Published 14:08 IST, May 20th 2020
Cristiano Ronaldo tipped 5 youngsters for stardom in 2015, where are they now?
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo picked five players in 2015 he felt would take the football world by storm, including the likes of Paul Pogba.
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Back in 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo tipped five young players for stardom. Although Cristiano Ronaldo hadn't picked any players out of the blue, it's fair to assume that he was quite precise with his judgements. Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba, Neymar, Memphis Depay and Martin Odegaard were the five players Cristiano Ronaldo told the world to keep an eye out for, but among the five, which players have failed to live up to the hype?
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1. Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard was one of the players that Cristiano Ronaldo tipped for stardom following an impressive few seasons at Stamford Bridge. Eden Hazard won two Premier League titles with Chelsea during his time in West London before eventually sealing a move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2019. Real Madrid remain hopeful that Eden Hazard will fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo when the Portuguese left for Juventus in 2018. So far, Eden Hazard has endured an injury-ravaged first season at the Santiago Bernabeu.
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2. Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba returned to Man United in 2016 for a then world-record transfer fee worth €105 million after helping Juventus to four successive Serie A titles. Following the praise from Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba hasn't been able to kick on for the Red Devils despite showing flashes of brilliance from time to time. Paul Pogba was instrumental in France's 2018 World Cup triumph but like Eden Hazard, injuries have halted the 27-year old's progress this season.
3. Neymar
Neymar had already won the LaLiga and the Champions League with Barcelona before receiving the praise from Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2017, Neymar opted for a new challenge and moved to Paris Saint Germain, winning the Ligue 1 thrice in a row. The Brazilian winger also guided his national team to success in the Copa America last year.
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4. Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay was a new recruit at Man United in 2015 when the Dutchman impressed as the top scorer in the Eredivisie. Unfortunately, the move to Old Trafford turned out to be a disaster and following two underwhelming seasons at Man United, Depay was sold to Lyon in 2017. Although Depay has found salvation in France, the 26-year-old has failed to live up to the high expectations of Cristiano Ronaldo.
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5. Martin Odegaard
Norwegian winger Martin Odegaard joined Real Madrid at the age of 16 and much was expected from the young sensation. With the bulk of pressure at a club like Real Madrid, Odegaard was unable to live up to the high standards of the 13-time European champions. In five years, Odegaard has made just one appearance for Los Blancos and was loaned out to Heerenveen, Vitesse Arnhem and Real Sociedad over the past three seasons. It's fair to say Cristiano Ronaldo may have got his prediction on Odegaard wrong but the talented star is still only 21 years old and has been a shining light in the Real Sociedad side.
14:08 IST, May 20th 2020