GOAL selected the 50 best footballing talents from around the world born on or after January 1, 2000 – but how are they getting on now?

Since NXGN's launch in 2016, GOAL has profiled the 50 best footballing wonderkids on the planet on an annual basis. Some of those recognised for their talent as teenagers are now household names, but others have not yet realised their potential.

So, after the NXGN 2025 list was revealed, check out where the stars of 2019 are now:

Every NXGN list

Dembele, Tielemans & 2016's best wonderkids

Mbappe, Donnarumma & 2017's best wonderkids

De Ligt, Kluivert & 2018's best wonderkids

Saka, Rodrygo & 2020's best wonderkids

James, Oberdorf & 2020's best women's wonderkids

Pedri, Ansu Fati & 2021's best wonderkids

Le Tissier, Bennison & 2021's best women's wonderkids

Bellingham, Musiala & 2022's best wonderkids

Dumornay, Fowler & 2022's best women's wonderkids

Gavi, Garnacho & 2023's best wonderkids

Shaw, Thompson & 2023's best women's wonderkids

Yamal, Mainoo & 2024's best wonderkids

Caicedo, Moultrie & 2024's best women's wonderkids

50Christian Fruchtl (Bayern Munich)

2019: A modern goalkeeper with great feet, Fruchtl had yet to make his senior debut, but was considered a top prospect, having impressed Manuel Neuer & Co. after being invited to train with Bayern's first team during their winter break in Qatar in 2016.

2020: Fruchtl established himself as Bayern's reserve-team goalkeeper in 2019-20, playing 27 games in the third tier of German football.

2021: The shot-stopper joined FC Nurnberg in the second division for the 2020-21 season, but did not make a first-team appearance.

2022: Fruchtl finally made his first-team debut for Bayern on the final day of the 2021-22 campaign, but that also proved to be his only appearance for the club as he was sold to Austria Vienna ahead of the following campaign.

2023: The goalkeeper was installed as first-choice in the Austrian capital, and there were rumours that Bayern could utilise their buy-back clause at some stage as they prepared for life after Neuer.

2024: Fruchtl continued to impress in Vienna, as he kept 13 clean sheets in 29 Austrian Bundesliga games, which in turn led to him securing a move to Serie A with Lecce.

2025: The switch to Italy hasn't worked out for Fruchtl as yet, as he is still waiting to make his first league appearance for his new club.

Advertisement49Takefusa Kubo (FC Tokyo)

2019: Having been signed by Barcelona as a 10-year-old, the outrageously gifted attacker was forced to return to his native Japan in 2016 because of irregularities related to the Catalan club's recruitment of overseas players aged under 18. However, he was excelling in his homeland with FC Tokyo, and widely expected to return to La Masia sooner rather than later, only for Real Madrid to swoop in and sign him in the summer of 2019.

2020: Kubo was one of the young stars of the Spanish season after being loaned to Mallorca, directly contributing to nine goals as they fought against relegation. His form persuaded Villarreal to take him on loan for the following season.

2021: The forward failed to force his way into Unai Emery's team, and had his loan spell cut short in January 2021, with Madrid instead sending him on loan to Getafe for the remainder of the season, though he struggled to make much of an impact.

2022: Mallorca's promotion back to La Liga allowed them to make their move and bring Kubo back to the club on loan in 2021-22, and the Japan international's form having improved a little as a result.

2023: Kubo left Real Madrid to join Real Sociedad for an initial €6.5m in the summer of 2022, and he was back to his best in San Sebastian, as he made 18 direct goal contributions for a team that qualified for the Champions League.

2024: The Japan international continued to impress for La Real in 2023-24, and he was linked with elite clubs around Europe.

2025: Kubo hasn't quite hit the same heights so far this season in San Sebastian, leading to him being left out of the line up on a number of occasions.

48Yari Verschaeren (Anderlecht)

2019: Regarded as the latest top talent to roll off the production line at Anderlecht, Verschaeren had already appeared in the Europa League for the Belgian outfit.

2020: After making his Belgium debut in September 2019, Verschaeren made 21 league appearances over the course of the 2019-20 campaign.

2021: A three-month absence with an ankle injury, coupled with an early finish to the season due to Covid-19, meant that Verscharen made just 16 league appearances in 2020-21, though he still managed to score five times.

2022: An established starter, Verschaeren set personal bests for goals and assists in a single season under Vincent Kompany.

2023: Verschaeren's attacking output regressed in 2022-23, but that was in part due to him playing slightly deeper, and he was earning Luka Modric comparisons before he tore his ACL in April 2023.

2024: The midfielder returned to action in January, but a further hamstring injury meant his impact on the campaign was limited.

2025: Now a veteran of over 200 Anderlecht appearances, Verschaeren has worn the captain's armband at times through the 2024-25 campaign.

47Juan Miranda (Barcelona)

2019: The versatile left-back had humbly played down his impressive Champions League debut against Tottenham in November by saying that "everything's easier when you've got Lionel Messi by your side", but Barca were growing increasingly confident that they had unearthed Jordi Alba's eventual successor.

2020: Miranda was sent to Schalke on a two-year loan deal, but made just 11 Bundesliga appearances during his first season in Germany, leading to Barca cutting his stay short after 12 months. He was then sent to Real Betis on loan for 2020-21.

2021: The defender did enough in Seville to persuade Betis to make the deal permanent in the summer of 2021.

2022: Miranda was in and out of the Betis team in 2021-22 as he struggled to hold down a place in Manuel Pellegrini's line-up, though he did score the winning goal in the penalty shootout in the final of the Copa del Rey

2023: The full-back managed to force his way back into the team in 2023, making over 30 appearances over the course of the campaign.

2024: After being in and out of the team to begin the season, Miranda managed to eventually lock down a starting spot in the second half of the campaign. He then went on to play an important role in Spain's gold-medal run at the Olympics.

2025: Miranda joined Bologna ahead of the 2024-25 season, and he has predominantly been a starter for the Italian side.