No one can predict the future – especially not in football. Nevertheless, the English quality newspaper The Guardian compiles a list of the greatest football talents every year. This season there will be another Belgian with Club Brugge player Noah Mbamba. His predecessors prove that this never offers guarantees. An overview.
How does The Guardian work for its Next Generation list?
Each season selects 60 talents from all over the world, born in a particular year. Erling Haaland, among others, was already on the list in his early period at Molde. It is local experts who send in names. For the 2005 generation there is with Noah Mbamba one Belgian selected this year. Also the Norwegian Club Brugge player Anthony Nusa the honor falls.
2021
Pierre Dwomoh (then: Antwerp, now: Braga)
Door The Guardian rightly described as “talent with a manual”. Turned out to be a revelation at Antwerp last year, but disappeared just as quickly into the background. Even failed in the B-team this season. The Portuguese Braga provided a temporary escape route. Didn’t play for the club yet.
Romeo Lavia (then: Manchester City, now: Southampton)
Justifies his spot in the talent list this season. Not at Manchester City, but at Southampton. The English middle engine plucked Lavia somewhat surprisingly away for 14 million euros. A smart investment, because the goldcrest was an immediate sensation. Without injury, he may have been called up for the Red Devils in the past international period.
2020
Ardy Mfundu (then and now: Schalke 04)
A relatively unknown Belgian talent of Schalke 04. Mfundu, who previously played at Club Brugge, is a physically strong defender. Still in Gelsenkirchen, but didn’t get a chance with the A-team yet. Now makes minutes with the second team in the German fourth division.
Luca Oyen (then and now: Racing Genk)
The moment Luca Oyen made the list, the winger had only just started beeping at the first team of Racin Genk. Since then, belief in the qualities of top talent has only grown. Oyen even got a starting spot in the season opener against Club Brugge. However, the flank attacker immediately tore his cruciate ligament, which means that he is out until after the New Year.
2019
Jérémy Doku (then: Anderlecht, now: Rennes)
Shot to the sky like a star, but has stagnated since his transfer to Rennes, France. Mainly because of a succession of injuries. The Anderlecht product also (temporarily?) lost its place in the selection of the Red Devils.
Marco Kana (then and now: Anderlecht)
At the time that The Guardian selected him barely 2 matches as a substitute behind his name. Kana now counts exactly 50 matches for the main force of Anderlecht. However, the midfielder is not yet an undisputed owner.
2018
Nicolas Raskin (then: KAA Gent, now: Standard)
Could never continue in the first team at KAA Gent. A return to childhood sweetheart Standard worked wonders. Raskin developed into an undisputed owner in Liège. This summer, the midfielder aimed for a transfer, but in the end he remained loyal to the club.
2017
Keres Masangu (toen: AS Roma, nu: Virton)
In 2017 – the year he made the list of The Guardian – Masangu moved from Mechelen to AS Roma. After 3 seasons with the youth teams of the Italian top club, the midfielder returned to Belgium, more specifically Beerschot. There too Masangu could not continue as a professional, neither during a striking loan to the Croatian Sibenik. Since 2021, the former top talent has been playing for second division Virton.
Flor Van Den Eynden (then: Inter, now: Helmond sport)
In 2017, together with Xian Emmers and Zinho Vanheusden, he belonged to the circle of Belgian top talents at Inter. Never got his chance at the Italian top club and then left for the Dutch FC Eindhoven. Now a titular at series rival Helmond Sport.
2016
Mile Svilar (then: Anderlecht, now: AS Roma)
In 2016, many thought it would be only a matter of time before Mile Svilar was first goalkeeper somewhere. Only: six years later, that’s still not the case. The impatient keeper quickly left Anderlecht, but was never able to present himself as the undisputed number 1 at Benfica either. This summer he moved to AS Roma… where he is back on the bench.
Thibaud Verlinden (then: Stoke City, now: Beerschot)
“Quality compared to Eden Hazard,” wrote The Guardian in 2016. But Thibaud Verlinden could never fill those shoes. After Stoke, the flank attacker passed Bolton, Fortuna Sittard, the Slovak Dunajska Streda and now Beerschot. There he started almost all matches in the starting line-up.
Indy Boonen (then: Manchester United, now: Ostend)
Dreamed of a chance with the first team of Manchester United in 2016. In vain. Boonen went looking for opportunities to play at KV Oostende. So far this has resulted in 63 games (in which he scored 6 times and provided 4 assists). Was sidelined last season due to a torn Achilles tendon and now usually falls outside the selection.
2015
Ismail Azzaoui (then: Wolfsburg, now: without club)
Was one of the great promises of Belgian football in 2015, but a bad knee would cripple his career. A succession of serious injuries stood in the way of a bulge at Wolfsburg for years.
At his new club Heracles, disaster struck again last year. Azzaoui, who had just won a starting spot, suffered another serious knee injury in a collision. Now the attacker is without a club.
2014
Youri Tielemans (then: Anderlecht, now: Leicester)
The first and only Belgian in the very first Next Generation list of 2014. At that time, Youri Tielemans was already a super talent at Anderlecht. A stamp that he would live up to in the following years.
