The Times published a report in 2009 that identified fifty football starlets who had the potential to “make it big” in the not-too-distant future. The question is, how did these individuals fare, more than sixteen years after the report was published?
Some of the most prominent names in the world are featured in this article, including the brilliant performances of David Silva and Mesut Ozil, as well as the Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who would soon establish himself as one of the top goalscorers in Europe while playing for Real Madrid.
But what about Daniel Opare, who was expected to train with Chelsea after his much-anticipated move to Los Blancos after starring in the 2007 under-17 World Cup? What about Ahmad Khalil, the striker who was expected to train with Chelsea?
The following is a list of fifty players who were rumoured to be of exceptional talent.
Al Ahly’s Ahmed Khalil, number fifty
Khali was the Asian young player of the year at the time, and as part of a deal between Chelsea, a club in the Premier League, and the Asian Football Confederation, he was scheduled to train with Chelsea for a period of one month.
The Al Bataeh Club, which competes in the UAE Pro League and is based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, is the team that he uses at the moment.
49. Will Buckley, a resident of Rokdale
Following his time spent at Bolton Wanderers, Buckley made the decision to retire from the sport because he was unable to secure a new club for the 2020–21 season. Following the establishment of his own agency, WEB Sports Management, he is acting as a football agent at the present time.
Shannon Cole, who plays for Sydney FC
Cole was a professional player who spent the majority of his career in Australia. He currently serves as the head coach of Central Coast United, a team that competes in the NSW League Two.
During the period of 2006 to 2015, Khalfan Ibrahim (Al Sadd) Ibrahim was awarded a total of ninety caps for Qatar. There were several clubs in Qatar that he played for, including Al Rayyan, before he made the announcement that he would be retiring in the year 2020.
46. Sam Baldock, manager of MK Dons
Leaving MK Dons in 2011, Baldock went on to sign with West Ham. Prior to his retirement in 2023, he had successful stints at Bristol City, Brighton, Reading, Derby County, and Oxford United. He also played for Oxford United. His acceptance of a position as a business development analyst at Oxford United was successful.
Rabiu Ibrahim, who plays for Sporting Lisbon, and
In the present moment, Ibrahim is a free agent. Celtic, PSV, and Kilmarnock are among the clubs he has played for in the past.
42. David McGoldrick, a resident of Southampton
A member of the Notts County team, McGoldrick competes in League Two. His time spent playing for Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town, and Sheffield United are among his most notable stints.
Heerenveen’s Patrik Ingelsten comes in for 43.
At the moment, Ingelsten is serving as the manager of the Swedish club known as Jonkopings Sodra IF. In 2009, he made his most significant move when he signed with Heerenveen, a team that plays in the Eredivisie. Before moving to Norway with Viking, he only made a few appearances for the club. He was eventually transferred to Norway.
Victor Moses, who is a member of Crystal Palace
Luton Town, a team competing in the Championship, is currently Moses’s team. Following his departure from Crystal Palace in 2010, he went on to play for such clubs as Wigan, Chelsea, Liverpool, Stoke City, and West Ham. The winger has also played for Nigeria, where he has made 39 appearances.
39. Daniel Opare, who plays for Real Madrid
In the present moment, Opare is a free agent. The clubs that he has played for in the past include Antwerp, FC Augsburg, Standard Liege, and Porto. He played for Seraing, a Belgian club, for the final time in 2023.
40. Lee Chung-yong, who plays for FC Seoul
Under the banner of the South Korean national team, Chung-yong is a winger for Ulsan HD, a team that competes in the K League 1. He joined Bolton Wanderers in 2009 and played for the club for a period of six years, during which time he made more than two hundred appearances. Following his time with Crystal Palace, he went on to play for VfL Bochum.
Joao Miranda, a musician from Sao Paulo
Retired in the year 2020. Inter Milan, Sao Paulo, and Atletico Madrid are some of the clubs that have joined in the past.
Mark Beevers (Sheffield Wednesday) is the 38th person.
Beevers, who is now 35 years old, is a defender for Bradford, a club that competes in the Northern Premier League Division One East. Millwall, Bolton, Peterborough United, and Perth Glory are some of the clubs that have been around in the past.
37. Mesut Ozil, who plays for Werder Bremen
The year 2023 marked Ozil’s retirement from the sport, after he had previously played for Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Fenerbahce.
36. Kyle Naughton, who plays for Sheffield United
Currently, Naughton is a member of the Swansea City team, which competes in the Championship. A number of previous clubs include Middlesbrough, Leicester City, and Spurs. Middlesbrough was a loan club.
