Highlights

  • Kylian Mbappe's potential move as a £300m player is still possible, especially with money in Saudi Arabia.
  • Neymar may not be the first £1m-a-week player, as Messi's Barcelona contract likely achieved this feat.
  • Manchester United's chances of winning the Premier League seem unlikely with their recent performances.

Football is unpredictable. It's one reason why we love it so much. Every now and then, something will happen that will just leave fans speechless. We always like to look back at Leicester's 2015/16 Premier League triumph as the prime example. Claudio Ranieri's side were 5000/1 shots to win the league but produced one of the greatest stories in the history of football. It just goes to show that making predictions in football can be incredibly difficult.

But that certainly didn't stop HITC Sport's The Irish Guy on YouTube. Just before 2019 turned to 2020, he predicted 40 things that WILL happen before 2030. At the time, we brought you his predictions and ranked each of them out of 10 in terms of likelihood.

And now, a little more than four years later, we wanted to revisit them and see how his predictions are getting on. Some have already happened, some look more likely, some look less likely and some definitely won't be happening.

Let's take a look:

1. Kylian Mbappe will become the first £300m player

PSG's Kylian Mbappe

This probably wasn’t a bad shout considering Kylian Mbappe cost around £160m back in 2017 when he was just 18 years old. But The Irish Guy probably didn't expect to remain at Paris Saint-Germain for the entirety of his contract. He could potentially be leaving for free in the summer of 2024. Although with all the money in Saudi Arabia, there is plenty of time for this prediction to come true.

2. Neymar will become first £1m-a-week player

Al Hilal's new signing Neymar

As mentioned, money in Saudi Arabia has gone absolutely crazy and nobody could have predicted the sort of money footballers would be paid in 2023. Neymar is certainly picking up more than £1m-a-week right now with a reportedly yearly salary of £87m at Al Hilal. But it's believed that Messi's final contract at Barcelona made him the first ever £1m-a-week player.

Read more: The highest-paid players in world football ft. Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar

3. Man Utd will win the Premier League

Erik ten Hag Manchester United manager

This is looking more and more unlikely if anything. Since this video was created, United have finished third, second, sixth and third but have been a long way behind whoever won the league each season. Under Erik ten Hag, they don't look likely to challenge the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool or Arsenal any time soon.

4. Juventus will win a Champions League

Juventus team line up for the Champions League final vs AC Milan 2003.

Again, Juventus seem to be moving further away from winning a Champions League. They've failed to get past the Round of 16 in the last four seasons and even crashed out of the group stages in 2022/23. They were excluded from Europe in the 2023/24 campaign due to breaches of financial fair play with them set to play in the Europa Conference League. They haven't won the Champions League since 1996.

5. Marcus Rashford will end washed up at 30

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A slightly harsh prediction but one we're a little on the fence with. Marcus Rashford is currently 25 years old and had the best season of his career in 2022/23 with 30 goals in all competitions. But he's started the 2023/24 campaign slowly and it will be interesting to see how the next few years of his career pan out at Manchester United.

6. Ronaldo’s son will win the Golden Boy award

Cristiano Ronaldo Jr was born in 2010 so is just 13 years old at the time of writing. Following his dad's move to Saudi Arabia, he will play at an academy in the Middle East. Whether he will not only become a professional footballer and be voted as the best European player in the world by the age he's 20 seems a long shot. Compilation videos show that he's very talented but it's a big ask.

7. Mike Ashley will sell Newcastle

Mike Ashley

The first correct prediction that has already come true. Newcastle finally got rid of controversial owner, Mike Ashley back in October 2021. The Irish Guy probably couldn't have predicted the new owners, though - a consortium made up of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Amanda Staveley and Jamie Reuben - making Newcastle one of the richest clubs in the world.

8. Bournemouth will go back to League One

Bournemouth badge

At the time of the prediction, Bournemouth were in the Premier League but were soon relegated to the Campionship. But they're now back in the top-flight and, while preserving their status for another seven years could be difficult, it seems they're set up well enough not to drop like a stone.

