Cristiano Ronaldo tipped five youngsters to dominate world football 10 years ago and only one is still at the top level
A decade ago, Cristiano Ronaldo named the five players he believed could go on to dominate world football – but only one of his picks is still playing at the top.
The 39-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, started out at Sporting Lisbon before rising to prominence during his first spell at Manchester United.
He then embarked on an on-pitch rivalry with Barcelona forward Lionel Messi during his time in La Liga with Real Madrid, before spells at Juventus, a second stint at United, and Al Nassr, where he currently plays.
There was a time when Ronaldo was rated as one of football's top wonderkids, with his generation subsequently dominated by himself and Messi.
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That era is now coming to an end, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Vinicius Junior and Erling Haaland now beginning to take over the mantle as the top players in world football.
Back in 2015, Ronaldo gave his view on who he thought could lead the way in the years to come – and while some of the names he gave he achieved significant success since then, others have been less fortunate.
In a sit-down interview with BT Sport, the Portuguese forward started off strongly, naming his then-Real Madrid teammate Martin Odegaard as one player he believed could shine.
Aged 16 at the time, the midfielder had joined Los Blancos from Norwegian side Stromsgodset.
It is at Arsenal where he is fulfilling that potential, becoming a first-team regular under Mikel Arteta.
During the interview, Ronaldo warned: "He has a good future ahead. We must give him time to learn, to take his best decisions. But I see a lot of potential in the player, he has got a good left foot."
Ronaldo went on to name Eden Hazard, who had recently won the Premier League title with Chelsea and the league's player of the season award.
The Belgian went on to replace Ronaldo at Real, but suffered four injury-hit seasons at the Bernabeu in which he scored just seven goals in 76 appearances.
After being released from his contract last summer, Hazard announced his retirement from football at the age of 32.
Ronaldo also picked Paul Pogba, with the Juventus midfielder going on to be named in UEFA's Team of the Year at the beginning of 2016.
After a club-record move to Manchester United, the Frenchman lifted two trophies in his first season but things eventually went downhill at Old Trafford and he rejoined Juventus.
He is currently a free agent after Juventus agreed to terminate his contract in November last year.
Ronaldo's fourth pick was Memphis Depay, who took Ronaldo's old number seven shirt at United upon his arrival in the summer of 2015.
He was hardly successful at United, but found top form at Lyon and earned a move to Barcelona in the summer of 2021. The Dutchman now plays for Brazilian side Corinthians.
Finally, Ronaldo opted for then-Barcelona forward Neymar as one of his future footballing stars.
While hardly the most surprising pick, given the Brazilian's ascent to football stardom already by this point, it did appear as if the winger would dominate world football for years to come.
It hasn't quite worked out that way after a world record move to PSG, which was intended to finally land Neymar his first Ballon d'Or.
After failing to add to the Champions League title he won with Barca, he joined Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal in a move worth up to £86 million.
Topics: Arsenal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Martin Odegaard, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Football
Ryan Smart