Highlights
- Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest football players ever, pciked five players in 2015 who he believed would be the next footballing greats.
- Martin Odegaard has since emerged as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and is leading Arsenal's charge for the title.
- The other players Ronaldo picked, such as Eden Hazard and Paul Pogba, went on to have more mixed careers after his predictions.
Nobody would dispute Cristiano Ronaldo's status as one of the greatest players to ever lace up a pair of football boots. Five Ballon d'Ors, 731 goals at club level and the all-time leading goalscorer in international football too - his legacy within the beautiful game is certainly secure.
With his incredible accomplishments always compared to those of his eternal rival Lionel Messi, the Portuguese superstar continues to operate at the highest level long after many of his peers of a similar age have retired. And while it will be incredibly difficult for any player to ever match the success of Ronaldo and Messi, that's never stopped fans and pundits alike from speculating as to who could be the heir to their throne.
Messi himself has been no stranger to picking out some rising stars in the past, with his 10 predictions back in 2015 having mixed results. But Ronaldo himself has also tried to spot players coming through the ranks. Back in 2015, the Al-Nassr frontman told BT Sport, per the Mirror, five players of the time that he believed had the best chance of going on to achieve greatness in the game.
"You see many players with potential. I will mention Martin Odegaard of [Real] Madrid, for example. At 16, he’s still young, but you can see he’s a very good player. [Eden] Hazard is also another example, the number seven of Manchester United, Memphis Depay is a good player too, Paul Pogba and maybe Neymar."
With eight years now passing since his predictions, a lot has changed for each of the five players since then, and it's fair to say that they've been a mixed bag. None of them, however, have gone on to replicate what the Portuguese legend has done in the game.
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
The youngest of the quintet singled out for greatness by Ronaldo, 24-year-old Martin Odegaard is arguably the only pick to be in a stronger position now than when the interview was conducted. Having impressed at the Emirates while on loan in the second half of the 2020/21 season, the Norway skipper made his switch from the Bernabeu permanent in 2021.
Following the departure of previous captain Alexandre Lacazette at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, Odegaard was rewarded for his impact at the club by being handed the armband. Since then, he has become a vital cog in the Gunners' line-up, with the attacking midfielder starring for Mikel Arteta's side as Arsenal narrowly missed out on the Premier League title in 2022/23. It was still a very impressive season for the Norwegian, however, with 15 goals and eight assists in the league. Now regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, Odegaard will be hoping to lead his team back to the summit of the division for the first time in 20 years.
Eden Hazard (Retired)
At the time, Ronaldo was well within his rights to pick Eden Hazard out as someone who could go on to dominate world football. He won the Premier League Player of the Season award in 2014/15, and three years later, after a sensational 2018/19 season with Chelsea, Hazard earned a Ballon d'Or nomination, with Ronaldo's selection seemingly vindicated.
The sky seemed to be the limit for the pint-sized Belgian after a £103.5 million move to Real Madrid in June 2019, but an injury early on in his career at the Bernabeu against PSG was a sign of things to come. Plagued by fitness issues throughout his time in Spain, the 32-year-old made just 76 appearances across all competitions in his four seasons with Los Blancos. On 3 June 2023, Hazard and Madrid reached a mutual agreement to terminate his contract at the end of the 22/23 season, and that would spell the end of Hazard's time as a footballer. In October 2023, he announced his retirement from the beautiful game - a tale of what could've been.
Memphis Depay (Atletico Madrid)
Ronaldo made his predictions just as Dutch forward Memphis Depay was beginning his career at Man United. Unfortunately, his time at the 'Theatre of Dreams' wasn't the roaring success that both parties had hoped for. Lasting a little over 18 months with the 13-time Premier League champions, Depay made just 53 appearances for the club, scoring just seven goals and becoming one of the worst players to ever wear the famous number seven jersey.
A fruitful five-season spell at Lyon saw Depay breathe new life into his career, with 76 goals and 55 assists in 178 games ultimately leading to a June 2021 switch to Barcelona. His time at the Camp Nou, however, would last just 18 months. The arrival of Robert Lewandowski meant that the Dutchman's minutes were restricted, forcing him to depart for La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid in January 2023. His fortunes have improved under Diego Simeone, with Depay netting six times in 13 appearances so far. Considering the above and the fact he is a regular in the Netherlands national team setup, labelling him a flop is too far. The next Ronaldo or Messi? Not quite unfortunately.
Paul Pogba (Juventus)
When Ronaldo gave his 2015 interview, Paul Pogba was a Juventus player. Fast-forward seven years and the French midfielder is back in Turin. For six of those years, Pogba was a Man United player after his £94.5m return to the Red Devils. Despite showing occasional glimpses of brilliance, the 30-year-old never really looked worth that vast outlay as he frustrated the Old Trafford faithful with season after season of inconsistent performances. His time at United was summed up by the fact that he spent his final weeks with the club on the sidelines due to a calf injury, and his departure from the club cemented his transfer back to United as one of the worst signings in the Glazer era.
Since returning to Juventus, Pogba's injury struggles have only increased. A meniscus injury kept him out of action until after the World Cup and the Frenchman was dropped for disciplinary reasons shortly after coming back into the side. In May 2023, he started his first game of the season, before being subbed off after 23 minutes with a muscle injury. Medical examinations found a lesion in his left thigh, ruling him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Now, things have gone from bad to worse for Pogba. He was suspended from football in September 2023 after a drugs test revealed elevated testosterone levels, with the B sample also testing positive the following month. With the investigation against Pogba ongoing, his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, recently informed Relevo that a plan is being put together to prove that the Frenchman did not knowingly breach doping rules. With a potential ban looming, however, he has certainly suffered a fall from grace.
Neymar (Al-Hilal)
In terms of Ballon d'Or success, Neymar can boast two third-placed finishes (in 2015 and 2017), which is the closest that any of Ronaldo's 'chosen five' have come to the prized award. At various points, the Brazilian winger has been among the best players on the planet. During his time with Barcelona, he was simply electric, and he showed occasional flashes of that form after moving to PSG for a world record £199.8m fee in August 2017.
However, the Ligue 1 giants were content to part with him in the summer, with the 31-year-old completing a £77.6m move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. That, arguably, signalled that his best days were behind him, and things then got even worse for the Champions League winner as the 2023/24 season kicked off. Having made just five appearances for his new club, with one goal and three assists in those outings, he sustained an ACL injury during Brazil's 2-0 defeat to Uruguay. Leaving the field on a stretcher in tears, tests confirmed that he required surgery, which will sideline him for an extensive period. There's a chance we will not get to see him at his brilliant best ever again.