A list from Transfermarkt, a website that helps determine the value of footballers, calculated the 11 most valuable wonderkids from around the world in 2006. So, what happened to those who made the cut?
Looking back, 2006 was a memorable year in football history, with the World Cup giving us some of the most talked-about moments this century.
From Cristiano Ronaldo's cheeky wink after Wayne Rooney was sent off in a heated quarter-final clash between Portugal and England, to Zinedine Zidane's infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi, his final act as a player.
The tournament also acted as a stage for some of the most talented youngsters in the game, including the soon-to-be-mentioned Lukas Podolski, who lifted the young player of the tournament award after an impressive campaign with Germany.
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So, what happened to the 11 most valuable wonderkids in 2006? Did they go on and achieve great things, or did the weight of expectation fall heavy on their young shoulders? Let's kick things off with a former Manchester City striker, shall we?
Valeri Bojinov - €13m
At the age of just 15 years and 341 days old, Bojinov became the youngest foreign player in history to play in Serie A, when he featured for Leece in January 2002.
He went on to sign for Fiorentina before being loaned out to Juventus, who had just been relegated to Serie B following their involvement in the 2006 Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.
A year later, the highly-rated Bulgarian striker joined Manchester City in a deal worth £5.75 million and was described as "an exciting young player and a great addition to the squad" on his arrival.
Unfortunately, he never hit the ground running in Manchester, scoring just one goal before joining Parma on a permanent deal in 2010. He went on to become somewhat of a journeyman in the coming years, playing for 16 different clubs between 2012 and 2024, the year he retired.
Bojinov is now the sporting director at Bulgarian second-tier side FC Sevlievo.
Diego – €13m
After impressive spells at Santos and Porto, Diego joined Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in 2006, a spell that many look back on with great fondness.
The Brazilian attacking midfielder scored 54 goals in 132 appearances for the German club and earned a big-money move to Juventus ahead of the 2009-10 season, but never fulfilled his true potential in Turin.
He returned to Germany in 2010 to play for Wolfsburg, where he enjoyed four productive years before joining Atletico Madrid.
Diego, who has previously revealed that Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were interested in his signature, went on to play for Fenerbahce and Flamengo before hanging up his boots in 2022 at the age of 37.
He made 34 appearances for Brazil between 2003 and 2017.
Cesc Fabregas – €13.5m
At the time, Fabregas had become a first-team regular in the centre of Arsenal's midfield and was widely regarded as one of the Premier League's brightest talents following his 2003 move from Barcelona, aged 16.
Back in 2006, he was named in UEFA's Team of the Year and was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards.
Five years later, Fabregas rejoined Barcelona before going on to make over 150 appearances for the Catalan side. He later signed for Chelsea, where he won two Premier League titles, as well as an FA Cup and the Europa League.
Spells at Monaco and Como followed before he turned his hand to management. The Spaniard is now considered one of the best young managers in world football after transforming Como into a competitive Serie A side.
Vincent Kompany – €13.5m
For those who played a lot of Football Manager in the mid-00s, Kompany was a must-buy during his time at Belgian side Anderlecht.
He earned a move to German outfit Hamburg in the summer of 2006 and would make 39 appearances for the Bundesliga side before making a switch to Manchester City ahead of the 2008-08 campaign.
The rest, as they say, is history. Kompany cemented his status as one of the Premier League's greatest defenders across an 11-year spell in Manchester, winning four league titles and over 300 appearances.
Kompany is currently the head coach of Bayern Munich and, like Fabregas, is widely regarded as one of football's most talented young coaches.
Manuel Fernandes – €14.5m
Back in 2006, Fernandes was one of Europe's top prospects after becoming a first-team regular at Benfica.
A goal against Gil Vicente in only his second senior game alerted plenty of European clubs to his talent, and in the summer of 2006, he joined Portsmouth on a six-month loan before joining Everton for the rest of the 2006-07 campaign.
A torrid year with injuries hampered both of those spells, but in 2007, he joined Valencia for a reported £12 million, despite passing a medical with Everton. At a news conference to announce his arrival at the Spanish club, Fernandes said he did not know why his transfer to Everton had fallen through.
