FourFourTwo's list of best teenagers in 2007 emerges and it makes for fascinating reading

FourFourTwo's list of the best 100 teenagers in the world in 2007 has re-emerged - and some fascinating names are included.

The list was compiled in association with Football Manager, based upon the highest-rated teenagers in the 2008 edition - released in late 2007 - of the yearly franchise.

This was an era where Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were beginning to take over world football, although neither had won their first Champions League yet.

Ronaldo would have to wait until the end of that season to do so with Manchester United, while Messi lifted his first with Barcelona a year later.

Instead, the 2007 Ballon d'Or winner would be AC Milan legend Kaka, who guided the Italian giants to the Champions League crown that year.

Ronaldo and Messi were behind him in the votes, with Chelsea's Didier Drogba, Inter Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas among those in the top 10.

But what about the next generation of footballing talent? Here's who FM picked out to be future stars 17 years ago:

Micah Richards (Manchester City)

In the final years prior to Manchester City's takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, Micah Richards was one of the club's top young stars.

He made over 200 appearances in his first seven seasons as a professional, and played 29 times at right-back as City won their first Premier League title in 2012.

But the appearances dried up after that, and he spent the 2014/15 campaign on loan at Fiorentina before signing for Aston Villa.

The knee injuries, which proved to be career-ending, called time on his on-pitch activities, but he's now a household name off the pitch through his punditry.

Marcelo (Real Madrid)

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One of several major success stories from this list, Marcelo was Real Madrid's first-choice left-back for much of the 15 years after he joined the club in 2007.

One of the best attacking full-backs in the world, he was initially deployed as a winger by Manuel Pellegrini but moved back to defence, where his defensive attributes improved considerably as the years went on.

The 36-year-old still plays professionally for Brazilian side Fluminense.

Marek Hamsik (Napoli)

Napoli legend Marek Hamsik was a key member of Napoli's side for 12 years after joining them in 2007.

He is the club's record goalscorer, with 121 goals, and their record appearance holder.

He retired in 2023 after a spell in Turkey, and fans may have spotted him acting as Slovakia's team manager during last summer's Euro 2024.

Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Fiorentina)

Serbia midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic had signed for Fiorentina in the same year that Football Manager 2008 released, and became a key player for the club before sealing a move to Stuttgart for £7 million.

He impressed enough in Germany to convince Inter Milan to sign him.

His time at the club didn't quite go as planned, though, and amid claims that Watford had agreed to sign him, the move never happened and he ended his career back at first club Basel, retiring aged 32 in 2020.

Jonathan de Guzman (Feyenoord)

Premier League fans will know Dutch midfielder Jonathan de Guzman well from his spell at Swansea between 2012 and 2014.

Either side of that, he enjoyed two stints at Feyenoord - his first professional club - and a three-year spell at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Now 37, De Guzman is still playing professionally in the Eredivisie for Sparta Rotterdam.

Ismail Aissati (PSV)

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Ismail Aissati was once regarded as one of the most promising young talents in Dutch football after making his debut on loan at Twente in 2007.

But spells at PSV and Ajax ultimately proved unsuccessful. He then went on to forge a lengthy career in the top two divisions of Turkish football, and retired aged 34 in 2023.

Anderson (Manchester United)

It's perhaps not a surprise to see Anderson on this list, given Manchester United had just shelled out £20 million to sign him in the summer of 2007.

Early signs at Old Trafford were promising, but the Brazil midfielder never fulfilled that undoubted potential.

Former team-mate Rafael has previously claimed that had he been more professional, Anderson could have been 'the best player in the world'.

He's now retired and works as the assistant manager for Turkish Super Lig side Adana Demirspor.

Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid)

One of the biggest success stories of this list.

Sergio Aguero joined Atletico Madrid in 2006 and, in an era where the club wasn't the dominant force it is now, regularly bagged over 20 goals per season in all competitions.

He became well-known to English supporters for his key role in Atletico Madrid's Europa League final win over Fulham in 2010.

After signing for Manchester City a year later, and becoming their record goalscorer of all-time, it's fair to say Aguero did alright.

Alexandre Pato (AC Milan)

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If you search Alexandre Pato on YouTube, almost all the video results will follow the same theme - what happened to him?

The Brazil striker, who earned comparisons to Ronaldo Nazario when he broke through, joined AC Milan as a precocious talent in 2007 and was relatively prolific for a number of years.

But the injuries hit him hard, and he gradually lost the pace and agility that made him such a huge threat.

He would go on to have various trips across Europe and Asia - including a short loan spell at Chelsea in 2016 - after leaving Milan in 2013, and last played for Sao Paulo in 2023.

Karim Benzema (Lyon)

One that Football Manager definitely got right.

After signing for Real Madrid in 2009, Benzema plundered in 354 goals for Los Blancos, winning Champions Leagues, La Liga titles and, finally, the Ballon d'Or in 2022.

He left Real last year and is now playing for Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad, where he is one of the top earners in world football.