I'm sure we can have some fun with this.

 

1. Djibril Cisse (STR, Auxerre)
2. Andres D'Alessandro (AM, River Plate)
3. Leandro Bonfim (AM, Vitoria/PSV Eindhoven)
4. Fernando Jose Torres (STR, Atletico Madrid)
5. Jermaine Pennant (R/WNG, Arsenal)
6. Rafael van der Vaart (C/MF, Ajax)
7. Florent Sinama-Pongolle (STR, Le Havre/Liverpool)
8. Piotr Trochowski (AM, FC Bayern Munich)
9. Anthony Le Tallec (AM/CFWD, Le Havre/Liverpool)
10. Mourad Meghni (AM, Bologna)
11. Pedro Mantorras (STR, Benfica Lisbon)
12. David Odonkor (FWD, Borussia Dortmund)
13. Darren Fletcher (C/MF, Manchester United)
14. John Welsh (C/DM, Liverpool)
15. Kim Kallstrom (CM, BK Hacken)
16. Philippe Mexes (CB, Auxerre)
17. Johnny Heitinga (CB, Ajax)
18. Juan Andreu Melli (CM, Real Betis)
19. Baldo Di Gregorio (CB, Eintract Frankfurt)
20. Andres Iniesta (AM, Barcelona)
21. Milan Baros (STR, Liverpool)
22. Marius Niculae (STR, Sporting Lisbon)
23. Fabricio Coloccini (CB, Milan/on loan to Alaves)
24. Ricardo Bernardo Quaresma (L/WNG, Sporting Lisbon)
25. Maicon (RWB, Cruzeiro)
26. Hugo Viana (CM, Sporting Lisbon)
27. Arjen Robben (L/WNG, Groningen/PSV Eindhoven)
28. Julio Colombo (CB, Montpellier)
29. Gregory Vignal (LB, Liverpool)
30. Jermaine Defoe (STR, West Ham United)
31. Gareth Barry (LB, Aston Villa)
32. Marat Izmailov (AM/FWD, Lokomotiv Moscow)
33. Hassan Yebda (DM, Auxerre)
34. Leandro Romagnoli (AM, San Lorenzo)
35. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (CFWD, Ajax)
36. Dean Ashton (CFWD, Crewe Alexandria)
37. Ednilson (AM, Benfica Lisbon)
38. Chris Kirkland (GK, Liverpool)
39. Emilliano S. Dudar (CB, Velez Sarsfield)
40. Helder Postiga (STR, Porto)
41. Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam (STR/LWNG, Ajax)
42. Joaquin Sanchez (L/WNG, Real Betis)
43. Diego Ribas (AM, Santos)
44. Jay Lucas (CFWD, Southampton)
45. Niko Kranjcar (AM/CFWD, Dinamo Zagreb)
46. Christian Petereit (RB/CB, Schalke 04)
47. Ewerthon (STR/FWD, Borussia Dortmund)
48. Gael Givet (CB/LB, Monaco)
49. Francesco Lodi (AM, Empoli/Parma)
50. Massimo Donati (DM, AC Milan)
51. Gatti Ribeiro (RWB, Blooming)
52. Jeremie Aliadiere (STR, Arsenal)
53. Francesco Tarantino (LB/CB, Athletic Bilbao)
54. Lourenco Da Silva (FWD/LWNG, Sporting Lisbon)
55. Alexander Ludwig (L/WNG, Werder Bremen)
56. Landon Donovan (STR, San Jose Earthquakes)
57. Ricardo Costa (CB, FC Porto)
58. Filip Trojan (L/WNG, Schalke 04)
59. Carlos Martins (CM, Sporting Lisbon)
60. Serhat Akin (STR, Fenerbahce)
61. Johnnier Montano (AM/FWD, Parma-on loan to Verona)
62. Mark Fotheringham (C/MF, Celtic)
63. Rubinho (GK, Corinthians)
64. Michael Chopra (STR, Newcastle)
65. Edward Johnson (STR, Dallas Burn)
66. Johnny Van Beukering (STR, Vitesse)
67. Santino Quaranta (STR, DC United)
68. Andreas Hinkel (RB/RWB, Stuttgart)
69. Bojan Djrodjic (L/WNG, Manchester United)
70. Matteo Brighi (CM, Juventus)
71. Cherno Samba (CFWD, Millwall)
72. Hassan Ahamada (LWNG/STR, Nantes)
73. Theo Janssen (LM, Vitesse)
74. Derik Boateng (AM, Panathinaikos)
75. Mauro Rosales (R/WNG, Newell's Old Boys)
76. Dulee Johnson (STR, BK Hacken)
77. Fernando Macedo Nano (L/WNG, Barcelona)
78. Michael Essien (D/MF, Bastia)
79. Andres Oliveira (STR/FWD, Perth Glory)
80. Candido Costa (AM, Porto)
81. Tuomas Aho (CB, My-Pa)
82. Dimitar Berbatov (STR, Bayer Leverkusen)
83. Thijs Houwing (CFWD, Twente)
84. Labinot Harbuzi (AM, Malmo FF)
85. Michael Zepek (CM, Bayer Leverkusen)
86. Mika Vayrynen (AM, FC Jokerit)
87. Ramon Calliste (STR, Manchester United)
88. Christoph Preuss (RWB, Eintract Frankfurt)
89. Keith Kelly (CM, PSG)
90. Aldo Jara (FWD, Cerro Portano)
91. Kieran Richardson (L/WNG, Manchester United)
92. Leonardo Santiago (L/WNG, Feyenoord)
93. Shaun Maloney(STR, Celtic)
94. Azar Karadas (CFWD/CB, Brann Bergen)
95. Kaka (AM, Sao Paulo)
96. Benjamin Auer (CFWD, Borussia M'Gladbach)
97. Daniyel Cimen (LB/CB, Eintract Frankfurt)
98. Erdal Kilicaslan (CFWD, Bayern Munich)
99. David Prutton (D/MF, Nottingham Forest)
100. Alexander Hleb (AM, Stuttgart)

