What happened to the 40 players on the 2016 Golden Boy shortlist, including the winner who is now a free agent?
Ten years ago, Renato Sanches was seen as one of the brightest stars in football after an amazing year with his club and country, which earned him the prestigious Golden Boy award. After shining at Euro 2016 with Portugal, the champions, he moved to Bayern Munich in summer 2016, beating big names like Marcus Rashford and Kingsley Coman for the prize.
If you’re not familiar, the Golden Boy award is chosen by sports journalists across Europe who pick the best under-21 player each year. In 2016, 30 journalists picked their top five from 40 players, and Sanches came out on top.
So, what happened to those 40 young stars ten years later?
Sanches went from winning Euro 2016 and the Golden Boy at just 18 to being without a club at 29 after leaving Paris Saint-Germain in September. Injuries have been a big challenge for him, but he’s hoping to get back on the field in January.
Dele Alli has also been a free agent since leaving Como in Italy’s Serie A in September 2025. He’s been training on his own at Barnet and was even seen practicing with non-league Windsor & Eton. He’s been streaming on Twitch lately but insists he’s not done with football yet.
Marco Asensio, nominated in 2016, went on to win three Champions League titles with Real Madrid before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2023. After a short loan at Aston Villa, he joined Fenerbahce in 2025 and is still playing there.
Moussa Diaby, playing for Genk back then, moved to Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa, but injuries and ups and downs affected his progress. Now, he’s playing for Olympiacos in Greece.
Riechedly Bazoer, after breaking into Ajax’s first team, is now a free agent since leaving Turkish side Konyaspor in 2026. He’s had a long career with clubs like Wolfsburg, Porto, Vitesse, and AZ Alkmaar.
Lucas Boschilia, once a top Brazilian talent, suffered a major knee injury early in his career after moving to Monaco. He’s played in France, Belgium, Brazil, and Hungary, and now shines with Operario-PR in Brazil’s second division.
Julian Brandt became a steady player in the Bundesliga, with Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund. In 2026, he joined Ajax and has started well, scoring eight goals in 17 matches.
Carlos Fernandez has mainly played in Spain, with many loan moves. After scoring 16 goals for Mirandes last season, he now plays for Real Oviedo in the second division. He’s also been with Sevilla, Deportivo La Coruna, Granada, Real Sociedad, and Cadiz.
Andreas Christensen won the Champions League with Chelsea and joined Barcelona in 2022. He’s dealt with injuries but has an impressive trophy cabinet and 81 caps for Denmark.
Kingsley Coman is known for his huge success in winning league titles at PSG, Juventus, and Bayern Munich. Now, he plays in Saudi Arabia for Al Nassr.
Ante Budimir moved to Roma in 2018 but didn’t settle there, and now plays for Hamrun Spartans in Malta.
Mady Camara has played for Bologna, Napoli, Roma, and Anderlecht. He’s now with Spanish second division team Leganes.
Florian Neuhaus had some good times at Borussia Mönchengladbach and Dortmund but struggled with injuries at Brighton, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt. He’s currently playing for Dubai United in the UAE.
Bruno Gama has played for many clubs, including Braga, Valencia, Benfica, Nice, and Botafogo, where he was part of their historic 2024 Copa Libertadores win. Now, he’s back home with Gremio.
Moussa Dembele, not the same one from France, had a strong run at Lyon, then a quiet loan at Atlético Madrid, and now plays in Saudi Arabia for Al-Ettifaq.
Neymar Jr. is one of the biggest success stories here. After moving from Dortmund to Barcelona and struggling at first, his career took off at PSG in 2023. He’s considered one of Europe’s top attackers and won the Ballon d’Or in 2025.
Gianluigi Donnarumma became one of Europe’s top goalkeepers, winning Euro 2021 with Italy. He moved from AC Milan to PSG and now plays for Manchester City.
Max Meyer had a promising start with Schalke but faced injuries. He’s now playing in Major League Soccer for Atlanta United.
Breel Embolo has been impressive for Switzerland, with 92 appearances and 26 goals.
