Cristiano Ronaldo: What happened to the 5 players he tipped for greatness in 2015?

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players to ever lace up a pair of boots.

Boasting an incredible legacy that only his eternal rival Lionel Messi can claim to match, the Portuguese superstar continues to operate at the highest level long after many of his peers of a similar age have retired.

His own future may be very much up in the air, but there’s no denying that Ronaldo’s haul of 24 goals in all competitions for Manchester United last season was a seriously impressive accomplishment for a 37-year-old veteran.

At this point, it’s pretty doubtful that we’ll ever see another player match Ronaldo’s outstanding legacy, but that’s never stopped fans and pundits alike from speculating as to who could be the heir to his throne.

Back in 2015, the man himself was asked to name the players of the time that he believed had the best chance of going on to achieve greatness in the game.

Seven years have passed since Ronaldo made his predictions and it’s fair to say they’ve been a mixed bag – although none have ever threatened to outshine the Man Utd icon.

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“You see many players with potential,” admitted Ronaldo, per The Mirror.

“I will mention Martin Odegaard of [Real] Madrid, for example. At 16, he’s still young but you can see he’s a very good player.

“[Eden] Hazard is also another example, the number seven of Manchester United, Memphis Depay is a good player too, Paul Pogba and maybe Neymar.”

Let’s now take a look at how each of Ronaldo’s picks are getting on in 2022.

The youngest of the quintet singled out for greatness by Ronaldo, 23-year-old Odegaard is arguably the only pick to be in a stronger position now