What happened to the players aged 21 and under with the highest potential on FIFA 09

Only one player was given a higher potential rating than Jose Baxter in FIFA 09, with the former Everton wonderkid being tipped for greatness by those behind the game.

At the age of 16 years and 191 days, Baxter became the youngest first-team player in Everton history after being brought on in their Premier League clash against Blackburn Rovers.

He was soon named in the club's starting line-up to face West Brom, becoming the youngest Everton player to start a game.

After being thrust into the first-team by David Moyes, the hype surrounding Baxter was transferred to the game FIFA 09, in which he was handed a potential rating of 92 – the same as Alexandre Pato, Bojan and Yoann Gourcuff.

So who else was touted for great things by those behind FIFA 09? Here is a comprehensive list, featuring Lionel Messi and his former Barcelona teammates Philippe Coutinho, Cesc Fabregas and Arda Turan.

Lionel Messi - 95

Of course he was handed the highest rating.

Messi, who was only 19 at the time, had established himself as one of Barcelona's key players during the 2007/08 campaign, scoring 18 goals in all competitions.

It wasn't exactly a great season for Barcelona, who finished third in La Liga after suffering semi-final defeats in both the Champions League and Copa del Rey, but Messi was one of the bright sparks. We all know what happened in the next 15 years... eight Ballon d'Or' trophies, anyone?

José Baxter - 92

As mentioned above, Baxter burst onto the scene with Everton in 2008, when he was handed his debut at the age of 16 years and 191 days old.

Unfortunately, he would make just 15 appearances across a four-year spell at Goodison Park before moving to League One side Oldham. He would later join Sheffield United but was suspended from football after failing a drugs test in 2015.

In January 2017, he was handed a lifeline by Everton, who offered him a 12-month contract, but he failed to make a first-team appearance in that time and returned to Oldham in 2018. Spells at Plymouth and Memphis 901 followed before Baxter retired in 2021, aged 29.

Image credit: Getty

Alexandre Pato - 92

Pato started his career in his native Brazil with Internacional but made a name for himself in Italy with AC Milan, scoring 63 goals in 150 appearances between 2007 and 2013.

After finishing the 2007/08 campaign with nine goals in 20 appearances, those at EA Sports decided to hand him a potential rating of 92 – the same as Baxter. He never quite lived up to expectations following spells at Corinthians, Chelsea, Villarreal and Sao Paulo.

The 35-year-old is currently a free agent.

Bojan - 92

As well as the emergence of Messi, the 2007/08 season marked the breakthrough of Bojan Krkic into the Barcelona first-team. After scoring 423 goals at youth level, many expected the diminutive striker to achieve great things in the game.

But after making over 100 appearances for the Catalan side, he left in 2011 to join Serie A side AS Roma. From then on, Bojan struggled to find the net on a regular basis.

He would go on to play for AC Milan, Stoke City, Montreal Impact and Japanese side Vissel Kobe before announcing his retirement in 2023, aged 32.

Image credit: Getty

Yoann Gourcuff - 92

Back in January 2009, a headline from The Independent read: "Yoann Gourcuff: The new Zidane?"

Not quite. At the time, Gourcuff was impressing in AC Milan's midfield but he would fail to reach the heights of Zidane, as spells at Bordeaux, Lyon, Rennes and Dijon followed. To his credit, he made 31 appearances for France across a five-year period. He retired in October 2020, aged 33.

Here is the rest of the list, as per X account Football Talent Scout - Jacek Kulig.

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Players aged 21 and less with the highest potential in FIFA 09. Image credit: X/@FTalentScout

Which player stands out most from that list? Let us know in the comments.