It’s always an exciting moment when a wonderkid emerges from a club’s academy.
Some have flown after progressing through into the first-team. But others have failed to hit the heights expected of them.
And back in 2019, European football’s governing body UEFA attempted to name some of the most promising young players to keep an eye on for the future. They released a long list of 50 of the continent’s brightest young players.
And as is expected, some have gone on to shine and earn big moves, but others have already slipped into obscurity in the five years since. Take a look at the full list below:
A product of the Galatasaray academy, Turkish winger Akgun remains a promising wide player. He spent two seasons on loan with Adana Demirspor before helping Leicester to promotion back to the Premier League last season. Akgun has found some brilliant form this term and recently scored a brilliant strike against Spurs.
Making his name with Monaco, French defender Badiashile joined Chelsea from the French side last summer. He has made 40 appearances so far but has found Premier League opportunities hard to come by this term.
After arriving at Wolfsburg from Dinamo Zagreb, big things were expected of Croatian winger Brekalo. After 128 appearances for the club, he eventually left for Fiorentina but has since found himself back in his homeland with Hajduk Split.
Joining from Chelsea’s youth academy, striker Brewster made just four senior appearances for Liverpool. Despite being talked up by Jurgen Klopp, he left permanently for Sheffield United for £23.5m but Brewster has struggled for form. He has just five goals in 88 outings for the Blades.
Nigerian winger Chukweuze made his name with Spanish side Villarreal before a move to AC Milan. But the now 25-year-old has struggled for form at the San Siro and has scored just two league goals.
Starting his career with Augsburg, Danso earned opportunities with Southampton and Fortuna Dusseldorf during loan spells. He then moved permanently to Lens in 2021 and has gone on to become a key player.
Arguably one of the most talented players on this last, Davies has enjoyed a trophy-laden spell with Bayern Munich following his arrival from Vancouver Whitecaps. The left-back has won five Bundesliga titles and the Champions League.
A familiar name to Aston Villa fans, French winger Diaby arrived in the Midlands following a stunning spell with Bayer Leverkusen. But the Paris Saint-Germain winger spent just a season with the side ahead of a move to Al-Ittihad.
A Romanian forward, Dragus earned his stripes with Viitril Constanta before moves to Standard Liege, Crotone, Genoa, Gaziantep and Trabzonspor. He has however made 19 appearances for his national side.
Another to have moved to England, the Dutch midfielder emerged at Ajax before moving to Huddersfield. After a spell with Genk, Eiting returned to Huddersfield but couldn’t hit the same heights and now finds himself with FC Twente.
Another Ajax academy graduate, the midfielder left in 2021 in a move to Hertha Berlin. He has subsequently played for Antwerp and Udinese.
Another promising midfielder, the Macedonian has become a key player for Napoli after arriving from Fenerbahce. He won Serie A and Coppa Italia with the side. Elmas moved to RB Leipzig in the most recent summer window.
When it comes to flops, Wolves might be regretting the huge fee they spent on the Portuguese striker. After joining for £35m from Porto, Silva has scored just four league goals, while also being sent on loan moves to Anderlecht, PSV, Rangers and Las Palmas.
Another Portuguese starlet to move to the Premier League, he broke through at Benfica before a miserable loan spell with Spurs. Fernandes then endured more disappointing stints with Galatasaray and Caykur Rizespor before settling at Besiktas.
The son of Romania legend Gheorghe, Hagi has bounced around a number of clubs – his spell with Fiorentina a particular disappointment. The 26-year-old has made over 100 appearances for Rangers but has struggled for consistency over recent seasons.
Dubbed an ‘elegant’ midfielder, the Malian made his name with Red Bull Salzburg. Sister side RB Leipzig swooped for his services and he has since made just under 200 appearances for the German giants.
The best striker in world football right now, Haaland was already making waves in 2019. He has taken his prolific goalscoring from Molde to Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and now Manchester City. Haaland enjoyed a dream first season with City after helping the side to an historic treble.
An exciting goalscorer with Sparta Prague, Hlozek moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2022. He had a relatively positive spell with the Bundesliga side, scoring 14 goals over two seasons. But he was sold this summer to domestic rivals Hoffenheim having been linked with Leicester.
A promising youngster with PSV, the Netherlands youth international has effectively disappeared since 2021. He can count Sampdoria, Ajax, and Wallwijk among his employers but made just a combined four senior appearances for those clubs.
A product of the famed Sporting Lisbon academy, Cabral enjoyed a brilliant few seasons with the Portuguese giants. But his development soon stuttered and he endured tricky loan spells with Lazio, Salernitana and Olympiacos. He left Sporting in the summer for Estrela da Amadora.
Off the back of a promising spell with Red Star Belgrade, Joveljic joined Eintracht Frankfurt. He got his career back on track during a prolific spell with Wolfsberger and he then moved to LA Galaxy. The Serbian international has scored 34 goals in 107 appearances for the MLS side.
A name that should be familiar to Liverpool, Kabak was signed from Schalke on loan after an injury crisis at Anfield. He made 13 appearances for the Reds, the club opting not to make the move permanent. The Turkish defender returned to the Premier League with Norwich before a switch to Hoffenheim.
From a former Liverpool defender to a current one now, Konate earned his first opportunity with Sochaux ahead of a move to RB Leipzig. After impressing in the Bundesliga, the Frenchman joined Liverpool for £36m, and he has gone on to establish himself as an important player at Anfield.
Another star to have moved to the Premier League, Kral rose through the ranks with Teplice, Slavia Prague and Spartak Moscow. A promising midfielder, Kral moved on loan to West Ham in 2021. But he made just six appearances.