He spent four years at Valencia before joining Besiktas in 2011. The Portuguese midfielder went on to play for Lokomotiv Moscow, Krasnodar, Kayserispor, Apollon Smyrnis and Sepahan before retiring in 2023.
Lukas Podolski – €15m
In the summer of 2006, Podolski won the young player of the tournament award after an impressive 2006 World Cup with Germany, beating off competition from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo to win the prize.
He would soon make his debut for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich following a transfer from FC Koln, but ultimately, the striker failed to make his mark in Bavaria and returned to Koln in 2009.
Of course, Podolski went on to sign for Arsenal in 2012 and spent three years at the North London club, where he went on to score 31 goals in 82 appearances.
Podolski went on to play for Galatasaray, Vissel Kobe, Antalyaspor and Polish side Gornik Zabrze, where he still plays to this day.
The 40-year-old forward also owns a kebab chain with 30 franchises across Germany. He is said to be worth nearly £180 million after building his own business empire.
Lionel Messi – €15m
Eight Ballon d'Ors. Four Champions Leagues. 10 La Liga titles. Six European Golden Shoe awards. One World Cup. Since being listed as the fifth most valuable wonderkid in 2006, Lionel Messi has cemented his status as one of the all-time greats. Enough said.
Sergio Ramos – €17.5m
A year after leaving Sevilla to sign for Real Madrid, Ramos became a first-team regular at the Bernabeu in 2006 and never looked back.
He went on to win 22 trophies at the Spanish club, including five La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues. The centre-back also scored 101 goals in 671 appearances for Los Blancos, an incredible record given his defensive duties.
Arguably the most famous of those goals came in the 93rd-minute, an equaliser during Madrid's famous 2014 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.
Ramos joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and spent two years at the Ligue 1 side before rejoining Sevilla. After a brief spell at Mexican side Monterrey, the 40-year-old is now a free agent.
Like some of his former teammates, Ramos looks set to become an owner, with reports suggesting he is spearheading a takeover bid for Sevilla worth just shy of £350 million.
Sergio Agüero – €23m
Aguero, who was widely regarded as one of the best talents in world football when 2006 rolled around, joined Atletico Madrid from Independiente that summer. He made 234 appearances across a prolific six-year spell at Atletico, scoring 101 goals.
Of course, he would go on to become Manchester City's all-time top scorer (260 goals), with THAT injury-time winner against QPR to secure the Premier League title being his standout moment in a memorable decade-long spell in Manchester.
Back in December 2021, just six months after leaving City to join Barcelona, Aguero announced his retirement from football at the age of 33 because of a heart condition.
Since hanging up his boots, Aguero has become a popular Twitch streamer with over five million followers. He is also the founder of the KRÜ Esports organisation, who manage esports teams and participates in activities that contribute to the growth of the industry.
Cristiano Ronaldo – €25m
Five Ballon d'Ors. Five Champions Leagues. Seven league titles across England, Spain and Italy. Four European Golden Shoe awards. One European Championship. Like the aforementioned Lionel Messi, Ronaldo has cemented his status as one of the all-time greats, with his achievements leaving little need for explanation.
The 41-year-old is just 35 goals away from 1,000 career goals, a record that will stand for a very, very long time if he manages to achieve it.
Wayne Rooney – €36m
Unsurprisingly, the most valuable wonderkid in 2006 was Wayne Rooney, who burst onto the scene at Everton with a long-range winner against Arsenal in October 2002 when he was just 16.
After becoming the youngest Premier League goalscorer at the time, he would go on to become the most expensive teenager in the world after joining Manchester United in a deal worth £27 million. It's safe to say that was a wise investment.
Rooney is United's all-time leading scorer and the only player to have scored 250 goals for the club (253 goals in 559 appearances). He also held England's goalscoring record with 53 goals in 120 games before Harry Kane surpassed the feat in 2023.
Topics: Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Man Utd, Arsenal, Man City, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo
Jack Kenmare