What happened to the 40-man shortlist for 2016 Golden Boy award including winner who is now free agent
A decade ago, Renato Sanches was widely regarded as one of football's biggest talents after a remarkable year for club and country saw him win the prestigious Golden Boy award.
Sanches, who earned a move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2016 after impressing with Euro 2016 champions Portugal, beat Marcus Rashford and Kingsley Coman to the individual prize.
For those unaware, the Golden Boy award is decided by a panel of sports journalists from across Europe, who vote for the best-performing footballer under the age of 21.
For the 2016 award, for example, 30 journalists selected their five best players from a shortlist of 40 nominees, with Sanches eventually coming out on ahead of some other high-profile names.
Advert
So, what happened to the 40-player shortlist, a decade on?
Renato Sanches: Free agent
Sanches went from winning Euro 2016 and the Golden Boy award at 18 to being without a club at 29 following his release from Paris Saint-Germain in September.
Consistent injury problems have plagued his career, but the former Benfica and Bayern Munich midfielder is hoping to make a return in January.
Dele Alli: Free agent
Alli remains a free agent after leaving Serie A side Como in September 2025. He has been training independently at Barnet's facilities and was also spotted training at non-league Windsor & Eton.
The former Tottenham midfielder has been livestreaming on Twitch of late, although he insists he has not given up on playing football again.
Marco Asensio: Fenerbahce
After being nominated for the Golden Boy award in 2016, Asensio went on to win three Champions League titles with Real Madrid before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.
Following a brief loan spell at Aston Villa, he joined Fenerbahce in 2025. He still plays for the Turkish outfit.
Leon Bailey: Olympiacos
Bailey, who was playing for Belgian side Genk when he was nominated, went on to enjoy spells at Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa, but his progress was disrupted by injuries and inconsistent form.
He now plays for Olympiacos in Greece.
Riechedly Bazoer: Free agent
Bazoer, who was nominated for the 2016 award after breaking into Ajax's first team, is currently a free agent following his departure from Turkish Super Lig side Konyaspor in June 2026.
The 30-year-old's previous clubs include Wolfsburg, Porto, Vitesse and AZ Alkmaar.
Gabriel Boschilia: Operario-PR
Once considered one of Brazil's top prospects, Boschilia joined Monaco from Sao Paulo in 2015 but suffered a serious knee injury during his breakthrough season.
After spells in France, Belgium, Brazil and Hungary, he returned to his homeland in 2024 and has since established himself as a standout performer for second-tier side Operario-PR.
Julian Brandt: Ajax
Following his well-deserved nomination for the Golden Boy, Brandt went on to become one of the Bundesliga's more consistent players during spells at Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund.
The 30-year-old joined Ajax on a free transfer in 2026 and has made an impressive start to life under Michel Sanchez, scoring eight goals in 17 appearances.
Carlos Fernandez: Real Oviedo
Fernandez has spent much of his career moving between teams in Spain, with loan spells aplenty. After scoring 16 goals for Mirandes last season, he joined Spanish second-tier side Real Oviedo this year.
His previous clubs also include Sevilla, Deportivo La Coruna (loan), Granada (loan), Real Sociedad and Cadiz (loan).
Andreas Christensen: Barcelona
After his 2016 nomination, Christensen won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 before joining Barcelona on a free transfer in 2022.
The defender, who has made 81 appearances for Denmark, has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, but his trophy list is certainly impressive.
Kingsley Coman: Al-Nassr
Coman is widely regarded as one of the most successful players in football history when it comes to trophies won.
His streak of winning league titles across stints with Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich is impressive, to say the least. He now plays in the Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr.
Ante Coric: Hamrun Spartans
The Croatian midfielder earned a move to Roma from Dinamo Zagreb in 2018 but struggled to establish himself with the Italian giants. He now plays for Maltese Premier League side Hamrun Spartans.
Amadou Diawara: Leganes
Since his Golden Boy nomination, the Guinean midfielder has played for Bologna, Napoli, Roma and Anderlecht. The 29-year-old now plays in the Spanish second division with Leganes.
Mahmoud Dahoud: Dubai United
After promising spells at Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund, the German midfielder struggled at Brighton, Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt. Like several names on this list, his career has been disrupted by injuries.
He now plays for UAE Pro League side Dubai United.
Danilo Barbosa: Gremio
The Brazilian midfielder has played for a host of clubs, including Braga, Valencia, Benfica, Nice and Botafogo, where he was part of their historic 2024 Copa Libertadores-winning squad.
He now plays for Brazilian side Gremio, his boyhood club.
Moussa Dembele: Al-Ettifaq
The first Dembele on this list. The former Fulham and Celtic striker enjoyed a prolific spell at Lyon before joining Atlético Madrid on an uneventful loan. He joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq in 2023.
Ousmane Dembele – PSG
One of the biggest success stories on this list. After a big-money move from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona, he failed to live up to expectations, but everything changed when he joined PSG in 2023.
He is widely regarded as one of Europe's best attacking players, with his Ballon d'Or win in 2025 being the standout moment from his career thus far.
Gianluigi Donnarumma: Manchester City
The Italian goalkeeper went on to establish himself as one of Europe's top goalkeepers, becoming a European champion with Italy in 2021 before leaving AC Milan for PSG that summer.
He currently plays for Manchester City.
Breel Embolo: Atlanta United
Another 'what could have been' had it not been for injuries. After playing for Schalke, Borussia Monchengladbach, Monaco and Rennes, he now plays for Major League Soccer side Atlanta United.