Dubbed ‘Kvaradona’, there’s no doubt that the Georgian wideman has reached his potential. The 23-year-old joined Napoli from Dinamo Batumi in 2022 and it has looked a bargain ever since. His 12 goals in 2022/23 helped the Italian side end their long wait for a Serie A crown.
A product of Borussia Dortmund’s academy, the Danish winger was tipped for big things. He didn’t quite cut it in Dortmund ahead of a move to Hoffenheim. Bruun Larsen got a chance in the Premier League last term, scoring six goals during a loan spell with Burnley.
A 19-time Brazilian international, Lodi moved to Atletico Madrid shortly after UEFA compiled their list. He made over 100 appearances for the Spanish giants. Lodi was another to enjoy a loan spell in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest. He now finds himself with Al-Hilal after a brief spell with Marseille.
A rare player on this list given he remains with the side he was already with, Longstaff has gone on to become a Newcastle ever-present. He is already approaching his 200th game for the Magpies.
A product of the Hertha Berlin academy, Maier has harnessed an excellent career thus far in the Bundesliga. He has played for his boyhood club, Arminia Bielefeld and Augsburg.
One that Arsenal might be regretting, Dutch forward Malen has harnessed the reputation as a prolific goalscorer since leaving North London. A stunning spell with PSV saw him earn a move to Borussia Dortmund, where he has continued his goalscoring exploits. Malen was regularly linked with Manchester United during Erik ten Hag’s spell at Old Trafford.
A versatile player, Oblyakov remains with CKSA Moscow and has continued to impress. The now 26-year-old has scored 25 goals in 233 appearances for the side, winning the Russian Cup in 2023.
One of the more unconventional journeys to the top, Olmo kicked off his professional career with Dinamo Zagreb. The midfielder shone in Croatia, earning himself a move to RB Leipzig and remained hugely effective in the Bundesliga. Helping the side to two German cups, he only left this summer for Barcelona and has enjoyed a bright start to life in Spain.
A 35-time Danish international at the age of 24, Skov Olsen still has plenty of time to show off his talents. The winger was prolific with Nordsjælland ahead of a big move to Bologna. He didn’t quite reach the heights expected of him in Italy but has certainly recovered his form with Club Brugge – netting 26 goals last term.
A promising young centre-back in 2019, not much has changed for the Serbia star. Pavlovic has played for Monaco, Basel and Red Bull Salzburg. He earned a move to AC Milan in the summer.
Staying in Italy, Pellegrini has turned into somewhat of a journeyman since emerging at Roma. He has played for Cagliari, Juventus, Genoa, Lazio and even German side Eintracht Frankfurt.
Ukrainian centre-back Popov has spent his whole career with boyhood club Dynamo Kiev and has now made over 100 appearances for the club. He has already earned three caps for the Ukraine national team.
Funnily enough, the first inclusion from Barcelona’s famed academy, the midfielder made a total of 60 appearances for the Catalan giants. After failing to agree a new deal, he signed for MLS side LA Galaxy and he has since twice been named in the All-Star team.
After a prolific record for Augsburg’s reserves, striker Richter was promoted to the first team in 2017. He spent four years with the side but was sold to Hertha Berlin. Following the capital club’s relegation, he returned to the top flight with Mainz.
Still just 23, Rodrygo has already enjoyed a stunning career. Signed from Santos, the Brazilian scored 36 goals over the previous two seasons. He has also won a host of trophies in Madrid including three league titles and two Champions Leagues.
With a name like Romario, there’s always going to be pressure. Unfortunately for the Portuguese midfielder, he has struggled so far. In his defence, he has made 44 appearances for his current side Porto but has also spent the majority of his time with the club out on loan with Estoril, Casa Pia and Basel.
A promising young goalkeeper, Safonov joined Paris Saint-Germain for £15m this summer. He has already started three league games having competed with Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Considered by some as the best defender in the Premier League right now, French centre-back Saliba has had to bide his time at Arsenal. He accumulated experience with Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille and has finally established himself in the Gunners first team.
Still just 26, Senegal winger Sarr has already enjoyed success in the Premier League with Watford. He left Vicarage Road for Marseille but has since been tempted back to the UK by Crystal Palace.
Another on the list to have made their name with Red Bull Salzburg, Schlager’s performances in Austria caught the attention of Wolfsburg. The midfielder impressed once more and linked up with Red Bull again in 2022 with a move to RB Leipzig.
Still just 23, Dantas has already played for six clubs. A product of Benfica’s academy, he was sent on loan to Bayern Munich, Tondela, PAOK and AZ. He left Benfica permanently in the summer by joining Croatian side Osijek.
Sandro Tonali
A £58m footballer, Sandro Tonali made his senior debut with Brescia, developing a reputation as an extremely talented midfielder. He moved to AC Milan before Newcastle swooped for him. With his betting ban firmly behind him, Tonali will be extremely keen to show his talent far more regularly.
A name that will also be recognisable for Man City fans, Torres made 43 appearances for City, netting 16 times. Despite that record, he struggled for regular starts, leading to a move to Barcelona, where he remains.
A Georgian international, Tsitaishvili now finds himself in the second tier of Spanish football with Granada. He can rank Wisla Krakow and Lech Poznan among his employers across what has been a journeyman career.
After two failed spells in the Premier League, it appears unlikely that Croatian forward Vlasic will return. Following a short spell with Everton, he impressed with CSKA Moscow, earning a big-money move to West Ham. But Vlasic struggled again, scoring just one, and he now finds himself with Torino.
Yalcin showed plenty of early promise with Besiktas but the forward has been unable to show that kind of form outside of Turkey. He has never scored a senior league goal away from his home country despite spells with Lecce, Genoa and Arouca.
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