Europe has long been a hotbed for footballing talent, so it’s no surprise that some of the sport’s brightest young stars emerge from the continent. Scouts, the media, and fans alike are always on the lookout, hoping these young prodigies will evolve into global superstars. Unfortunately, not all live up to the hype.
Looking back at the best U-18 XI of 2016 takes us on a nostalgic journey, where we once dreamed of big things for these players. Some have remained at the top, while others have faded into obscurity. This starting eleven, selected by Spanish newspaper Marca, featured highly regarded talents, many of whom went on to secure lucrative moves to top clubs across Europe.
One of the bigger names on the list, Gianluigi Donnarumma became a household name among football fans during his time at AC Milan. He joined the Rossoneri in 2003 and quickly rose through the ranks, making his debut at just 16 years old.
Originally brought in as a third-choice goalkeeper behind Diego Lopez and Christian Abbiati, Donnarumma soon established himself as Milan’s number one, making 30 appearances in Serie A that season. He kept 11 clean sheets, emerging as the standout player in an otherwise dismal season for the club, which finished seventh in the standings.
Donnarumma’s breakthrough saw him become the undisputed starting goalkeeper the following year. In 2019, at just 19 years old, he became Milan’s youngest-ever captain, wearing the armband for the first time. The stage was set for him to lead Milan into a new era, as a homegrown talent destined to become a club legend.
However, in 2021, Donnarumma left Milan for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. While he has won silverware in Paris and is still regarded as one of Ligue 1‘s top goalkeepers, he has somewhat faded from the spotlight.
On the international stage, Donnarumma has continued to shine, playing a key role in Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph and becoming the national team’s captain in 2024.
Kieran Tierney is one of the names on this list who hasn’t quite fulfilled the potential he once promised. A talented left-back known for his high work rate, Tierney was always seen as a future captain of Celtic and, eventually, of his home country, Scotland.
Like many players on this list, Tierney rose to prominence in the 2015/16 season, making 33 appearances for Celtic in the Premiership. He quickly became a fan favorite, registering eight assists and playing a key role in helping his team secure the title.
Tierney was integral to Celtic’s domestic dominance, contributing to back-to-back trebles in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons. His impressive performances earned him a move to Arsenal for £25 million. Life in North London began well, as Tierney won the FA Cup in his first season with the Gunners. However, injuries soon began to disrupt his progress.
As the seasons went on, Tierney’s playing time under manager Mikel Arteta gradually decreased, and he spent the 2023/2024 season on loan at Real Sociedad in La Liga. While he returned to the Emirates, he has spent much of this season sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
Cristian Manea was perhaps never destined to make it big outside his home country of Romania. At 18, he was playing for Mouscron, a now-defunct Belgian club, which remains his only foreign experience, alongside a brief stint at Apollon Limassol.
Marca once rated him as one of Europe’s top right-backs, despite Manea not having proven much on the pitch. He played in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League, making just nine appearances in the 2015/16 season, and the same number in 2016/17.
Never attracting significant interest from top European clubs, Manea returned to Romania, where he has played for clubs like CFR Cluj, Steaua Bucharest, and currently Rapid Bucharest, the team he represents today. He has made 14 appearances so far this season for Rapid.
A familiar name, especially because he still plays for Liverpool, Joe Gomez has proven to be a valuable asset for the Merseyside club over the years. While he has not quite established himself as one of Liverpool’s top defenders, he has been a reliable option in the rotation, solid at the back when called upon.
When Gomez was included in Europe’s best U-18 XI, he had not played many senior games for Liverpool, but his performances for Charlton in the Championship showcased his talent. It was his displays in England’s second tier that ultimately earned him a spot in the Premier League, and he has played a crucial role in Liverpool’s recent successes.
Since joining Liverpool in 2015, Gomez has made 232 appearances for the club, winning seven trophies, including a Premier League title and a UEFA Champions League title.
Reece Oxford began his career at Tottenham but soon joined rivals West Ham United, where he became part of their youth set-up. At just 16 years old, Oxford made history by becoming the youngest-ever player for the East London club, and the future looked bright for the young Briton.
Unfortunately, Oxford struggled to find the consistency needed to establish himself in England, and with West Ham being relegated just a year later, he likely lost the trust of the club. This led to several loan spells, as he moved down the English football pyramid, first to Reading.
Oxford eventually earned a move to the Bundesliga, joining Borussia Monchengladbach before moving to FC Augsburg. His time at Augsburg, which lasted until 2023, was marked by a series of setbacks, including knee injuries and later struggles with the long-term effects of COVID-19.
Despite his early promise, things never truly took off for Reece Oxford, as his talent faded due to a lack of consistency and the physical challenges he faced.
Renato Sanches’ name is often mentioned when discussing failed wonderkids in European football, and for good reason. The Portuguese midfielder was not only expected to become a great player but also a potential legend of the game.
He burst onto the scene at Benfica, a club renowned for its strong academy, in 2015. The following season, Sanches featured in 47 games for the Lisbon-based club, scoring six goals and catching the attention of several of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Sanches earned a big-money move to Bayern Munich in 2016, reportedly amounting to €80 million in bonuses, but things would go downhill from there. He never replicated his form from his Benfica days and struggled to break into the starting eleven — at times even being left out of the squad altogether.
