Every year, soccer publication GOAL releases its list of the top 50 ‘wonderkids’ in world football. Did the former Top 10 inductees on the list from 2018 fulfill their potential, or is all hope lost? With the power of hindsight, we will look at this Top 10 list from 2018 and see how these formerly top-ranked youngsters are doing today.
10. Timothy Tillman
Timothy Tillman represented Germany at various youth levels but switched allegiance to the USA in 2023 thanks to his father being an American citizen. He got his start at the Bayern Munich youth system and went to German side Freuther Furth, where he made 80 appearances and scored two goals. He moved to MLS club LAFC in February 2023, where so far he’s made 25 appearances, scoring four goals and recording one assist. While he is certainly a good player for his club, he has not quite hit the lofty heights that were expected of him, yet.
9. Ferran Torres
The Spanish winger broke through the Valencia first-team in 2018 as a teenager and was highly regarded in the football world at the time. His impressive form at such a young age earned him a move to English team Manchester City, where he spent one season with Pep Guardiola and scored nine goals in 28 appearances in the league. Injuries meant he lost his starting place in the team, and Barcelona signed him the season after for 55 million euros.
So far at Barcelona, the winger has been a key member of their lethal attacking system, although continues to struggle with injuries. Today, he continues his rehabilitation as he aims to get back on the pitch alongside attacking Barca stars Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
8. Timothy Weah
The second American and Timmy on this list is Timothy Weah, who currently plays for Italian giants Juventus and has been in hot form so far this season, scoring four goals in eight league appearances. The forward also excels on the international stage, recently scoring an excellent volley in the 4-2 CONCACAF Nations League win over Jamaica, a competition that Weah has won three times with the national team. In the first match of the Italian Serie A this season, Weah scored a goal but was substituted off with a low-grade hamstring tear which kept him out of action, and issues with injuries have started to emerge. Whether or not he can push on from here and truly fulfill his potential remains to be seen, but Weah has begun to settle into life in Italy.
7. Ben Woodburn
The former Liverpool player had a brief period where he was highly thought of in the football world. In 2016, he became the youngest-ever Liverpool goalscorer at 17 years and 45 days, bettering the previous record set by Michael Owen by 98 days. He also showed promising signs with the Welsh national team, scoring major goals and being one of the best players on the team. It seemed like Liverpool had found their next Steven Gerrard.
Unfortunately for Woodburn, Liverpool had the luxury of having some of the best players in the world, which meant that the then-teenager had to go out on loan to find consistent first-team minutes. He spent time on loan at four different clubs around England and Scotland while battling injuries such as a broken foot and struggled to make an impact in a team. Today, he is playing for English League 2 side Salford City at 25 years old.
6. Dan-Axel Zagadou
Being a professional athlete comes down to not only ability but availability. Being good enough to be a professional is as difficult as it is, but to be consistently available sometimes seems even more difficult. At the time, Borussia Dortmund could not believe their luck in signing Zagadou. They beat a whole host of elite clubs to sign the then-teenager from Paris Saint-Germain. Sadly, the left-back’s career has been a seemingly non-stop train of ACL injuries.
After missing more than a year through injury, Borussia Dortmund let Zagadou go as a free agent and was signed by fellow German Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart and is still there today. While he is a great player on his day, he is currently unavailable due to an injury to — you guessed it — an ACL tear.
5. Phil Foden
Manchester City sensation Phil Foden, who has more than justified his spot on this list, has made 364 appearances for City scoring 115 goals and providing 78 assists in all competitions. Along the way, he’s helped his team to an astonishing six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and a UEFA Champions League trophy. He is still only 24 years old and has plenty more time to establish himself as an all-time great.
4. Matthijs de Ligt
One of the most well-known young prospects in football came in at No. 4 on this list. Since then, the player has left his native Dutch side Ajax and played for Juventus and Bayern Munich before signing for English side Manchester United, where he still plays today. He was part of the incredible Ajax team of 2018/2019 that reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, losing to runners-up Tottenham Hotspur. While de Ligt enjoyed a successful time in Germany, which included a Bundesliga title, he had some difficulties adapting to the Italian playstyle, often having to rely on his physicality to get the best over his more technical opponents.
With Manchester United’s new manager Ruben Amorim taking over the helm, it will be interesting to see how de Ligt is utilized in Amorim’s favored 3-4-3 formation.
3. Vinicius Jr.
When GOAL first wrote this list in 2018, Vinicius Jr. was just 16 years old and was on loan at Brazilian club Flamengo. Safe to say, they got this one spot-on. The young Brazilian took Europe by storm and has since become one of the best players in the world and currently plays for Real Madrid. He has scored 55 goals in 187 appearances for the Royal Whites and has won three La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions League trophies. You would bet good money for him to remain at Real Madrid and continue to establish his name in football.
2. Gianluigi Donnarumma
When it comes to goalkeepers, Donnarumma may as well still be considered a young prospect. He is 25 years old in a position where players usually peak well into their 30s, and has been playing first-team football since 2015. He started at AC Milan before moving to Paris Saint-Germain, where he has made a major impact and helped them win three French league titles. In 2021, he won the Yev Lashin Trophy, an award given to the best goalkeeper in the world for that year. Still at PSG, Donnarumma is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
1. Justin Kluivert
Being the son of Dutch legend Patrick Kluivert was perhaps enough pressure to put on the youngster, but to be ranked one of the best prospects in the world put the icing on the proverbial cake. He showed incredible promise at Ajax before transferring to Italian side AS Roma in 2018. Ever since then, he has struggled to hold down a starting position. He spent time on loan at multiple clubs before eventually transferring to Premier League side AFC Bournemouth. Recurring injuries have disrupted any positive momentum of form, but he has done well so far at Bournemouth, scoring nine goals in 43 appearances.
