20 ‘red-hot Premier League wonderkids’ of 20 years in the past and what occurred to them

On Jan 6, 2024

Every yr, followers latch onto a brand new younger expertise who’s billed as “the future”, however what ever occurred to these gamers everybody was speaking about in the beginning of the twenty first century

10:00, 6 JAN 2024

Birmingham City Manager, Wayne Rooney looks on prior to the during the Sky Bet Championship match between Southampton FC and Birmingham City at Friends Provident St. Mary's Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Southampton, England — Wayne Rooney’s burst onto the scene is likely one of the most well-known in soccer historical past (Image: Getty Images)

Plenty of younger gamers billed as the following huge factor have come and gone through the years.

Jude Bellingham has grown from a 16-year-old sensation at Birmingham City to a possible Ballon d’Or winner at Real Madrid, whereas Wayne Rooney gained all there was to win in membership soccer with Manchester United. The much less mentioned about his latest stab at administration, nonetheless, the higher.

However, the previous Brum supervisor was one in every of dozens of younger abilities tipped to succeed in the celebs by followers and different members of the attractive sport. Daily Star Sport takes a take a look at Match Magazine’s ’20 purple scorching wonderkids’ of 20 years in the past to see the place they ended up.

Milan Baros – Liverpool

After turning into the youngest ever goalscorer in European Championship historical past at Euro 2004, Baros was snapped up by the Merseysiders. After successful the Champions League with the Reds, he went on to play for Aston Villa, Lyon, Portsmouth and Galatasaray, earlier than he ended his profession by floating across the divisions within the Czech Republic.

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Stefan Moore – Aston Villa

Moore was a physically imposing striker who was billed to become one of the top forwards in English football. Over the course of four seasons at Villa, he contributed two goals, before leaving for QPR. He struggled to crack the code in the EFL and found himself jumping from one club to another in non-league football.

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John O’Shea – Man Utd

Even if he did not make another appearance, John O’Shea would have been enshrined in Manchester United folklore from the day he nutmegged Luis Figo in 2003. After spending 11 years at Old Trafford, he finished his career by playing for Sunderland and Reading. He is now the assistant manager at Birmingham City and has been touted as their next boss.

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Hugo Viana – Newcastle United

Viana arrived as one of the most promising young stars in world football, but Newcastle just did not agree with him. He is now overseeing transfer strategy and the development of new young players at his former club Sporting Lisbon.

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