The 10 best British wonderkids in football history have been ranked

The term wonderkid is one that is often used a lot when describing any young football player that could have a big future in the game. Its true meaning is a youngster with the potential to be a generational talent – one who may end up shaping the sport as we know it.

Sometimes, in fact more often than not, it is almost impossible to meet expectations that are so lofty, and many fall by the wayside. For some though, they not only excel as teenagers, but they continue to develop into world-class talents. Whichever side of the spectrum they fell on as time went on, these 10 players had the most potential as youngsters to become superstars.

Ranking Factors

In order to rank these once-budding stars, some key criteria has been taken into account:

• Potential
• Youth accolades
• Early professional career
• Overall achievements

10 Ravel Morrison

Notable clubs: Manchester United, West Ham, Sheffield United

The first entrant on this list is the only true what could have been, as he stands out as the anomaly who never reached the top. However, in the youth setup at Manchester United, players like Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard found themselves in awe of Ravel Morrison. As a creative midfielder, Morrison was labelled as one of the greatest youth products Sir Alex Ferguson ever saw. Ferguson even told Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand that Morrison was better than they were at that age.

Off-field issues plagued Morrison, who could not handle the professionalism needed to be a truly world-class footballer. Now playing in the second tier of the UAE, the fact that the 31-year-old didn’t at least win one Premier League title is truly unfortunate.

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9 Jude Bellingham

Notable clubs: Birmingham City, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid

The 2024 Ballon d’Or saw Jude Bellingham etch himself into the record books by becoming the latest in a very short list of British players to finish inside the top three of the prestigious standings. And with good reason too, as the box-to-box midfielder made the iconic Santiago Bernabeu his playground during his first season at Real Madrid.

Very few can say that they have had the journey that Bellingham has had, let alone in such a short period of time. But as a teenager, he was always destined for greatness, which is why Manchester United, through Sir Alex Ferguson, Bobby Charlton, and Eric Cantona, tried to stop him from going to Borussia Dortmund. Ultimately, the England star made the right decision for his development.

8 Gareth Bale

Notable clubs: Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid

In terms of what he went on to achieve, Gareth Bale probably deserves to be a little higher on this list. However, his standing as a wonderkid was a little lower than others that appear, primarily because he broke through as a budding left-back. In fact, the Welshman’s career could have looked very different, as he was almost sold by Tottenham shortly after he arrived because he was seen as a bad luck charm, as Spurs kept losing when he played.

They will be thankful they didn’t follow through with that, and the rest, as they say, is history. Multiple Champions Leagues, the best goal in a European Cup final, and more domestic honours is what the winger finished his stunning career with. To think that if it weren’t for injuries, he may have been even greater.

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7 Ryan Giggs

Multiple clubs: Manchester United

Perhaps Ryan Giggs shouldn’t be on this list. Instead, it should be Ryan Wilson, as that was what he went by when making waves in the Manchester United youth system. He would adopt his mother’s maiden name as his career kickstarted, and what a career it was.

While he maybe didn’t win as much in Europe as others or had quite the same amount of critical acclaim, he is still the most winning player in Premier League history, a former PFA Player of the Year award winner, and a 13-time champion of England. It is fair to say that the original Welsh wizard, before Bale, set the standard to try to match.

6 Michael Owen

Notable clubs: Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester United

Cast your minds back to the 1998 World Cup, as a young Michael Owen weaves his way through the Argentina backline to score what is still one of the greatest goals in that tournament’s history. If they didn’t already know, then that moment made the world stand up and take notice of the electric striker who had the pace and composure to terrify defences.

While injuries would significantly tamper with his career after leaving Anfield, while at Liverpool, Owen was unstoppable. He remains the last British player to have won the Ballon d’Or and at just 22 years and four days, he is the second youngest to ever win it. If that doesn’t cement your status as a successful wonderkid, nothing will.

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5 Paul Gascoigne

Notable clubs: Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio

Explaining to fans who never saw him play how good Paul Gascoigne was as he broke through at Newcastle is incredibly difficult. However, ask some of the pros who did grow up idolising him, and many will continue to claim that the midfielder is still the greatest raw talent to ever lace up a pair of boots in this neck of the woods.

His addiction issues are well documented and perhaps they prevented him from winning the trophies he could have done. But in terms of preventing him from producing magic on a football pitch, there was nothing that could stop him from doing that. It was in his blood.

4 Phil Foden

Notable clubs: Manchester City

Sometimes young players can be thrown to the wolves and forced to sink or swim, which is what eventually leads to their downfall. Credit to Pep Guardiola though, as the Manchester City manager executed a careful plan to turn Phil Foden from young prodigy to world-class superstar. At times, the way he would protect the playmaker and limit his minutes was frustrating to those who wanted to see him shine, but the man who oversaw Lionel Messi’s development was inevitably right.

Foden is now one of the Premier League’s top draws, winning the 2023/24 PFA Player of the Year award. The only thing that currently holds him back is his international form, as Gareth Southgate never seemed to get the best out of him. If Thomas Tuchel can, there’s no guessing as to where Foden could end up ranking alongside England’s all-time greats.

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3 Jack Wilshere

Notable clubs: Arsenal, West Ham, Bournemouth

16th February 2011. Emirates Stadium. That day, a star was born. Finding themselves up against the greatest team on the planet, and specifically the best midfield trio that ever graced the European game, a teenage Jack Wilshere rolled up his sleeves and single-handedly tore apart Xavi, Andres Iniesta and co to not only hand Arsenal a famous win but also cement his status as one of the most exciting young talents the English game had ever seen.

In that moment, only one other player in Premier League history had so much hype around them at that age. We will get to him in a bit. But the sky looked the limit for Wilshere, who was a completely different mould of midfielder than English football had gotten used to over the years. Frankly, he was more befitting of being in that Barcelona team with his frame and style. If not for injuries, Wilshere could have well over 100 caps and maybe have been a Three Lions captain.

2 George Best

Notable clubs: Manchester United, Fulham, San Jose Earthquakes

Prior to the Munich Air Disaster, the one name on Manchester United fans’ lips was Duncan Edwards. For most people’s money, the young defensive midfielder was already the best on the planet, but sadly he was the most famous casualty following the fatal plane crash. It was fair to assume there would never be another Busby Babe like him. Then came along George Best.

The Northern Irishman was spotted by United scouts from an early age and made his debut at just 17. From then on, he completely transformed English football with his flamboyance and elegance that entertained the masses. He would go on to win the Ballon d’Or and was even called the greatest player in history by a certain Pele. The highest of praise, but then again, the clue was in the name.

1 Wayne Rooney

Notable clubs: Everton, Manchester United, DC United

Remember the name, Wayne Rooney. Like he was ever going to let us forget it. Did Rooney go on to win the Ballon d’Or like Best and Owen? No. But when you combine how mesmerizing he was at just 16 years old with the litany of accolades he has walked away with, there’s little debate that he is number one.

As a young lad barely out of secondary school, Rooney possessed a stocky figure and power that would be impressive for men ten years his senior. Combine that with a street footballer mindset, aggression, and incredible skill, and you have the recipe for the player that Arsene Wenger described as the greatest English talent he had ever seen after he scored his first-ever Premier League goal. When Euro 2004 came around, Rooney established himself as one of the most exciting players on the planet. If he had the mentality for individual success that former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo did, he would have gone all the way to the top of football’s Everest – not that he was far off it anyway.