potential new event.

But it is through virtual sports, not guns-and-ammo killfests, that pro gaming will crack the mainstream.

The wheels are already in motion for the 2018 launch of the NBA 2K eLeague, which will see expert button-mashers represent some of America’s biggest sporting franchises.

The project is already being hailed as a certain success, with rival leagues such as the MLB, NFL and NHL sure to follow suit.

Mark our words: eSports are about the conquer the world.

Check out the wide range of eSports markets for CS:GO, Dota2, LoL and more at Sportsbet.com.au.

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