What happened to the most valuable wonderkids in world football when GTA V released
It has been 13 years since the record-breaking release of Grand Theft Auto V, a game that generated $1 billion in revenue in just three days to become the fastest-selling entertainment product in history.
The world was very different back then, both on and off the pitch.
Sir Alex Ferguson had only just retired from management after 26 years trophy-laden years at Manchester United, and Gareth Bale had recently become the world's most expensive player after joining Real Madrid for £85.3 million.
READ MORE: Every Premier League team's XI the last time a new GTA game was released
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To make you feel even older, a 20-year-old Harry Kane was still waiting to establish himself at Tottenham, while Mohamed Salah was playing for Swiss Super League side Basel.
But what about valuable wonderkids, I hear you ask? Well, here are the most valuable young footballers in the world when GTA V first hit the shelves, and what happened over the next 13 years of their careers.
Julian Draxler – €30m
Draxler was the most valuable player on the list when GTA V launched in September 2013, and for good reason.
The German winger had already established himself as one of the Bundesliga's brightest prospects after making his Schalke debut at the age of 17.
Draxler was linked with some of Europe's biggest clubs in the summer of 2011, including Arsenal, but he spent another four years in Gelsenkirchen before joining Wolfsburg in 2015.
He would once again impress in the Bundesliga, and two years later, he completed a move to Paris Saint-Germain in January 2017, where he enjoyed considerable domestic success but struggled to nail down a regular spot.
Draxler, who made 58 appearances for Germany between 2012 and 2022, spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Benfica before joining Qatari side Al-Ahli in September 2023, where he still plays to this day.
Marquinhos – €25m
Of all the players on this list, Marquinhos has enjoyed the most consistent club career.
The Brazilian defender joined PSG from Roma in the summer of 2013 and, after initially competing with Thiago Silva and David Luiz for a starting spot, he eventually established himself as an important cog.
Marquinhos would go on to inherit the captaincy from Thiago Silva in 2020 before becoming the club's all-time leading appearance-maker in April 2024.
He finally lifted the Champions League in May 2025 after PSG thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 and a year later, they retained their trophy. He remains a crucial part of Luis Enrique's side, aged 32.
In terms of his international career, Marquinhos lifted the Copa América with Brazil in 2019. He has also represented his country at three World Cups. One of the best centre-backs in recent history.
Raphael Varane – €25m
Varane was widely regarded as one of Europe's best young talents when GTA V was released.
After joining Real Madrid from Lens in 2011, he became an integral part of Los Blancos' defence, winning four Champions League titles and three La Liga titles during his decade-long spell at the Bernabeu.
He joined Manchester United in 2021 and spent three seasons at Old Trafford, with his final appearance for the Premier League side coming in their 2024 FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Varane, who has 93 caps to his name for France, joined Como in the summer of 2024 but suffered a serious knee injury just 23 minutes into his debut against Sampdoria. He announced his retirement in September 2024, aged 31.
The former defender is now a board member at Como, where he is involved in youth development, education and innovation.
Paul Pogba – €25m
Pogba's career has been interesting, to say the least. He left Manchester United for Juventus in 2012 and soon established himself as one of the world's most exciting young players.
He lifted four consecutive Serie A titles with the Turin-based club and helped them reach the 2015 Champions League final.
In a dramatic twist, Pogba returned to Manchester United in 2016 for a then-world-record fee of £89 million. His second spell at Old Trafford remains a divisive topic amongst fans.
He produced moments of brilliance and helped United win the Europa League and League Cup in 2017, but inconsistent performances hampered his time at the club, with injuries also holding him back.
Pogba returned to Juventus in 2022, but injuries and a doping suspension severely disrupted his career. He joined Monaco in 2025 in an attempt to rebuild his career, but struggled to establish himself.
The midfielder is currently without a club after Monaco confirmed the termination of his contract by mutual agreement in August.
Romelu Lukaku – €24m
When GTA V was released in September 2013, Lukaku had just scored 17 Premier League goals during a season-long loan spell at West Brom, with his hat-trick against Manchester United on the final day of the 2012-13 campaign catching the eye.
He joined Everton on loan from Chelsea in September 2013 before completing a permanent move the following summer.
In total, Lukaku scored 87 Premier League goals for Everton and, as a result of his superb spell at Goodison Park, the Belgian earned a £75 million move to Manchester United in 2017.
Much like Pogba, his time at Old Trafford is polarising. He scored 42 goals in 96 Premier League appearances for the club between 2017 and 2019 but expectations were high at the time, so his form was criticised.
