What happened to the 50 'rising stars' The Times tipped to dominate world football back in 2009

A report from The Times in 2009 named 50 football starlets who had the potential to "make it big" in the not-so-distant future – so how did they get on, more than 16 years later?

From the brilliance of David Silva and Mesut Ozil to the Ballon d'Or-winning Karim Benzema, who would soon establish himself as one of Europe's top goalscorers at Real Madrid, the piece features some high-profile names.

But what about Ahmad Khalil, the striker who was expected to train with Chelsea, or Daniel Opare following his much-anticipated move to Los Blancos after starring in the 2007 under-17 World Cup.

Here is that list of 50 players who were touted for greatness.

50. Ahmed Khalil (Al Ahly)

At the time, Khali was the Asian young player of the year and was expected to train for a month with Chelsea as part of a deal between the Premier League club and the Asian football confederation.

He currently plays for UAE Pro League side Al Bataeh Club, who play in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

49. Will Buckley (Rochdale)

After a spell at Bolton Wanderers, Buckley was unable to find a new club for the 2020–21 season and announced his retirement. He is currently a football agent after setting up his own agency, WEB Sports Management.

48. Shannon Cole (Sydney FC)

Cole spent the majority of his playing career in Australia. He is currently the head coach of NSW League Two side Central Coast United.

47. Khalfan Ibrahim (Al Sadd)

Ibrahim won 90 caps for Qatar between 2006 and 2015. He played for a number of clubs in Qatar, including Al Rayyan, before announcing his retirement in 2020.

46. Sam Baldock (MK Dons)

Baldock left MK Dons in 2011 to join West Ham. He went on to enjoy spells at Bristol City, Brighton, Reading, Derby County and Oxford United before retiring in 2023. He accepted a role at Oxford United as a business development analyst.

45. Rabiu Ibrahim (Sporting Lisbon)

Ibrahim is currently a free agent. His previous clubs include Celtic, PSV and Kilmarnock.

44. David McGoldrick (Southampton)

McGoldrick plays for League Two side Notts County. His most notable spells include Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town and Sheffield United.

43. Patrik Ingelsten (Heerenveen)

Ingelsten is currently the manager of Swedish side Jönköpings Södra IF. His biggest move happened in 2009, when he joined Eredivisie side Heerenveen. He only made a handful of appearances for the club before moving to Norway with Viking.

42. Victor Moses (Crystal Palace)

Moses currently plays for Championship side Luton Town. After leaving Crystal Palace in 2010, he played for Wigan, Chelsea, Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham. The winger has also made 39 appearances for Nigeria.

41. Daniel Opare (Real Madrid)

Opare is currently a free agent. His previous clubs include Standard Liege, Porto, FC Augsburg and Antwerp. He last played for Belgian side Seraing in 2023.

40. Lee Chung-yong (FC Seoul)

Chung-yong plays as a winger for K League 1 side Ulsan HD and is a South Korean international. He joined Bolton Wanderers in 2009 and made over 200 appearances for the club during a six-year spell. He went on to play for Crystal Palace and VfL Bochum.

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39. Joao Miranda (Sao Paulo)

Retired in 2020. Previous clubs include Sao Paulo, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan.

38. Mark Beevers (Sheffield Wednesday)

Beevers, now 35, plays as a defender for Northern Premier League Division One East club Bradford. Previous clubs include Millwall, Bolton, Peterborough United and Perth Glory.

37. Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen)

Ozil retired in 2023 having played for the likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal and Fenerbahçe.

36. Kyle Naughton (Sheffield United)

Naughton plays as a right back for Championship side Swansea City. Previous clubs include Spurs, Middlesbrough [loan] and Leicester City [loan].

35. Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar)

Romero is still going strong with Boca Juniors. The 38-year-old goalkeeper, who has made 96 appearances for Argentina, has featured for Sampdoria, Manchester United and Venezia.

34. Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus)

After hanging up his boots, Giovinco is currently a club ambassador and special advisor for Toronto FC. His previous clubs include Al Hilal and Sampdoria.

33. Dan Gosling (Everton)

Gosling is currently the assistant manager of Watford under-21's.

32. Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)

Lewandowski is now widely regarded as one of the best strikers in world football. He is currently at Barcelona following prolific spells at Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

31. Jose Baxter (Everton)

Last played in 2020 for USL Championship side Memphis 901.

30. Jay Simpson (Arsenal)

Simpson retired in 2022 following spells at Hull City, Leyton Orient and Philadelphia Union. He was capped by England at youth level.

29. Jack Collison (West Ham United)

At the age of 27, Collison retired from his playing career following persistent knee injuries. He moved into management and recently took charge of MLS Next Pro side Huntsville City.

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28. Fabian Delph (Leeds United)

Delph retired in 2022, just months after leaving Everton as a free agent. His previous clubs include Aston Villa and Manchester City, where he lifted two Premier League titles and an FA Cup.

27. Mounir El Hamdaoui (AZ Alkmaar)

After leaving AZ Alkmaar in 2010, the former Spurs forward went on to play for clubs such as Ajax, Fiorentina and Malaga, as well as Excelsior, FC Twente and Al Kharaitiyat. He retired in 2022.

26. Mark Noble (West Ham United)

Noble is currently the sporting director of Premier League side West Ham, his boyhood club. The former midfielder made 550 appearances for the Hammers during an 18-year period.

25. Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse)

After leaving Toulouse in 2010, Gignac spent five years with Ligue 1 side Marseille before joining Liga MX club Tigres in 2015. The 39-year-old, who has 39 caps to his name for France, still plays for the Mexican club.

24. Piet Velthuizen (Vitesse Arnhem)

Velthuizen retired in 2021 following a short spell with Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard. Previous clubs include Hércules, Hapoel Haifa and Omonia. The former goalkeeper made one appearance for the Netherlands.

23. Guillaume Hoarau (Paris Saint-Germain)

Hoarau spent five years at PSG between 2008 and 2013 before joining Chinese Super League side Dalian Aerbin. He later played for Bordeaux, Young Boys and Sion. He now plays in the lower leagues of Swiss football, aged 40.

22. Keiren Westwood (Coventry City)

Westwood earned a big move to Coventry having impressed at Carlisle United. He went on to play for Sunderland, Sheffield United and QPR before playing his last game for Crewe. He has since established his own goalkeeper coaching school, the Keiren Westwood Goalkeeper Academy.

21. Nathan Delfouneso (Aston Villa)

Delfouneso, 34, is currently a free agent following a short spell at Northern Premier League Division One West side Hednesford Town. Previous clubs include Blackpool, Blackburn and Bolton.

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20. Thiago Silva (free agent, joining AC Milan in June)

Silva currently plays for Brasileiro Serie A side Fluminense. Previous clubs include AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

19. Mario Balotelli (Inter Milan)

Balotelli now plays for Serie A outfit Genoa. He left Inter Milan in 2010 to join Manchester City, where he spent three years before joining AC Milan. He went on to play for Liverpool, Nice, Marseille and Monza, to name just a few.

18. Angel Di Maria (Benfica)

Di Maria returned to Benfica in 2023 following spells at Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and Juventus.

17. Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough)

Johnson last played for Sunderland in 2016. He was jailed for six years in 2016 for grooming and sexual activity with a girl aged 15.

16. Diego Buonanotte (River Plate)

Buonanotte plays for Chilean club Deportes Temuco. His previous clubs include Malaga, Granada, Universidad Católica and Unión La Calera in Chile.

15. Sofiane Feghouli (Grenoble)

Feghouli last played for Turkish side Fatih Karagümrük in 2024. After leaving Grenoble, he joined Valencia and made over 150 appearances for the Spanish club. He went on to play for West Ham and Galatasaray.

14. Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli)

Back in 2019, Lavezzi retired from football at the age of 34. He played for Paris Saint-Germain and Hebei China Fortune before hanging up his boots. The winger made 51 appearances for Argentina.

13. Steve Mandanda (Marseilles)

The 39-year-old former Crystal Palace goalkeeper is currently the captain of Ligue 1 side Rennes. He has 35 caps for France.

12. Marek Hamsik (Napoli)

Hamsik, who is regarded as one of the best players in Slovakian football history, retired in 2023 following a spell with Turkish side Trabzonspor. He spent 12 years with Napoli before joining Chinese club Dalian Professional in 2019.

11. Carlos Eduardo (Hoffenheim)

Eduardo last played for Brasiliense in 2021. Previous clubs include Rubin Kazan, Atlético Mineiro and Paraná. He made 6 appearances for the Brazil national team.

10. Claudio Marchisio (Juventus)

Marchisio spent 13 years at Juventus before joining Russian side Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2018. He announced his retirement in 2019, aged 33, and is often seen on TV screens in his role as a pundit.

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9. Fabio Da Silva (Manchester United)

Fabio, 34, last played for Brazilian side Gremio in 2024. His previous clubs include QPR, Cardiff City, Middlesbrough and Nantes.

8. Jozy Altidore (Villarreal)

Altidore last played for the MLS outfit New England Revolution in 2023. After leaving Villarreal in 2011, he went on to join Dutch side AZ Alkmaar before spells Sunderland and Toronto FC. He has 115 caps for the US national team.

7. John Fleck (Rangers)

Fleck, a Championship Manager legend, currently plays as a midfielder for League Two side Chesterfield. Previous clubs include Coventry, Sheffield United and Blackburn.

6. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Wilshere is currently a first team coach for Championship side Norwich City. After spells at West Ham and Bournemouth, he announced his retirement at the age of 30 following an injury-disrupted career.

5. Douglas Costa (Gremio)

Costa plays for A-League side Sydney FC. Previous clubs include Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, LA Galaxy and Fluminense. He has 31 caps for the Brazil national team.

4. Radamel Falcao Garcia (River Plate)

Falcao plays for Millonarios, a Colombian team who feature in Categoría Primera A. After leaving River Plate, he established himself as one of world's best strikers at Porto and Atletico Madrid before joining Monaco. He would later feature for Manchester United, Chelsea, Galatasaray and Rayo Vallecano.

3. David Silva (Valencia)

Back in 2023, Silva retired from football at the age of 37 following a serious knee injury. He lifted four Premier League titles with Manchester City during a trophy-laden 10-year spell.

2. Karim Benzema (Lyon)

Benzema currently plays for Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad. After leaving Lyon for Real Madrid in 2009, he enjoyed an incredibly successful spell at Los Blancos, lifting five Champions League trophies amongst many others.

1. Hernanes (Sao Paulo)

Hernandes left Sao Paulo for Lazio in 2010 and would later represent Inter Milan, Juventus and Hebei China Fortune before returning to Sao Paulo in 2017. He ended his career in 2021, aged 35, following a short spell at Sport Recife.

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