A report that identified some of the best talent born in 1998 makes for interesting reading, almost a decade on.
Back in October 2015, The Guardian claimed to have “scoured the world” in a bid to find some of the best players born in ’98 – featuring Martin Odegaard and Federico Valverde, amongst others.
In total, three goalkeepers, seven defenders, 20 midfielders and 19 forwards were included in the list but only a handful went on to establish themselves on the international stage.
Luca Fernandez, the second-eldest son of Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane, was the first goalkeeper to feature. At the time, he had just won the European Championship title with France Under-17s and was playing for Real Madrid B.
But four years after the list was published, Luca left Los Blancos to join Rayo Vallecano. The 26-year-old signed for second division side Granada in 2024.
Three others French players were also named in the list alongside Fernandez, including Bilal Boutobba, Dayot Upamecano and former Arsenal man Jeff Reine-Adelaide, who now plays for Serie B side Salernitana.
Here is the full list of players and where they are now:
Franco Lopez – currently a free agent, last played for Argentine side Canuelas in 2022.
Tomás Conechny – now plays for La Liga club Deportivo Alavés.
Panos Armenakas – now at USL Championship side Oakland Roots.
Sandi Lovric – now at Serie A outfit Udinese.
Ismail Azzaoui – now plays for plays for Omonia 29M in the Cypriot First Division.
Evander Ferreira – now plays for Major League Soccer side FC Cincinnati.
Lincoln – now plays for Hull City, on loan from Turkish side Fenerbahce.
Matheus Pereira – now plays for Spanish club Eibar.
Jesús Marimón – now at Colombian side Deportes Quindío.
Davor Lovren – currently a free agent, last played for Croatian side Kustošija.
Dominik Smekal – now plays for Czech third division club Hlučín.
Jacob Bruun Larsen – now plays at Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart.
Kaan Kairinen – now plays for Czech First League side Sparta Prague.
Bilal Boutobba – now plays for Turkish club Hatayspor.
Dayot Upamecano – now plays for Bundesliga outfit Bayern Munich.
Upamecano has picked up 28 caps for France. Image credit: Getty
Jeff Reine-Adelaide – now plays at Serie B club Salernitana.
Luca Fernández – now plays for Spanish side Granada CF.
Fabian Benko – now plays for Bayernliga Süd club FC Pipinsried.
Felix Passlack – now plays at Bundesliga club VfL Bochum.
Dimitris Limnios – now plays at Super League side Panathinaikos.
Reza Shekari – now plays for Iranian club Sepahan.
Haviv Ohayon – now plays at Israeli Premier League side Hapoel Hadera, on loan from Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Manuel Locatelli – now plays for Serie A giants Juventus.
Manuel Nicoletti – now at Serie C Group C club Picerno.
Ritsu Doan – now plays for Bundesliga club SC Freiburg.
Sidiki Maiga – now at Spanish side Azuqueca.
Pablo López – now plays at Mexican outfit Jaguares.
Ulises Torres – now plays for Mexican club Leones Negros UdeG.
Hachim Mastour – now plays for FC Zeta in Gerard Piqué’s Italian Kings League.
Javairô Dilrosun – now plays for Liga MX club América.
Justin Bijlow – now at Eredivisie club Feyenoord.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah – currently a free agent, last played for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.
Han Kwang-song – now at DPRK Premier League club April 25 Sports Club.
Martin Odegaard – now at Premier League side Arsenal.
Odegaard continues to shine for club and country. Image credit: Getty
Rafik Zekhnini – now at Eliteserien club Sarpsborg 08.
Krystian Bielik – now at League One club Birmingham City.
Pedro Pereira – now at Serie A side Monza.
Ianis Hagi – now plays for Scottish Premiership club Rangers.
Artem Galadzhan – now plays for Russian third tier side Irtysh Omsk.
Zehrudin Mehmedovic – currently a free agent, last played for FK Sloboda Užice in Serbia.
Jan Mlakar – now plays for Croatian club Hajduk Split, on loan from Serie B side Pisa.
Liam Jordan – now at Swedish Allsvenskan side IF Brommapojkarna.
Lee Seung-woo – now at South Korean club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
José Luis ‘Kuki’ Salazar – now plays for Spanish side AD Ceuta FC.
José María Amo – now at Spanish club CD Tenerife.
Dani Olmo – now plays for La Liga side Barcelona.
Zackarias Faour – now at Swedish club Saba Palestina.
İbrahim Demirbağ – currently a free agent, last played for Turkish side Arnavutköy Belediyesi FSK.
Christian Pulisic – now plays for Serie A club AC Milan.
Federico Valverde – now at La Liga side Real Madrid.
