Jorthy Mokio: The Ajax wonderkid who rejected Barcelona to follow in footsteps of Matthijs de Ligt & Jorrel Hato

The Ajax academy, or 'De Toekomst' ('The Future') as it's commonly known in the Netherlands, has a proud history of producing some of the best players on the planet dating all the way back to its creation in 1900. From legends such as Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Ruud Krol, Frank Rijkaard and Dennis Bergkamp to modern-day stars like Christian Eriksen, Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, Ajax have consistently seen their faith in homegrown talent rewarded en route to becoming the most successful club in Dutch football.

Those traditions are as strong today as ever, with Jorrel Hato the latest to be attracting attention from Europe's other elite clubs. Like De Ligt before him, Hato has defied his tender age to become a fixture in the Ajax defence, and it has been reported that Chelsea and Liverpool are both interested in bringing him to the Premier League after previous links to Arsenal.

Fortunately, Ajax are also adept at identifying generational talents from abroad, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Jari Litmanen, Luis Suarez and Dusan Tadic just a few of those who have joined the club's Hall of Fame down the years. As such, they already have a suitable replacement lined up if Hato does depart, in the form of 17-year-old Jorthy Mokio. In his first full season at the Johan Cruyff ArenA, records have tumbled around Mokio as he's quickly outgrown the reserves to force his way into the Ajax starting XI and earn a spot in the Belgium national team.

It's clear that Ajax have unearthed another gem with the potential to emulate the icons of the past. The question is: how has Mokio risen to the top level so quickly? GOAL takes a look below...