The 29-year-old striker has made an impressive 92 appearances for Switzerland, scoring 26 goals.
Gabriel Barbosa: Santos (loan)
After struggling to establish himself at Inter Milan and Benfica, the Brazilian became a legend at Flamengo, winning two Copa Libertadores titles, as well as scoring 161 goals in 306 games.
He later joined Cruzeiro before returning to boyhood club Santos on loan in January 2026.
Aleksandr Golovin: Monaco
One of the more consistent careers on the list. The Russian international joined Monaco from CSKA Moscow in 2018 and has remained an important player for the Ligue 1 club, making over 250 appearances.
Gonçalo Guedes: Real Sociedad
Guedes spent time at Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia before joining Premier League side Wolves in 2022.
The 29-year-old forward, who has made 34 appearances for Portugal, now plays for Spanish side Real Sociedad.
Demarai Gray: Birmingham City
The former Leicester City winger won the Premier League in 2016 and later played for Bayer Leverkusen, Everton and Al-Ettifaq before returning to boyhood club Birmingham City in 2025.
He has made 29 appearances for Jamaica.
Marko Grujic: Levski Sofia
Liverpool's first signing under Jurgen Klopp never established himself at Anfield. After loan spells at Cardiff City, Hertha Berlin and Porto, he joined Porto permanently before moving to Levski Sofia.
Another established international, the 30-year-old has picked up 30 caps for Serbia.
Alen Halilovic: Free agent
After being labelled the next Lionel Messi, Halilovic joined Barcelona at 17 but never made a league appearance for the Spanish giants.
His career has included spells at Hamburg, AC Milan, Birmingham City, Reading and Fortuna Sittard. The 30-year-old, who has 10 Croatia caps to his name, is currently a free agent.
Kelechi Iheanacho: Bursaspor
Iheanacho burst onto the scene with Manchester City but never quite lived up to expectations.
The Nigerian joined Leicester City, where he won the FA Cup in 2021, before moving to Sevilla, Middlesbrough (loan) and Scottish Premiership side Celtic. He signed for Turkish side Bursaspor in July 2026 and has been in superb form.
Alex Iwobi: Fulham
Iwobi recently became the joint-second most-capped African player in Premier League history alongside Mohamed Salah.
The former Arsenal midfielder has impressed with Fulham since his move from Everton in 2013.
Viktor Kovalenko: Free agent
The Ukrainian midfielder was highly rated at Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk before joining Atalanta in 2021. He went on to spend time on loan at Spezia and Empoli. He is currently a free agent.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: AC Milan
Following a lengthy spell at Chelsea, including a loan at Fulham, the midfielder joined AC Milan in 2023. He still plays for the Italian side and has made over 100 appearances for the club.
Loftus-Cheek has also made 11 appearances for England.
Lucas Hernández: PSG
Hernandez, a World Cup winner, left Atletico Madrid for Bayern Munich in 2019 before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.
Emanuel Mammana: Velez Sarsfield
The Argentine centre-back made his name at River Plate before joining Lyon and Zenit Saint Petersburg. Again, injuries have disrupted his development, but he has become a regular at boyhood club Velez Sarsfield.
Nathan: Free agent
The Brazilian signed for Chelsea in 2015 but never made a competitive first-team appearance for the club as he spent time on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, Amiens, Belenenses and Atletico Mineiro.
He joined Atletico Mineiro on a permanent deal in 2020 before going on to play for Gremio and Remo. He is currently a free agent.
Olivier Ntcham: Free agent
Ntcham graduated from Manchester City's academy before joining Genoa on loan and then Celtic on a permanent deal in 2017.
He later played for Marseille, Swansea City and Samsunspor. The 30-year-old, who has made nine appearances for Cameroon, is currently a free agent.
Marcus Rashford: Manchester United
After scoring twice on his United first-team debut in 2016, Rashford went on to become a regular for club and country.
Following loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona, he returned to United in the summer, but has struggled to become a regular under Michael Carrick. His future remains uncertain.
Jairo Riedewald: Sheffield United
The former Ajax defender joined Crystal Palace in 2017 and spent seven years at Selhurst Park before moving to Belgian side Royal Antwerp. Riedewald currently plays for Championship side Sheffield United.
Rúben Neves: Al-Hilal
A year after being included in the Golden Boy shortlist, Neves joined Wolves from Porto and became one of the Championship's standout performers.
After six seasons at Molineux, he joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in 2023.
Antonio Sanabria: Internacional
Sanabria came through Barcelona's academy before representing Sassuolo, Roma, Sporting Gijon, Real Betis, Genoa and Torino. He currently plays for Brazilian side Internacional.
Leroy Sane: Galatasaray
After winning major honours with Manchester City and Bayern Munich, Sané joined Turkish side Galatasaray in 2025 but has struggled for form this season. He has made 80 caps for Germany.
Jonathan Tah: Bayern Munich
Tah established himself as one of Germany's most consistent defenders across a decade-long spell at Bayer Leverkusen. He signed a four-year deal with Bayern in August 2005.
Youri Tielemans: Manchester United
Since his Golden Boy nomination, Tielemans has won the FA Cup with Leicester City, as well as the Europa League with Aston Villa. He joined Manchester United in the summer of 2026.
Almamy Toure: Bordeaux
Toure's career has taken a nosedive of late. He won Ligue 1 with Monaco and the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt, but the 30-year-old is currently playing in France's sixth tier with Bordeaux.
Topics: Man Utd, Premier League, Marcus Rashford, Kingsley Coman, FC Barcelona
Jack Kenmare