(AZ Alkmaar) Sergio Romero, the 35th player
Romero is keeping up his impressive performance with Boca Juniors. In addition to playing for Sampdoria, Manchester United, and Venezia, the custodian, who is 38 years old and has completed 96 appearances for Argentina, has also played for Venezia.
Sebastian Giovinco, representative of Juventus
Giovinco is currently serving as a club ambassador and special advisor for Toronto FC, after having retired from the National Football League. Al Hilal and Sampdoria are two of the clubs he has already played for.
Dan Gosling, who hails from Everton
In his current role, Gosling serves as the assistant manager of the Watford under-21 team.
32. Robert Lewandowski, originally from Lech Poznan
At this point in time, Lewandowski is widely considered to be among the best strikers in the world of football. After having successful stints at Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, he is currently playing for Barcelona with the club.
Everton’s Jose Baxter, who played for Memphis 901 in the USL Championship in 2020, is the 31st player on this list.
Jay Simpson, who plays for Arsenal
After successful stints at Hull City, Leyton Orient, and Philadelphia Union, Simpson decided to retire in the year 2022. During his youth career, England awarded him a cap honour.
West Ham United’s Jack Collison comes in at #29.
After enduring knee injuries for a long time, Collison decided to call it quits and retire from his playing career at the age of 27. He recently assumed the role of manager for Huntsville City, a team that competes in the Major League Soccer Next Pro.
A. Fabian Delph, who plays for Leeds United
Just a few short months after leaving Everton as a free agent, Delph decided to retire in the year 2022. Aston Villa and Manchester City are among his former clubs, and it was during his time with Manchester City that he won two Premier League titles and an FA Cup.
Mounir El Hamdaoui (AZ Alkmaar) is ranking 27th.
After leaving AZ Alkmaar in 2010, the former Spurs forward went on to play for a number of different clubs, including Excelsior, FC Twente, Al Kharaitiyat, and Ajax. He also played for Malaga and Fiorentina. As of 2022, he had retired.
26. Mark Noble, who plays for West Ham United
He is currently serving as the sporting director of West Ham, the Premier League club that he has been with since he was a child. In the course of 18 years, the former midfielder played for the Hammers, making a total of 550 appearances for the club.
Andre-Pierre Gignac, Parisian, is ranked 25th.
After departing from Toulouse in 2010, Gignac remained with Marseille for a period of five years before moving on to Tigres, a club from Liga MX, in the calendar year 2015. This 39-year-old player, who has earned 39 caps for France, continues to be active for the Mexican club he currently plays for.
Piet Velthuizen, also known as the “Vitesse Arnhem”
After spending a brief period of time with Fortuna Sittard of the Eredivisie, Velthuizen decided to retire in the year 2021. Hércules, Hapoel Haifa, and Omonia are some of the clubs that have come before. During his time with the Netherlands, the former custodian made a single appearance.
Germain (Paris Saint-Germain) player Guillaume Hoarau: 23
Between the years 2008 and 2013, Hoarau was a member of Paris Saint-Germain. After that, he moved on to play for Dalian Aerbin of the Chinese Super League. He later played for Sion, Young Boys, and Bordeaux, among other teams. At the age of forty, he is currently competing in the lower leagues of Swiss football.
Keiren Westwood, who plays for Coventry City 22,
After making a splash at Carlisle United, Westwood was rewarded with a significant transfer to Coventry. Following his time with Crewe, he went on to play for Sunderland, Sheffield United, and QPR before finalising his career with Crewe. Following that, he went on to found his very own goalkeeper coaching school, which is known as the Keiren Westwood Goalkeeper Academy.
22. Nathan Delfouneso, who plays for Aston Villa
After spending a brief period of time with Hednesford Town, a team that competes in the Northern Premier League Division One West, Delfouneso, who is 34 years old, is currently a free agent. Included in the list of previous clubs are Bolton, Blackpool, and Blackburn.
20. Thiago Silva, who is currently a free agent and will go to AC Milan in June
In the current season, Silva is a member of the Brasileiro Serie A team Fluminense. Chelsea, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain are among the clubs that he has previously graced.
Mario Balotelli, who plays for Inter Milan [19]
As of right now, Balotelli is a member of Genoa, a Serie A club. Leaving Inter Milan in 2010, he went on to sign with Manchester City, where he remained for a period of three years before moving on to AC Milan. After that, he went on to play for such teams as Liverpool, Nice, Marseille, and Monza, to name just a few.
8. Angel Di Maria, who plays for Benfica
After spending time at Real Madrid, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, and Juventus, Di Maria made his way back to Benfica in the year 2023.