After two seasons at United, he joined Inter Milan, where he helped Antonio Conte's side win Serie A in 2020-21.
Chelsea went on to pay a club-record £97.5 million to re-sign him in 2021, but he struggled and subsequently returned to Inter on loan. A loan spell at Roma followed before joining Napoli in 2024, where he won another Serie A title.
Lukaku, who is Belgium's all-time leading goalscorer with 93 goals, is currently playing for Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce.
Matija Nastasic – €21m
All eyes were on the highly-rated Nastasic following his arrival at Manchester City from Fiorentina in 2012.
He soon established himself in Roberto Mancini's side and was named City's Young Player of the Year for the 2012-13 season, but injuries disrupted his progress and he struggled to regain his place following Manuel Pellegrini's appointment.
The Serbian defender joined Schalke on loan in January 2015 before making the move permanent. He made more than 100 Bundesliga appearances across a six-year spell with the German club.
He later returned to Fiorentina before spells with Mallorca and Leganes in Spain.
Back in August 2025, Nastasic joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Ula, where he still plays to this day. The centre-back made 34 appearances for Serbia between 2012 and 2022.
Geoffrey Kondogbia – €18m
After an impressive 2012-13 season at Sevilla, Geoffrey Kondogbia was one of Europe's most sought-after midfielders, with several clubs being linked with a move for the player, including Manchester United and Real Madrid.
He went on to join Monaco in 2013 before joining Inter Milan in 2015. Here, he struggled to make an impact but rediscovered his form at Valencia, initially joining on loan in 2017 before completing a permanent transfer.
Kondogbia went on to join Atletico Madrid in 2020, where he was part of the famous squad that won La Liga in 2020-21.
He joined Marseille in July 2023, returning to French football after a decade abroad, and still plays for the Ligue 1 side.
In terms of his international career, Kondogbia represented France at youth level and made senior appearances for Les Bleus before switching allegiance to the Central African Republic in 2018. He has made 22 appearances for the national team.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – €17m
Oxlade-Chamberlain was seen as one of England's top prospects after swapping Southampton for Arsenal in 2011.
The midfielder made an immediate impact under Arsene Wenger, helping them win three FA Cups. In total, he made 198 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions before joining Liverpool in August 2017 for £35 million.
He became an important member of Jurgen Klopp's side across the 2017-18 campaign, but a serious knee injury in April 2018 kept him out for almost a year.
In what was the highlight of his career, Oxlade-Chamberlain went on to become part of Liverpool's Champions League-winning squad in 2019, as well as their Premier League-winning squad in 2020.
He left Liverpool for Turkish side Besiktas in 2023 before joining Celtic in February 2026. He still plays for the Scottish Premiership side.
Mateo Kovacic – €15m
Kovacic joined Inter Milan from Dinamo Zagreb in January 2013, just months before the release of GTA V.
After becoming one of the youngest players to appear in the Champions League, he spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Italian club before joining Real Madrid in 2015.
Although he wasn't a regular starter for Los Blancos, the Croatian picked up three consecutive Champions League winners' medals between 2016 and 2018.
He joined Chelsea on loan in 2018 before completing a permanent move the following summer. Soon, he helped them win the Europa League in 2019, as well as their famous Champions League triumph in 2021.
Back in 2023, he joined Manchester City, where he won another Premier League title in his debut season with the club. He still plays for the Manchester club but has struggled for regular game time of late.
Gerard Deulofeu – €15m
Deulofeu's last competitive appearance came in January 2023, with complications from an injury preventing his return.
He memorably emerged on the scene after impressing in La Masia, Barcelona's esteemed academy system, but never managed to nail down a regular spot at Barca and joined Everton on loan in July 2013.
After another loan spell at Sevilla, Deulofeu returned to Everton permanently in 2015.
He later spent a brief spell at AC Milan before returning to Barcelona in 2017 but again, the winger struggled to establish himself at the Camp Nou before joining Watford in 2018.
Deulofeu enjoyed some of the best football of his career at Vicarage Road and earned a move to Italian side Udinese, where he looked on top of the world before suffering a devastating knee injury.
In an interview with BBC Sport in February 2026, Deulofeu revealed that he had experienced periods when he could not walk with his children or carry out everyday activities.
Despite the severity of his condition, he remains determined to play professionally again. He is currently without a club but continues to use Udinese's facilities for rehabilitation.
Topics: Premier League, Man Utd, Arsenal, Real Madrid, PSG
Jack Kenmare
