What Happened to the 10 Players Sky Sports Tipped to Dominate in 2014
Back in 2014, Sky Sports published a list of top talents they predicted would dominate world football - though it didn't quite all go to plan.
Everyone loves a wonderkid, particularly when spotted at a young age before they hit the big-time.
Of course it is near-impossible to predict how a player's career could possibly pan out from their early days but in a feature for Sky Sports, Daniel Storey attempted to shine a light on a 10 players who had the ability to achieve great things in the game.
But over a decade on and it would be fair to say that the list was very much a mixed bag, with extremely different circumstances across the board.
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Without further ado, here are the 10 prospects Sky tipped for top careers.
Doria
Centre-back Doria was tipped as a long-term partner for Thiago Silva in the Brazilian national team but that has not quite happened.
Though the 30-year-old has played for Marseille and Granada in Europe, he was capped just once for Brazil back in 2013 and currently plies his trade with Mexican side Atlas.
Oliver Torres
Similarly, another former wonderkid now playing in Mexico is Spanish midfielder Oliver Torres, who has been with Monterrey since 2014.
Despite having bags of ability, he was never capped by Spain at senior level but had stints with Atletico Madrid, Porto and Sevilla - winning two Europa Leagues.
Ryan Gauld
Scotsman Gauld, a product of Dundee United's youth academy, hit headlines when he made the move to Sporting CP for around £3 million in 2014.
Compared to Lionel Messi, Gauld played just twice for Sporting's first-team and had four different loan spells before signing for Farense.
He has found his feet in Canada, however, making more than 100 appearances for Vancouver Whitecaps.
Lucas Piazon
Despite being tipped for promise, Piazon made just one appearance for Chelsea despite being contracted for more than a decade.
The Brazilian was loaned out on seven different occasions before moving to Braga in Portugal. He currently plays in Poland with Wieczysta Krakow after joining in the summer.
Richairo Zivkovic
Reportedly courted by a number of European giants, Zivkovic joined Ajax as a 17-year-old but played just 11 times in their first-team, scoring twice.
The youngest player on the list has had an unusual career path, having played in China, Serbia and Singapore as well the Netherlands, Serbia and Belgium.
Aged 29, he is now in Thailand with Bangkok United.
Aymeric Laporte
Arguably the most successful player on the list, it was only a matter of time before Aymeric Laporte moved to a leading European club and the centre-back did that in January 2018 when he joined Manchester City in a £57 million switch.
He went on to win four Premier League titles with the Blues before moving to Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr in 2023.
A key player for Spain in their Euro 2024 success, he now finds himself back at Athletic Club.
Max Meyer
Max Meyer's name always popped up when it came to emerging talents but the ex Schalke man only played four times for the Germany national side.
He spent time in England with Crystal Palace and also represented Koln, Fenerbahce, Midtjylland, FC Luzern and Cypriot side APOEL.
Adrien Rabiot
The first homegrown player to sign a professional deal at Paris Saint-Germain, Adrien Rabiot spent seven years at the Parc des Princes and won five league titles in a row.
He joined Juventus on a free and won Serie A before returning to Italy with AC Milan after a spell with Marseille.
Alen Halilovic
Alen Halilovic was a must-sign on Football Manager and FIFA Career Mode after joining Barcelona from Dinamo Zagreb for £1.8 million. But despite plenty of potential, the left-footed Croatian only played once for Barcelona.
In a topsy-turvy career which never saw him fulfil the promise he mad, Haliovic played for Hamburg, AC Milan, Birmingham City, Reading, Rijeka and Fortuna Sittard.
Topics: Sky Sports
Josh Lawless