Middlesbrough’s Adam Johnson, number seventeen
For Sunderland, Johnson’s most recent appearance was in 2016. In 2016, he was sentenced to six years in prison for engaging in sexual activity and grooming with a girl who was 15 years old.
16. Diego Buonanotte, who hails from River Plate
A member of the Chilean club Deportes Temuco, Buonanotte is a player. His previous clubs include Universidad Católica, Malaga, Granada, and Unión La Calera in Chile. He also played for Universidad Católica.
Germaine Feghouli, who hails from Grenoble
In the year 2024, Feghouli played his final game for the Turkish club Fatih Karagumrük. Following his departure from Grenoble, he signed with Valencia and went on to make more than 150 appearances for the clubs in Spain. The following year, he went on to play for Galatasaray and West Ham.
15. Ezequiel Lavezzi, who plays for Napoli
At the age of 34, Lavezzi decided to retire from the sport of football in the year 2019. Prior to hanging up his boots, he was a member of the Paris Saint-Germain and Hebei China Fortune football teams. During his time with Argentina, the winger played in 51 matches.
(Marseilles) Steve Mandanda, number thirteen
At the moment, the 39-year-old former custodian for Crystal Palace is serving as the captain of Rennes, a team that competes in Ligue 1. Currently, he has 35 caps for France.
Marek Hamsik, who plays for Napoli
After spending some time with the Turkish club Trabzonspor, Hamsik, who is widely considered to be among the greatest players in the history of Slovakian football, decided to retire in the year 2023. Before making the move to the Chinese club Dalian Professional in 2019, he had spent the previous twelve years with Napoli.
11. Carlos Eduardo, who plays for Hoffenheim
The year 2021 was the last time Eduardo played for Brasiliense. Among the clubs that have come before, Rubin Kazan, Atlético Mineiro, and Paraná include. In total, he participated in six matches for the Brazilian national team.
10. Claudio Marchisio, who plays for Juventus
After spending thirteen years with Juventus, Marchisio made the move to Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2018, which is a Russian club. At the age of 33, he made the announcement that he would be retiring, and he is frequently seen on television in his capacity as a pundit.
9. Fabio Da Silva, who plays for Manchester United
34-year-old Fabio played for Gremio, a Brazilian club, for the last time in 2024. The clubs that he has played for in the past include Middlesbrough, Cardiff City, QPR, and Nantes.
8. Jozy Altidore, who plays for Villareal
Altidore’s final game for the Major League Soccer team New England Revolution was in the year 2023. Following his departure from Villarreal in 2011, he went on to sign with AZ Alkmaar, a Dutch club, and then went on to briefly play for Sunderland and Toronto FC. The United States national team has awarded him 115 caps.
7. John Fleck, who plays for the Rangers
At the moment, Fleck is a midfielder for Chesterfield, a team that competes in League Two. He is a legend in the Championship Managers’ league. Coventry, Sheffield United, and Blackburn are some of the clubs that have passed through.
Jack Wilshere, who plays for Arsenal
At the moment, Wilshere is serving as a first team coach for Norwich City, which competes in the Championship. Following a career that was plagued by injuries, he announced his retirement at the age of thirty, after having played for West Ham and Bournemouth earlier in his career.
Douglas Costa, also known as Gremio
Costa is a member of the Sydney FC team that competes in the Australian League. She has previously played for Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, LA Galaxy, and Fluminense, among other clubs. The Brazilian national team has awarded him 31 caps so far.
River Plate’s Radamel Falcao Garcia comes in dead last.
Currently, Falcao is a member of Millonarios, a Colombian team that competes in the Categoría Primera A in Colombia. Following his departure from River Plate, he went on to become one of the most accomplished strikers in the world while playing for Porto and Atletico Madrid before joining Monaco. Later in his career, he would play for Manchester United, Chelsea, Galatasaray, and Rayo Vallecano, among other companies.
David Silva, who hails from Valencia
A serious knee injury forced Silva to call it quits in 2023, when he was 37 years old and had retired from the sport of football. Over the course of a decade, he won four Premier League titles while playing for Manchester City, which was a trophy-filled period.
Karim Benzema, who plays for Lyon
Now, Benzema is playing for Al Ittihad, a team that competes in the Saudi Pro League. After making the move from Lyon to Real Madrid in 2009, he went on to have an extremely fruitful time with Los Blancos, where he won a number of trophies, including five Champions League tournaments, amongst many others.
(1st place: Hernanes (Sao Paulo)
In 2010, Hernandes moved from Sao Paulo to Lazio. He would go on to play for Inter Milan, Juventus, and Hebei China Fortune before making his way back to Sao Paulo in 2017. After spending a brief period of time at Sport Recife, he completed his career in 2021, when he was 35 years old.
