What happened to the 20 wonderkids Bleacher Report tipped to be breakout stars in 2013
An article from Bleacher Report named 20 young footballers who were "poised" to be breakout stars in 2013 – so how did they get on, more than 12 years later?
To kick things off, author Allan Jiang tipped midfielder Amin Affane to make his mark with Chelsea after the Premier League side beat a host of clubs, including Real Madrid and Manchester United, to his signature.
At the time, Affane was on loan at Dutch side Roda FC. "Swede's touch-and-go approach to playing the game means he is a difficult player to mark," the reporter said.
He would later point out Chelsea's failure to nurture young talent in the past, like Lucas Piazón, Kevin De Bruyne and Islam Feruz.
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More than a decade later and Affane has been retired for five years after retiring from professional football at the age of 26. He played for Energie Cottbus, AIK and IFK Göteborg before hanging up his boots.
So what happened to the rest of the list?
19. Juan Quintero, Pescara, Attacking Midfielder, 19
More than a decade on and Quintero plays for América de Cali, who play in Colombia's top-flight.
After spending a season at Italian outfit Pescara in 2012/13, the attacking midfielder signed a four-year deal with FC Porto, where he spent six years. Previous clubs include River Plate, Shenzhen, Atlético Junior and Racing.
18. Jean-Paul Boëtius, Feyenoord, Left Forward, 18
Boëtius currently plays for German 2. Bundesliga club Darmstadt 98.
He spent three years at Eredivisie side Feyenoord before joining Swiss club Basel. Previous clubs include Mainz 05 and Hertha Berlin.
17. Tomas Kalas, Vitesse (Chelsea Loanee), Right-Back, 19
Kalas is a Czech Republic international who currently plays for Bundesliga side Schalke.
The defender spent nine years at Chelsea but the majority of that time was spent on loan with a number of clubs, including Middlesbrough, Fulham and Bristol City, a club he lated joined on a permanent deal.
He made over 100 appearances for the Championship club before joining Schalke in 2023.
16. Kurt Zouma, Saint-Etienne, Centre-Back, 18
Zouma currently plays for Saudi Pro League side Al Orobah, on loan from West Ham.
The defender joined Chelsea from Saint-Etienne in 2014 for a reported £12 million. He would go on to make over 100 appearances for the Blues before joining the Hammers in 2021.
15. Julian Draxler, Schalke, Left Attacking Midfielder, 19
Draxler, 31, currently plays for Qatar Stars League club Al Ahli. The German midfielder left Schalke in 2015 to join Wolfsburg. He later joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, where he would make 190 appearances across six seasons.
14. Heung-Min Son, Hamburg, Right Attacking Midfielder, 20
Son is a South Korea international who plays for Premier League side Spurs.
The 32-year-old left Hamburg for Spurs in 2015 and recently claimed 10th spot in their all-time most appearances list after playing his 436th game. He has scored 174 goals for the club in all competitions.
13. Marco Van Ginkel, Vitesse, Centre Midfielder, 20
Van Ginkel currently plays or Primeira Liga club Boavista.
The midfielder spent eight years at Chelsea but again, the majority of that time was spent out on loan with AC Milan, Stoke City and PSV Eindhoven. He eventually earned a permanent move to PSV in 2021 and spent two years with the club before joining Vitesse.
12. Bruno Martins Indi, Feyenoord, Left-Back/Centre-Back, 20
Martins Indi currently plays for Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar.
After spending four years at Feyenoord, the Netherlands international made a £6 million move to FC Porto. He would go on to make over 100 appearances for Stoke City before joining AZ Alkmaar in 2021.
11. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arsenal, Right Attacking Midfielder, 19
Oxlade-Chamberlain currently plays for Super Lig club Beşiktaş having joined the Turkish club in 2023.
The 31-year-old spent six years at Arsenal before joining fellow Premier League side Liverpool for a reported £35 million. He won the Premier League and Champions League under Jurgen Klopp.
10. Philippe Coutinho, Inter Milan, Attacking Midfielder, 20
Coutinho currently plays for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Vasco da Gama, on loan from Aston Villa.
The Brazilian left Inter Milan for Liverpool in 2013 and would go on to make over 200 appearances for the Reds. He then joined Barcelona for an initial £105 million rising to £142 million before making a move to Villa in 2022.
9. Raheem Sterling, Liverpool, Left Forward, 18
Sterling currently plays for Arsenal, on loan from fellow Premier League side Chelsea.
The winger spent three years at Liverpool before becoming the most expensive English player ever, joining Manchester City in a deal worth £49 million. He won a plethora of trophies at City during a seven-year spell.
8. Viktor Fischer, Ajax, Left Forward, 18
Fischer retired from football at the age of just 29 due to persistent injuries.
The former Denmark international was highly thought of during his spell at Ajax but he never quite lived up to potential. Previous clubs include Middlesbrough, Mainz 05, Copenhagen, Antwerp and AIK.
7. Tonny Vilhena, Feyenoord, Centre Midfielder, 17
Vilhena currently plays for Super Lig club Alanyaspor, on loan from Panathinaikos.
The midfielder spent seven years with Feyenoord before joining Russian Premier League side Krasnodar in 2019. He has since played for Espanyol, Salernitana, Panathinaikos and Alanyaspor, and has 15 caps for the Netherlands.
6. Romelu Lukaku, West Bromwich Albion (Chelsea Loanee), Centre Forward, 19
Lukaku currently plays for Serie A side Napoli and the Belgium national team.
After his productive loan spell at West Brom, the Belgian striker would earn a permanent move to Everton following another impressive loan. Previous clubs include Manchester United, Inter Milan and Chelsea.
5. Matija Nastasic, Manchester City, Centre-Back, 19
Nastasic currently plays for La Liga side Leganes.
After signing a five-year deal with City, the Serbian spent just two seasons in Manchester before joining Bundesliga outfit Schalke. He went on to play for Fiorentina and Mallorca.
4. Marquinhos, Roma, Centre-Back, 18
Marquinhos currently captains Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain and is a regular for the Brazil national team.
Just a year after signing for Roma, the defender joined PSG for a reported €31.45 million, which was said to be the highest transfer fee for a teenager. He has since become Paris Saint-Germain's most-capped player of all time with over 450 appearances.
3. Mattia De Sciglio, AC Milan, Right-Back, 20
De Sciglio currently plays for Serie A club Empoli, on loan from Juventus.
The defender spent six years with AC Milan before joining Juve in 2017 for a reported €12 million. He has since been loaned to Lyon and Empoli, and has 40 caps to his name for the Italy national team.
2. Raphael Varane, Real Madrid, Centre-Back, 19
Varane, 31, announced his retirement from football in September last year after suffering a serious knee injury.
The defender would enjoy 10 trophy-laden years with Real Madrid, lifting four Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles before joining Manchester United in 2021. He joined Italian side Como in 2024 but made just one competitive appearance before hanging up his boots.
1. Léo Baptistao, Rayo Vallecano, Centre Forward, 20
Baptistao currently plays for Segunda Division side Almería.
The striker earned a much-anticipated move to Atletico Madrid in 2013 but after making just five league appearances for Los Colchoneros, he left in 2016 following loan spells at Real Betis, Raya Vallecano and Villarreal. Previous clubs include Wuhan Zall and Santos.
Topics: Liverpool, Chelsea, Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Napoli
Jack Kenmare