Messi’s 2015 Wonderkids: Who soared, who stalled, who simply disappeared?

Lionel Messi can do almost anything with a football, but even the great man can’t bend time. Back in 2015, he fronted Adidas’ “Backed by Messi” and put his name to ten young talents tipped to scale the very top. A decade later, the verdict is in—and it’s a proper mixed bag: a couple of tidy careers, one standout success, and a fair few who never quite cracked it.

For anyone who loves a punt on potential, here’s your reality check: there are no certainties in youth development. Whether you’re scouting the next big thing or scanning the best betting sites, the game has a habit of humbling predictions.

Jeremie Boga — the nearly man who still got his medal

Once one of Chelsea’s conveyor belt of loanees, Boga found a proper home in Serie A with Sassuolo before spells at Atalanta and now Nice. He never hit Messi-like heights, but he’s carved out a solid top-flight career and, crucially, was part of Ivory Coast’s dramatic AFCON 2024 triumph. Not the superstar foretold, but nobody’s calling it a failure either.

Accursio Bentivegna — the one Messi got badly wrong

At Palermo in 2015, the shrewd pick would’ve been Paulo Dybala. Instead, Bentivegna got the nod. Seven Serie A appearances later and most of his football has come in Italy’s lower leagues with Carrarese, Juve Stabia and Pescara, before a latest stop at Casertana. A hard worker, no doubt, but this was a miss.

Kenedy — loans, flashes and a long road from the hype

Signed by Chelsea in 2015, Kenedy’s career became a tour of Europe via Newcastle, Getafe, Granada and Flamengo. A permanent move to Real Valladolid in 2022 never took off, relegation followed in 2024/25, and he’s since headed to Pachuca on loan. Moments of quality, yes, but never the sustained impact many expected.

Maxwel Cornet — bright at Lyon, bit-part in England

Electric at Lyon, Cornet looked destined for a bigger Premier League gig but landed at Burnley in 2021, shining in flashes but going down all the same. West Ham took a £17.5m punt; injuries and competition blunted his rhythm, though he did get a medal as the Hammers won the Europa Conference League. After limited minutes, he’s been out on loan—Southampton last season, Genoa this year. Capable, but stuck as a squad option.

Aleksei Miranchuk — the tidy technician who kept winning

Big numbers at Lokomotiv Moscow earned him an Atalanta move, where he played his part as La Dea ended Bayer Leverkusen’s record unbeaten streak and lifted the 2024 Europa League. Not a headline act, but reliable, inventive and versatile. He’s since crossed the pond to Atlanta United and remains a fixture for Russia. A career with substance.

Timo Werner — the standout of the bunch

Critics love to pick at his finishing, but let’s deal in facts: Champions League winner at Chelsea, Germany international with a healthy strike rate, and RB Leipzig’s all-time top scorer. His Tottenham loan didn’t convince enough for a permanent deal, but of Messi’s ten, Werner is the clear success story—medals, milestones, the lot.

Rony Lopes — the nearly season that never quite repeated

Plucked by Man City as a kid, Lopes truly caught fire at Monaco in 2017/18 with 15 league goals. Sevilla came calling, then the loans piled up: Nice, Olympiacos, Troyes. Stints at Braga and Alanyaspor followed, a short spell at Farense, and now Tondela. Talented lad, but the purple patch proved elusive to recreate.

James Wilson — from Old Trafford buzz to the long grind

Two goals on his Manchester United debut had everyone dreaming, but injuries and stuttering loans dulled the shine. After Aberdeen and Salford, he found a home at Port Vale before a short stay at Northampton Town. As of now, he’s a free agent. A reminder of how brutal the step from prodigy to pro can be.

Gyasi Zardes — early MLS star, later journeyman

On fire for LA Galaxy and a scorer in the 2014 MLS Cup final, Zardes battled back from setbacks to win MLS Comeback Player of the Year with Columbus in 2018. Later spells at Colorado and Austin followed; he’s currently unattached. Sixty-eight US caps tell you he made a mark, even if the peak didn’t last.

Khiry Shelton — steady MLS servant

The No 2 pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, Shelton had a crack at Europe with Paderborn but settled back at Sporting Kansas City, where he’s racked up well over a century of appearances. Honest shift, valuable squad man, yet still awaiting a senior US cap.

The verdict

Messi’s list was a snapshot of promise, not a crystal ball. Werner vindicated the shout, Miranchuk and Boga built respectable careers, Cornet found a ceiling, and the rest learned that talent alone doesn’t carry you to the summit. That’s football: unforgiving, unpredictable and gloriously human. And it’s why, when the next “can’t-miss” wunderkind comes along, we’ll all watch—and quietly remember this lot.

Note: Career details and tallies referenced from public databases, including Transfermarkt, accurate to late November 2025.