The French Magasiet hit the mark quite well in their predictions – but there were some misses as well.
Back in 2017, L’Équipe presented its list of the 50 greatest young talents in world football. But where are they today?
In the same year, Cristiano Ronaldo was named Ballon d’Or winner ahead of Lionel Messi and Neymar, while Real Madrid won their record-breaking 12. Champions League title. In the Premier League, Leicester entered the year as reigning champions, but were overtaken by Antonio Conte’s Chelsea before the end of the 2016/17 season.
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Kylian Mbappe, meanwhile, had his breakthrough year at Monaco, while Vinicius Junior hadn’t made his debut for Flamengo’s first team until May of that year. The 16-year-old Erling Braut Haaland signed for Molde in 2017 and had not yet been spotted.
Two of these names were on L’Équipe’s list – let’s go through all 50 players and see where they are today.
Where are they now?
Marco Asensio (29) – Signed for Real Madrid in 2014 and played over 200 games for the club. Joined PSG in 2023 and is now on loan at Aston Villa.
Dele Alli (28) – Former Tottenham and England star signed for Como in January after a long injury break.
Kylian Mbappe (26) – Joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer after a goal-filled time at PSG.
Ousmane Dembélé (28) – Became historically expensive when he signed for Barcelona in 2017. Injuries have plagued him, but now he shines at PSG with 33 goals this season.
Gianluigi Donnarumma (26) – One of the world’s best goalkeepers, now at PSG after leaving AC Milan in 2021.Gabriel
Jesus (28) – Currently injured, but has been a regular Premier League profile at Manchester City and Arsenal.
Leroy Sané (29) – Just won his fourth Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich.
Kingsley Coman (28) – Scored the winning goal for Bayern in the 2020 Champions League final. Played 41 games this season.
Marcus Rashford (27) – On loan at Aston Villa, with an uncertain future at Manchester United.
Timo Werner (29) – Has had a disappointing loan spell at Tottenham with only one goal this season.
Christian Pulisic (26) – Didn’t make it at Chelsea, but has flourished at AC Milan with 32 goals in two seasons.
Kasper Dolberg (27) – A great talent at Ajax, but his career stagnated. Now at Anderlecht and linked with Leeds.
Julian Brandt (28) – A key player in Dortmund, but has only won the DFB Pokal.
Jonathan Tah (28) – Central to Leverkusen’s unbeaten Bundesliga season. Can be a free boy this summer.
Dani Ceballos (28) – Back at Real Madrid after a loan spell at Arsenal, but not a first-team player.
Youri Tielemans (27) – Now at Aston Villa after success at Leicester and Monaco.
Benjamin Henrichs (28) – His career came to a halt after the Monaco transfer, but has found his form again at RB Leipzig.
Franck Kessié (28) – One of the first major European players to go to Saudi Arabia (Al-Ahli).
Davinson Sánchez (28) – Now at Galatasaray after six years at Tottenham.
Patrik Schick (28) – Scored 27 goals for Leverkusen this season, including a spectacular half-court goal.
What happened to the rest?
- Malcom (28) – From Barcelona to Zenit, now at Al-Hilal.
- Cristian Pavón (29) – Played his entire career in South America.
- Kai Havertz (25) – From Chelsea to Arsenal, scored the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final.
- Amadou Diawara (27) – From Rome to Eldense in the Spanish 2nd division.
- Alex Iwobi (28) – Key player for Fulham after time at Arsenal and Everton.
- Andreas Christensen (28) – From Chelsea to Barcelona, won La Liga in 2023.
- Moussa Dembélé (28) – Now at Al-Ettifaq after time at Lyon and Celtic.
- Theo Hernández (27) – One of the world’s best left-backs at AC Milan.
- Kelechi Iheanacho (28) – On loan to Middlesbrough after losing his place at Leicester.
- Renato Sanches (27) – From PSG to Benfica on loan after a successful spell at Lille.
Any surprises?
- Matthijs de Ligt (25) – Now at Manchester United after Ajax, Juventus and Bayern.
- Diogo Jota (28) – Recent Premier League champion with Liverpool.
- André Onana (29) – Fighting for his place at Manchester United after a tough season.
- Moise Kean (25) – Finally found his form at Fiorentina with 24 goals this season.
Several of the players have become big stars (Mbappé, Havertz, De Ligt), while others have had a more varied career. Some have disappeared from the top tier, while others are still struggling to reach their full potential.
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