Gabriel Barbosa had a tough time at Inter Milan and Benfica but became a hero at Flamengo, winning two Copa Libertadores and scoring 161 goals. He later moved to Cruzeiro and went on loan to Santos in 2026.
Aleksandr Golovin has been a key player for Monaco since 2018, making over 250 appearances.
Goncalo Guedes had spells with Benfica, PSG, and Valencia before joining Wolves in the Premier League. He now plays for Real Sociedad in Spain.
Demarai Gray won the Premier League with Leicester in 2016 and later played for Bayer Leverkusen, Everton, and Al-Ettifaq before returning to Birmingham City in 2025. He has 29 caps for Jamaica.
Marko Grujic was Liverpool’s first signing under Jurgen Klopp but never made a big impact there. After loans at Cardiff, Hertha Berlin, and Porto, he joined Porto permanently and later moved to Levski Sofia.
Nemanja Gudelj has earned 30 caps for Serbia and is still an established international.
Alen Halilovic was once called the next Messi. He joined Barcelona at 17 but didn’t play in league matches. He’s had spells at Hamburg, AC Milan, Birmingham, Reading, and Fortuna Sittard, and is currently a free agent.
Kelechi Iheanacho started strong at Manchester City but didn’t quite meet expectations. He moved to Leicester City, where he won the FA Cup in 2021, then played for Sevilla, Middlesbrough, and Celtic. He joined Turkish club Bursaspor in 2026 and is in great form.
Alex Iwobi recently became the joint-second most-capped African player in Premier League history. He’s impressed at Fulham since leaving Everton in 2013.
Mykola Matviyenko was highly rated at Shakhtar Donetsk before moving to Atalanta in 2021. After loans at Spezia and Empoli, he’s currently a free agent.
Tiemoue Bakayoko had a long spell at Chelsea with a loan at Fulham before moving to AC Milan in 2023, where he’s still playing and has made over 100 appearances. He’s also played 11 times for England.
Lucas Hernandez, a World Cup winner, moved from Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich in 2019 and then to PSG in 2023.
Lucas Martínez Quarta started at River Plate before playing for Lyon and Zenit. Despite injury setbacks, he’s a regular at his boyhood club Velez Sarsfield.
Lucas Piazon signed for Chelsea in 2015 but never played a competitive first-team match. After loans to several clubs, he joined Atletico Mineiro permanently in 2020, then moved to Gremio and Remo. He’s currently a free agent.
Olivier Ntcham came through Manchester City’s academy before playing for Genoa, Celtic, Marseille, Swansea, and Samsunspor. He’s also played nine times for Cameroon and is currently a free agent.
Marcus Rashford burst onto the scene with Manchester United in 2016, scoring twice on his debut. He’s become a regular for club and country but has had loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona. He’s back at United but hasn’t been a regular under Michael Carrick, so his future is still unclear.
Joel Ward joined Crystal Palace in 2017 and played there for seven years before moving to Royal Antwerp. He now plays for Sheffield United in the Championship.
Ruben Neves joined Wolves from Porto a year after the Golden Boy shortlist and became one of their best players. After six seasons at Wolves, he moved to Saudi club Al-Hilal in 2023.
Antonio Sanabria came up through Barcelona’s academy and played for Sassuolo, Roma, Sporting Gijon, Real Betis, Genoa, and Torino. He currently plays for Internacional in Brazil.
Leroy Sané won big trophies with Manchester City and Bayern Munich before joining Galatasaray in 2025. He’s had a tough season but has 80 caps for Germany.
Jonathan Tah was a steady defender for Bayer Leverkusen for a decade before signing a four-year deal with Bayern Munich in August 2025.
Youri Tielemans has won the FA Cup with Leicester and the Europa League with Aston Villa. He joined Manchester United in summer 2026.
Serge Aurier’s career has dipped recently. He won Ligue 1 with Monaco and the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt, but now plays in France’s sixth tier with Bordeaux.
This group of players shows how unpredictable football careers can be—some have reached great heights, while others have faced challenges along the way. But all started with hope and big dreams.