He was sent on loan to Swansea City in the Premier League in 2017, but he failed to make an impact in England. After spending two more seasons with Bayern Munich, Sanches moved to France to play for Lille, and it seemed his career was finally back on track.
Sanches made 91 appearances for Lille, helping them dethrone Paris Saint-Germain to win the Ligue 1 title in 2020/21. Understandably, he once again became a transfer target for bigger clubs, and this time, it was PSG who brought him in. However, the pattern continued: Sanches once again seemed to lose the flair that had made him so special at Lille and Benfica.
He spent a year on loan at AS Roma from Paris before returning to Benfica on loan ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Youri Tielemans has had a consistent presence in the Premier League since joining Leicester City in 2019, but a younger version of the Belgian, who made a name for himself at Anderlecht, was poised for much bigger things.
Tielemans played 45 games for the Brussels-based club in the 2015/16 season as an 18-year-old, contributing 11 goals and assists that year. Overall, he made 185 appearances for Anderlecht, scoring 35 goals and providing 31 assists. He was tipped to become one of the best midfielders in the world, a prediction supported by his impressive performances for Monaco, whom he joined in 2017.
In his two years in the Principality, Tielemans played 65 games, which earned him a move to Leicester City. He became a key figure in Leicester’s FA Cup-winning side of 2021 and even captained the team several times.
However, a disappointing 2022/23 season, which saw Leicester relegated, caused his stock to fall. Though he earned a move to Aston Villa, who are currently playing in the Champions League, Tielemans has yet to fully fulfill the potential he once showed. At 27, however, he still has plenty of time to recover and establish himself as a great.
It would be wrong to categorize Ruben Neves as a failed prospect, as the Portuguese player has always had his priorities in order. He made a successful progression from his boyhood club Porto to becoming an integral part of the Wolves squad, and eventually securing a multi-million dollar paycheck in Saudi Arabia—a perfect career, in many ways.
At just 18 years old, Neves became a regular starter for FC Porto. In the 2015/16 season, he made 38 appearances, which is when the media (and the football world at large) began to take notice of his talent.
In 2017, he joined Wolverhampton Wanderers, a team still in the Championship, and helped them secure promotion to the Premier League. He later played a key role in guiding the club to European football. Over 253 appearances for Wolves, Neves scored 30 goals and provided 13 assists. His performances caught the attention of major clubs, including FC Barcelona, who were reportedly interested in his signature during the summer of 2023.
However, Neves opted to pursue a lucrative move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, with Wolves earning £47 million from the transfer. The Portuguese midfielder is also a regular feature for his national team.
The biggest name on the list, without a doubt, is Kylian Mbappe. Since bursting onto the scene at Monaco at the age of 17, he has gone on to become one of the best players in the world.
Scoring 27 goals in 16 games for Monaco, Mbappe helped the Ligue 1 side win the title and reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. His brilliant performances, including a goal against Manchester City away from home, propelled him to become the second-youngest scorer in UEFA Champions League history, behind only Karim Benzema.
Mbappe joined PSG in 2017 for a record fee (for a teenager) of €180 million and quickly became a legend for the French club. With 256 goals and 108 assists in just 308 games, he established himself as one of the most feared forwards in world football.
After a multi-year transfer saga, Mbappe finally joined his dream club—Real Madrid. Although his start in the Spanish capital has been tough, it is only a matter of time before he truly hits his stride and takes European football by storm.
Marca spotted a real gem back in 2016.
Another huge name, Martin Ødegaard, took some time to establish himself as one of the world’s best playmakers. He joined Real Madrid at the age of 15, with many tipping him to achieve extraordinary things with Los Blancos. He even made his debut for the club at 16 years and 157 days, becoming the youngest player in the club’s history.
Unfortunately, he never truly established himself as a regular starter for Real Madrid, and, understandably, went out on loan to several teams around Europe, including Heerenveen, Vitesse, Real Sociedad, and finally Arsenal.
After getting a good taste of life in North London, Ødegaard joined the Gunners permanently in 2021 and was named club captain soon after. Today, he is one of the best talents in the Premier League, and at just 25, has a whole career ahead of him to become a certified Premier League legend.
Dominic Solanke could be considered a late bloomer despite his promising junior career. For several years, however, he faded into obscurity, struggling with form and sometimes injuries.
A part of Chelsea’s youth setup, Solanke went on loan to Vitesse in the Eredivisie to gain playing time, scoring seven goals in 20 appearances for the Dutch club. He was also the starting striker for England’s youth international teams, even being part of their 2017 U-20 World Cup squad.
Strong performances for Vitesse earned him a move to Liverpool in 2017, where, under Jürgen Klopp, he was expected to develop into a lethal striker. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Solanke remained second (and sometimes third) choice for much of his time at Anfield, and by the time of his departure in 2019, he had scored just one goal in 27 appearances for the club.
That move turned out to be a blessing for the Englishman, who joined Bournemouth and demonstrated his true goal-scoring ability. With 77 goals in 216 games, he left the Vitality Stadium as a Bournemouth legend, having helped guide the club back to the Premier League.
In 2024, Tottenham Hotspur signed him to a six-year deal, and the 27-year-old has enjoyed a decent start to life at the club, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 17 games.
