7. AWER MABIL

23-year-old Kenyan refugee-turned-Socceroos poster boy, Mabil exploded onto the scene in 2015 at Adelaide United, and like many young Aussie footballers, shot off to Europe at the first opportunity, joining rising Danish powerhouses, FC Midtjylland. 

Ultimately Midtjylland was an apt place for Mabil to join: the Danish Superliga has become a hotspot for Aussies abroad (Mabil recently beat fellow Socceroo Mustafa Amini’s AGF, two weeks prior it was McGowan's Vendyssel FF) and it's easy to see why.

The Superliga coincidentally follows a very similar format to Australia - a 26 game regular season, followed by a top-six contended finals series. And while it's debatable whether the Superliga's quality is markedly higher than the A-League's, Denmark is a gateway to the lucrative European mainland.

The club's emphasis on youth development is particularly notable. Breaking from its historically stable mid-table existence, over the past decade a sterling youth academy has shot Midtjylland up both the Danish and European ranks (they now sit directly above former French champions Lille and Bordeaux in the UEFA club coefficient).

This is a club that, while Mabil was on loan to Esbjerg, beat Manchester United in the Europa League. Of particular interest are their partnerships with over 100 youth football clubs as far away as Nigeria.

In Denmark, following the conclusion of the regular season, the top six teams each play each other in a home-and-away fixture, with end of season points tally, rather than a Grand Final, determining the champion. With five goals and 10 assists, the Aussie winger has played a highly substantial role this season as a set starter for the Danish champions - who were favourites to retain their crown up until a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately for Mabil and Midtjylland, after coming so close to a second straight title, their hopes are now slipping away. While they're still second in the Championship round, back-to-back losses may end up costing Mabil the big one.

However, that's not enough to take Mabil off this list: He's in the final of the Danish Cup (May 18 if you feel like begging him on, bleary-eyed) so still stands a (very strong) chance of domestic glory.