In the football world, there is constant talk about the most talented and promising football players who are soon to become the brightest stars of this sport. Since 2003, the most talented player in the world has been awarded the "Golden Boy" award, which is open to all footballers aged 20 or younger.
However, did all the players who received this award become the brightest stars of world football? After announcing the winner of the 2017 "Golden Boy" award, Eurofootball.com decided to investigate how the careers of all the players who had won this award had unfolded, as well as the most famous players who failed to win this title.
Previous articles included:
2003 - Rafael van der Vaart; 2004 - Wayne Rooney; 2005 - Lionel Messi; 2006 - Cesc Fabregas; 2007 - Sergio Aguero; 2008 - Anderson; 2009 - Alexandre Pato, 2010 - M. Balotelli, 2011 - M. Gotze, 2012 - Isco, 2013 - P. Pogba, 2014 - R. Sterling, 2015 - A. Martial.
2016: Renato Sanches
Former team: Bayern
Current team: Swansea (on loan from Bayern)
Renato Sanches was born in a poor district of Lisbon, and his parents officially registered his birth only five years after he was born. Growing up in a troubled environment, the young talent could not boast of a happy family life either - his parents separated just a few months after Renato was born.
He first came to football training at the age of eight, when he started playing for the "Aguias da Musgueira" youth team, but after a year, he tried to join the prestigious "Benfica" academy. The young player left an indelible impression on the team's coaches that they offered him a contract after just 15 minutes of training, paying his former youth club 750 euros for the 9-year-old talent and giving him 25 footballs as a gift.
At the "Benfica" academy, he continued to improve and was invited to Portugal's youth national teams from 2012 onwards. In the summer of 2014, he participated in the European youth championship with the Portuguese under-17 team, which reached the semi-finals, and he was selected in the tournament's symbolic team.
In the 2014-2015 season, he started playing for "Benfica B" club, but for the 17-year-old, the first years in the second Portuguese league were not easy. R. Sanches received more red cards (2) than contributed directly to the team's goals (1 assist), and he only managed to shine more prominently in the UEFA Youth League, where he made four assists.
The following summer, he was invited to the main "Benfica" team, and although the club's coaches planned for him to train only with the first-team players, the young talent quickly proved he deserved a chance in the main squad. His rise did not end with just a debut: R. Sanches needed only two appearances as a substitute to convince the team's coaches to include him in the starting eleven, and from the first match against "Braga," he only missed one start in the rest of the season when he was on the bench.
Renato Sanches's talent was noticed by Portugal's national team coach Fernando Santos, who in March 2016 gave him the opportunity to debut for the national team when he was just 18 years old. However, in the same year, he also faced a familiar football problem for black athletes - racism. Nevertheless, R. Sanches's reaction to the monkey chants directed at him by "Rio Ave" fans was admirable - the midfielder responded by applauding to the opposing fans and gesturing the animal they were imitating.
After starting the 2016-2017 season with "Benfica" and securing the Portuguese league title, Sanches scored two goals and provided one assist. However, the player's fight for the league title was more significant than for his teammates: amidst fierce battles for the country's championship, the former president of their main rivals "Sporting" accused the player of hiding his true age. The midfielder responded by stating that if he did not publicly apologize, he would take him to court for slander.
In the summer, he represented Portugal at the European Championship, where he scored his first goal for the national team and won the continental title with his teammates. Additionally, the midfielder took home the award for the best young player of the tournament.
Prior to the European Championship, Sanches was courted by many of the strongest European clubs, but the battle for his signature was won by Bayern, who paid a €35 million transfer fee, which could potentially rise to €80 million if certain bonuses in the contract are met. He became the most expensive player ever purchased from the Portuguese league and the first Portuguese player at Bayern Munich.
Despite suffering an injury at the start of the season, Sanches made his debut for the new team in September, against "Schalke." The match was not without his mistakes, but the player was defended by both Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer.
Soon, he became the first Portuguese player to win the "Golden Boy" award when he surpassed Marcus Rashford in the voting. Many doubted whether Sanches was deserving of this award, and the player failed to prove his worth on the field in Germany.
Throughout the season, he spent just one full game on the pitch, and in 25 matches, he failed to score or provide any assists. Not only that, but he also faced criticism from Bayern legends - Lothar Matthaus named him one of the three worst players of the season, and the player himself was disappointed with his performances.
Although Carlo Ancelotti had previously stated that the player would have a chance in the team for the next season, on the last day of the transfer window, he was loaned to Swansea City. In eight matches in the Premier League, Sanches failed to stand out, and Swansea's unsuccessful season placed them second from bottom in the English championship.
His poor performances at the clubs cost Sanches his place in the Portugal national team - he was last called up to represent his country in March, and this summer, he did not travel with the national team to the Confederations Cup.
Renato Sanches's career:
2006-2016 "Benfica" - 35 matches, 2 goals;
2016-present "Bayern" - 26 matches;
2017-present "Swansea City" - 9 matches;
Portugal national team - 13 matches, 1 goal.
Some of the most famous players in this age group (born in 1996-1997) who did not win this title:
Andreas Christensen, Kingsley Coman, Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marcus Rashford, Leroy Sane, Alen Halilovic, Kelechi Iheanacho, Marco Asensio, Julian Brandt.
