What happened to the 11 players Marca named as the best U18 footballers in 2016 including Liverpool wonderkid

Back in 2016 Spanish newspaper MARCA put together an XI of the best Under 18 players in world football and nearly a decade on, it's fair to say the picks were a mixed bag.

In goal, the outlet opted for Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was just 16 at the time but well on his way to being the heir to Gianluigi Buffon's throne. He became the second-youngest goalkeeper in Serie A and played more than 250 times for AC Milan before moving on to PSG in 2021 and winning three league titles.

Still only 25, he captains the Italy national team and has been capped 69 times.

Right-back Cristian Manea was once heavily linked to Chelsea but the Romanian international never got his big move and is currently playing for Rapid Bucuresti.

On the opposition flank, injury problems have hampered Kieran Tierney, who made waves at Celtic and secured a move to Arsenal in 2019.

He is still contracted to the Gunners but spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad and is working his way back from a hamstring injury suffered at Euro 2024 with Scotland.

Compared to Rio Ferdinand, Reece Oxford was hailed as a huge prospect at West Ham after a stellar debut against Arsenal on his debut as a 16-year-old but he hasn't quite been able to fulfil his potential.

Oxford moved to Germany, first on loan to Borussia Monchengladbach and then Augsburg but hasn't played a game this season following on from persistent muscle injuries which came as a result of long COVID.

Joe Gomez has a steady career and won the Premier League with Liverpool, though he has struggled to be a regular at Anfield in recent times.

Moving into midfield, Youri Tielemans was predicted to achieve great things when at Anderlecht and after a spell with Monaco, he has gone on to cement himself as a top midfielder with Leicester City, Aston Villa and the Belgium national team.

Image: Getty

Meanwhile Renato Sanches was a recipient of the infamous Golden Boy award but struggled to get going at both Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. A former Swansea City loanee, he now finds himself back at Benfica for the season after an unsuccessful spell with Roma last term.

Ruben Neves progressed into a top midfielder at Wolves after a surprise switch from Porto but fans were left disappointed by his decision when he signed for Al Hilal for £47 million last summer after links to big European clubs.

The attacking trident MARCA went for sees Kylian Mbappe and Martin Odegaard provide support for Dominic Solanke in a very diverse mix. Real Madrid's No.9 Mbappe won the World Cup in 2018 and one of the best players of his generation, while Odegaard looked like he was set to become a failed wonderkid before turning things around at Arsenal, becoming club captain and growing into a world-class playmaker.

Image: Getty

Solanke did not do the business at Liverpool after joining from Chelsea but a strong season with Bournemouth last term led to a £60 million transfer to Spurs in the summer.

Here is the team in full:

Image: MARCA