Six years ago, Marca named their best XI of what they thought were the most talented U18 players in the country.
Six years on, these players should now be hitting their prime, so how have Marca’s team of wonderkids gotten on in the years since they were tipped for superstardom? Let’s have a look.
Above is Marca’s team, and as you can see, the Spanish newspaper didn’t do too badly when predicting the future stars of world football.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Donnarumma has undoubtedly lived up to his potential. The Italian is his countries number one and he’s also PSG’s first-choice stopper these days. Having won the Player of the Tournament at Euro 2020, Donarumma is certainly one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
RB: Cristian Manea
Unfortunately for Cristian Manea, he’s probably the lowest-profile player in this XI. The Romanian impressed as a teenager, but since then his career has plateaued. These days he’s still playing for CFR Cluj, while he’s also a Romania international. He’s not a superstar, but he’s not had a bad career by any stretch of the imagination.
CB: Reece Oxford
Reece Oxford looked like England’s next great centre-back after pocketing Mesut Ozil on his Premier League debut at the age of just 16. Unfortunately, his career at West Ham didn’t really take off as he would play just eight league games for the Hammers.
However, since then, he’s carved out quite a nice career for himself over in Germany, becoming a key player for FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga.
CB: Joe Gomez
Another true success story, Joe Gomez has been right to the very top in football. He was a key player in Liverpool’s Champions League and Premier League wins in recent years, while he’s also an England international.
Injuries have hampered him from becoming one of the best in the world, but he’s still achieved a lot by the age of 24.
LB: Kieran Tierney
Another success story. Kieran Tierney is now a key player for Arsenal after winning countless trophies with Celtic.
Arsenal are building an exciting core of young talents and Tierney could be vital for the Gunners for the best part of the next decade.
CM: Ruben Neves
Ruben Neves’ career took an unexpected shift when he swapped being a Champions League regular for Porto for the Championship with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Since then though, he’s proven his class in the Premier League for Wolves and he’s been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United.
CM: Youri Tielemans
Youri Tielemans was a first-team star at Anderlecht from a very young age, and now, he’s one of Leicester City’s most important players.
The Belgian has been brilliant since moving to England, most notably scoring a screamer in the 2021 FA Cup final, and he’s also been linked with a move to a bigger club with Arsenal and Newcastle reportedly keen.
CM: Renato Sanches
To say Renato Sanches’ career has been a rollercoaster has been an understatement.
He was arguably the Player of the Tournament at Euro 2016 before flopping at Bayern Munich. An embarrassing loan spell at Swansea City followed before a move to Lille where he’s looked rejuvenated.
The midfielder won Ligue 1 in 2021, and his performances in France have seen him linked to Arsenal.
RW: Martin Odegaard
Odegaard was put on the right-wing in this team, but he’s flourishing in a central role at Arsenal these days.
Odegaard was a big name from the age of 15 when he signed for Real Madrid and while he’s not the Ballon d’Or contender many expected him to be, he’s been excellent for Arsenal over the past 18 months.
ST: Dominic Solanke
Having played for both Chelsea and Liverpool by the age of 20, big things were expected of Solanke from a young age.
Sadly, he’s not hit the heights expected of him, but with 20 Championship goals to his name for Bournemouth this season and one England cap, it may not be long before we see Solanke back at the top level.
LW: Kylian Mbappe
What can we say about Kylian Mbappe that hasn’t already been said?
The attacker is now a superstar at PSG.
The Frenchman is arguably the best player in the world, he’s a World Cup winner and one of the most potent goalscorers in Europe. Mbappe is cream of the crop in this team, and Marca got his inclusion in this side spot on.
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