I'm sure we can have some fun with this.

 

87. Ramon Calliste (STR, Manchester United)

95. Kaka (AM, Sao Paulo)

 

Awesome list. I actually used to coach an U-15 side that played against Calliste a couple of times. We beat them on each occasion. I didn't realise at the time that he was more promising than Kaka, but it was well known in Cardiff at the time that he had just been signed by Manure, having been personally visited by Fergie.

He never did much at Manure, and was released as a teenager, only to be signed by Liverpool (quite possibly the FSW) immediately.

Have just googled him and found this from the Mirror in 2009:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/from-the-san-siro-to-sincil-bank-kaka-371743

Sad stuff.

A further google threw up this 'Where are they now?' article from 2010, which looks interesting:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/529938-top-100-young-players-2001-where-are-they-now-nos90-81/page/5

Edited December 11, 201213 yr by Backbiter

62. Mark Fotheringham

 and

93. Shaun Maloney

 

95.Kaka

5. Jermaine Pennant (R/WNG, Arsenal)

 

I got as far as that before before I fell on the floor laughing uncontrollably. Somewhat like this...

Thats the one that had me giggling too, number 5 for gods sake.

I remember playing Championship Manager 10 years ago and Jermaine Pennant's 'potential' stats were awesome, pretty much 20 everywhere it counts. I'm wondering now if the FourFourTwo writer's were PC gamers.

Iniesta #20, Ibrahimovic #35, Essien #78, Berbatov #82, Kaka #95

 

I guess it shows that even so called experts have no clue what they're talking about

Thats the one that had me giggling too, number 5 for gods sake.

 

i dont see the issue with that. he was an elite striker at his prime, and a game raiser from a very young age. IMO he justified his placement on the list

Iniesta #20, Ibrahimovic #35, Essien #78, Berbatov #82, Kaka #95

 

I guess it shows that even so called experts have no clue what they're talking about

 

how a players career pans out is not solely down to talent, these 'so called experts' as youve put it cant predict the future and know if the player will suffer some serious injuries, if he will be mismanaged, if at one point in his career hell just do an adriano and completely stop caring . . .

IMO he justified his placement on the list

He probably justified a place on the list, just not that high on it. English media overrates English attacking players so much it's ridiculous sometimes.

He probably justified a place on the list, just not that high on it. English media overrates English attacking players so much it's ridiculous sometimes.

 

i thought at first he was talking about torres, i only now see torres is nr 4

 

so now, i have to retract my statement. ive no idea what they saw in pennant, i just cant believe he was at 5th place. i wouldve questioned how in the hell he even got on the list, but there are still a bunch of nobodies there

I think if anything the list shows how difficult it is for even an expert to judge how good a player's career will be based on their talent as a youngster.

Telling that none of this list were at Cheslea at the time.... I assume if the list was drawn today that would be different, or our youth policy is nto really working.

Pennant did have heaps of talent as a youngster, but he never utilised it and ultimately he was a very overrated player. 

Edited December 14, 201213 yr by Jezz

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Lane" data-cid="572328" data-time="1355482323"><p>

i thought at first he was talking about torres, i only now see torres is nr 4<br />

<br />

so now, i have to retract my statement. ive no idea what they saw in pennant, i just cant believe he was at 5th place. i wouldve questioned how in the hell he even got on the list, but there are still a bunch of nobodies there</p></blockquote>

Thank god for that, I thought you were losing your mind.

funny how things turn out 11 years later

theres still quite a few players who fulfilled there potential on that list ! but like always alot of these young players cant live up to the hype, alot of players who go under the radar seem to develop into the best of the best in world football.

 

i always use frank as a prime example, moving to chelsea when he was 23 ! and still a player developing ! and you see what he has achieved at the top level, it proves you dont have to be a world beater at 20 just because your hyped up at 17 - 19 and that hard work really does pay off.