What happened to the 10 wonderkids Football Manager tipped to dominate world football back in 2015
Football Manager always seems to have the knack of knowing exactly which players are going to the very top, but ten years on, have the 2015 wonderkids lived up to their potential?
Let me paint the picture, it's 2015 and Lionel Messi has just reclaimed the Champions League from Cristiano Ronaldo as Jose Mourinho wins the Premier League with Chelsea.
As we were all far too distracted by that, the players we call the best in the world today were just getting started but they hadn't gone completely unnoticed.
The Football Manager 2015 database named the 10 players aged 21 and under, who they believed would go on to be would go on to become world beaters.
Advert
Some they got spot on, others not so much. So let's take a look at who everyone was desperate to sign a decade ago.
1.Youri Tielemans
Back in 2015, the teenage Anderlecht midfielder had just been named Belgium's Young Footballer of the Year, but the midfielder only established himself on the world stage with a 2019 move to Leicester City.
Tielemans went on to score the winner in the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea before a shock relegation resulted in a move to Aston Villa.
The Belgian has earned 75 caps to date and played a major role in Villa shooting up the table and earning Champions League qualification last season.
2.Martin Odegaard
After three rather underwhelming loan spells from Real Madrid, it was fourth time's a charm for Odegaard who arrived at The Emirates in 2021.
Following a promising loan spell, he was signed permanently in the summer and has gone on to become the club's captain under Mikel Arteta.
Odegaard is yet to win a major trophy since joining the North London club permanently, but it seems just a matter of time before he brings silverware back to Arsenal.
3.Raheem Sterling
One of the few stars on this list who had already established themselves at the top level, Sterling went on to win everything domestically possible with Manchester City.
Sterling was part of one of the most devastating attacks the Premier League has ever seen alongside Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sane, and Kevin De Bruyne, with Pep Guardiola's side dominating English football.
The England star was also Gareth Southgate's star man at the 2021 Euro finals, scoring three goals in England's road to the final.
4.Leon Goretzka
After missing out on Germany's World Cup-winning squad through injury, Goretzka clearly had a point to prove, and he has certainly done that throughout his career.
Goretzka moved to Bayern Munich in 2018 where he was won five Bundesliga titles and one Champions League in 2020, in which he started the final.
In recent years the German's form has been far more sporadic, however, there are no doubts his career has been a success.
5.Adnan Januzaj
When he burst onto the scene at Man United, Januzaj looked like he had the potential to dominate the Premier League for years to come, however, the reality has been very different.
The Belgian left Old Trafford in 2017 due to lack of game time, and went on to have a very respectable career in Spain with Real Sociedad, Seville, and most recently Las Palmas.
Januzaj won the 2020 Copa Del Rey with Sociedad and has been capped 15 times internationally, however, it is fair to say the winger didn't hit the heights we all thought he would.
6.Julian Brandt
After making the Bundesliga his playground alongside Kai Havertz at Bayer Leverkusen, Brandt secured a move to Borussia Dortmund where he has been ever since.
Brandt may not have reached the world-beating heights expected of him, but the German international has been a key man for Dortmund for over five years.
The 28-year-old won the DFB-Pokal in 2021 and started last season's Champions League final that unfortunately ended in defeat to Real Madrid.
7.Memphis Depay
Depay has had one of the most eventful careers of anyone on this list, with spells at PSV, Manchester United, Lyon, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and now Corinthians.
He has also been exceptional on the international stage with 48 goals in 100 appearances for the Oranje.
Depay is another who didn't hit the extreme heights projected, but that should take nothing away from an incredibly impressive career where he often made the impossible possible.
8.Mateo Kovacic
After leaving the bench of Real Madrid for the starting eleven of Chelsea in 2018, Kovacic has never looked back.
The Croatian added a fourth Champions League to his collection at Stamford Bridge in 2021 and lifted the Premier League title for Manchester City last season.
Kovacic's ability to seamlessly fit into Pep Guardiola's system proved exactly why he is one of the world's best in his position.
9.Marquinhos
The failure of PSG to win the Champions League has led to huge criticism from fans both inside and outside of France, but one man who has stood tall throughout has been Marquinhos.
Marquinhos has made 485 appearances for the French giants and was appointed PSG captain in 2020 following the exit of Thiago Silva.
The Brazilian has remained one of the world's best defenders throughout his entire PSG career and is currently chasing Champions League glory for 2025.
10.Max Meyer
Meyer is another wonderkid who never reached their full potential, with an uninspiring Premier League move to Crystal Palace halting the German's trajectory.
The German international, who hasn't been capped since 2016, now plays his football in Cyprus for APOEL.
Topics: Football Manager, Football, Premier League, Champions League, Gaming
Tom Jenkins