Back in 2007, World Soccer magazine unveiled a list of the 50 most exciting teenage footballers on the planet, with Giovani dos Santos, Alexandre Pato, and Anderson gracing the cover.
More than 17 years ago, Ghanaian forward Sadick Adams was among the most sought-after young talents in world football after netting four goals at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea. His impressive performances earned him a pre-contract with Spanish giants Atlético Madrid in November 2007, where he trained alongside the likes of David de Gea and Sergio Agüero.
Speaking about his friendship with De Gea, Adams said: “We don’t talk on the phone much, but we usually chat on Twitter and Instagram. De Gea was my closest friend at Atlético, though he’s not very active on social media.”
Despite being named World Soccer’s most exciting teenage footballer that same year, Adams only made 17 appearances for Atlético’s B team before moving to Serbian side Vojvodina in 2009. He later had stints in Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Tunisia, and eventually finished his career at Bangladesh Premier League club Arambagh KS.
Here’s a look back at World Soccer’s 2007 list of the 50 most exciting teenage footballers — and where they are now:
Sadick Adams (Atlético Madrid): Last played for Arambagh KS in Bangladesh after spells in Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, and Tunisia. Earned two Ghana caps.
Ismail Aissati (PSV): Retired in 2023 after spells at Ajax, Antalyaspor, and Terek Grozny. Represented Morocco twice.
Alexandre Pato (AC Milan): Most recently played for São Paulo. Previously featured for Corinthians, Chelsea (loan), and Villarreal. Scored 10 goals in 27 appearances for Brazil.
Anderson (Manchester United): Retired in 2019 aged 31. After leaving United, played for Fiorentina (loan), Internacional, Coritiba, and Adana Demirspor.
Giovani dos Santos (Barcelona): Retired in 2021 after spells with Tottenham, Mallorca, Villarreal, LA Galaxy, and Club América. Earned 106 caps for Mexico.
Gareth Bale (Tottenham): Retired in 2023 at 33 after winning five Champions League titles with Real Madrid. Ended his career with LAFC.
Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid): Forced to retire in 2021 due to heart issues. Also played for Manchester City and Barcelona.
Bojan Krkić (Barcelona): Retired in 2023 aged 32 after a 15-year career featuring stints at Roma, Stoke City, and Vissel Kobe.
Breno Borges (São Paulo): Last played for Vasco da Gama. Joined Bayern Munich in 2008 but was jailed in 2012 for aggravated arson.
Gerardo Bruna (Liverpool): Currently a free agent after last playing for Dungannon Swifts. Also featured for Tranmere Rovers, Ottawa Fury, and Shelbourne.
Ángel Di María (Benfica): Still playing for Benfica after spells at Real Madrid, Manchester United, and PSG. Made 145 appearances for Argentina.
Diego Buonanotte (River Plate): Currently with Deportes Temuco in Chile. Formerly played for Málaga, Granada, and AEK Athens.
Franco Di Santo (Audax Italiano): Plays for Independiente Rivadavia in Argentina after time with Chelsea, Wigan, and Werder Bremen.
Macauley Chrisantus (Abuja FC): Last played for Lynx in Gibraltar. Former clubs include Hamburg, Las Palmas, and AEK Athens.
Karim Benzema (Lyon): Currently with Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia after a trophy-laden spell at Real Madrid.
Dumitru Copil (Hearts): Plays for Unirea Sântana in Romania.
Fábio da Silva (Manchester United): Last featured for Grêmio in Brazil, having also played for Cardiff, Middlesbrough, and Nantes.
Kermit Erasmus (SuperSport United): Now with Casric Stars in South Africa. Formerly played for Feyenoord, Orlando Pirates, and Rennes.
Fábio Coentrão (Benfica): Retired at 33 after seven years with Real Madrid. Now owns several fishing boats.
Marouane Fellaini (Standard Liège): Retired in 2024 after spells with Everton, Manchester United, and Shandong Taishan.
Guilherme (Cruzeiro): Plays for São Joseense in Brazil, previously at Dynamo Kiev, Atlético Mineiro, and Corinthians.
Damian Ismodes (Sporting Cristal): Currently at Carlos Stein in Peru.
Lorenzo De Silvestri (Lazio): Still active with Bologna in Serie A.
Nour Hadhria (Club Africain): Retired in 2019.
Rabiu Ibrahim (Sporting Lisbon): Last played for Slovan Bratislava after spells at PSV, Celtic, and Kilmarnock.
The rest of the 2007 list featured names such as Kerlon, Toni Kroos, Juan Mata, Lulinha, Sapol Mani, Cristian Nazarit, Ransford Osei, Aarón Ñíguez, Daniel Opare, Fran Mérida, Nikolay Mihaylov, and Mesut Özil, who went on to star for Real Madrid and Arsenal.
Also included were Andrea Russotto, Renato Augusto, Henri Saivet, Micah Richards, Alexis Sánchez, Sergio Tejera, Marek Suchý, Ivan Rakitić, Abdou Razack Traoré, Carlos Vela, Theo Walcott, Gregory van der Wiel, and Éver Banega.
While many of these prodigies have since retired, a few — including Mata (Melbourne Victory), Saivet (Clermont), Alexis Sánchez (Sevilla), and Banega (Newell’s Old Boys) — are still playing professionally today.
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