9. Wolves will reach a Europa League final

Ruben Neves applauds the Wolves supporters

Wolves lost in the quarter-finals of the Europa League in the 2019/20 season so they were very close to immediately making this prediction come true. That seems to have been their best chance as they've since been overtaken in the Premier League pecking order by the likes of Brighton, Newcastle and Brentford.

10. Rangers will win the league

Rangers win the Scottish Premiership.

This was hardly an outrageous shout despite Celtic's dominance in Scotland. But Rangers stopped their Old Firm rivals from winning 10 league titles in a row when they won the 2021/21 SPL title under Steven Gerrard. They've finished second in the two subsequent campaigns, though.

11. Rhian Brewster will be a £100m player

Rhian Brewster and Conor Gallagher celebrate at the U17 World Cup in 2017

Oh dear. At the time of the prediction, Rhian Brewster was attempting to break into the Liverpool side a couple of years after winning the U17 World Cup with England, winning the Golden Boot in the meantime. It didn't quite work out for him at Anfield before a move to Sheffield United. However, he went 30 games without scoring in his first season in the Premier League before relegation to the Championship. He's struggling for regular minutes back in the top-flight, though, and is currently valued at just €4m - not quite the £100m predicted.

12. Saido Berahino will retire in shame

Saido Berahino

Saido Berahino is currently playing for Cypriot club, AEL Limassol while he also captains the Burundi national team. The ‘retire in shame' shout is based on previous transfer sagas where he announced he would refuse to play for West Brom again after they denied him a move to Tottenham.

13. Phil Foden will captain England

Phil Foden

Phil Foden is still only 23 years old and has already played 29 times for his country. He will no doubt 'captain' the Three Lions at some point during his career but whether he will be given the captaincy on a permanent basis is unknown. The likes of Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham look like worthy candidates.

14. Wayne Rooney will manage a Premier League club

Former Derby County manager Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney was appointed as Birmingham manager in October 2023 with the aim of getting the Blues into the Premier League. He's previously managed Derby and DC United and has seven years to make this prediction come true. We think it'll probably happen.

15. Jack Grealish will never play for England

Jack Grealish

Having previously represented Ireland, Jack Grealish switched allegiances to England and has since played 34 times under Gareth Southgate. It's fair to say this prediction has backfired massively.

16. Gay footballer will come out in the Premier League

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It’s still not happened but hopefully, a gay Premier League footballer feels comfortable coming out. Previous Premier League footballer, Thomas Hitzlsperger came out as gay after retiring from the game.

17. Theo Walcott will become a pundit

Theo Walcott

This is a great shout. Theo Walcott was playing for Everton in the Premier League back in 2019 and, after a return back to Southampton, he retired in the summer of 2023. He's been seen doing punditry duties on Sky Sports since hanging up his boots - and he's pretty good too.

18. Jose Mourinho will win the World Cup with Portugal

Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho is currently in charge of Roma - although his reign may not last too much longer if reports are to be believed. A move to Saudi Arabia looks most likely but could he be in charge of the national team come 2026 and the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada. Possibly. But Portugal are unlikely to be amongst the favourites even with Mourinho in charge.

19. Steve Bruce will never coach in the Premier League again

Steve Bruce, Newcastle manager

The prediction was made during Steve Bruce’s spell at Newcastle, which he left in October 2021 having narrowly avoided relegation. He took over at West Brom in the Championship in Feberuary 2022 but only managed to win eight games in 32 and was sacked eight months later. It does seem unlikely we'll see him manage in the Premier League once again.

20. Javi Gracia will be sacked by Christmas

Leeds United manager Javi Gracia pointing

On the day these predictions were made, Javi Gracia was sacked by Watford and replaced with Quique Sanchez Flores. It probably shouldn't have come as much surprise given Watford's managerial turnover. Gracia has since managed Valencia, Al Sadd and now Leeds United.