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Who Cristiano Ronaldo named the five most exciting young players in the world in 2015 and where they all are now

Shamanth Jayaram

Wed 9 April 2025 20:00, UK

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time.

The legendary Portugal international made a name for himself at Sporting CP as a teenager before moving to Manchester United.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo became a global superstar, and his stock shot further through the roof after he went to Real Madrid.

If anyone knows what it takes to go from being a young talent to one of the best in the world, it’s Ronaldo, and back in 2015, he named who he thought were the five most exciting young players in the world.

Where are they now?

Who Cristiano Ronaldo named as the five most exciting young players in the world in 2015

Time flies very fast in football.

We see a teenager coming through the ranks, and before we know it, they enter their mid-20s and become established players in the Premier League.

Some, like Ronaldo himself, fulfil the massive potential they show during their teens, while others don’t quite make it as well as many thought they would.

Back in 2015, there were a few excellent young players in the Premier League and abroad, and Ronaldo had kept an eye on many of them.

In an interview with TNT Sports in November of that year, the Portuguese superstar was asked who he thought were the five most exciting young players in the world.

Ronaldo replied: “We see many players with potential. I will mention [Martin] Odegaard, for example, of Madrid. Still 16 but we can see that he is a very good player.

“[Eden] Hazard, for example. The number seven of Manchester United, [Memphis] Depay, he’s a good player too. [Paul] Pogba, maybe. Neymar.

“I think we have many good players, and it’s good for football.”

Where are Ronaldo’s five best young players from 2015?

The five players Ronaldo named almost a decade ago were all huge names at the time.

Some of them fulfilled their potential and won big trophies, while others didn’t quite become the superstars we thought they would be.

Here’s a look at where they are now.

Odegaard is the youngest of the lot, and he is the captain of Arsenal now. The Norwegian has mostly been great for the Gunners and is leading them well.

Neymar won everything at Barcelona and was very successful at Paris Saint-Germain as well. Things have been difficult since he left the French capital, but he is back home in Brazil now.

Hazard was a star at Chelsea but struggled in Real Madrid, while Pogba’s career has had a lot of ups and downs over the years.

Depay is the one who definitely didn’t fulfil the massive potential he once showed, but he has enjoyed spells in France, Spain and now in Brazil.