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There’s no more compelling story than when a player like Jamie Vardy goes from being released by his club at the age of 16 to suddenly tearing up the Premier League at the age of 28, but the Leicester City striker’s path is a fit-for-Hollywood tale rather than the norm. The truth is that football is now a mega-industry and the reach of its tentacles knows no bounds — in the search for the world’s next great talent, no rock is left unturned and no YouTube highlight video is left unproduced.
Sometimes, the frightening scale of a phenom’s technical ability makes them unmissable (like a 10-year-old Lionel Messi), while sometimes that rare combination of otherworldly physical attributes and precocious football understanding blends to form a clear phenomenon (a 13-year-old Kylian Mbappé).
Players like Messi and Mbappé have had cameras trained on them since they were nothing more than twinkles in their fathers’ eyes. While the implications of this cultural industry are up for argument, there’s no denying that the highlights are prodigious.
Famous Footballers Playing When They Were Kids And Teenagers
Lionel Messi during his time in la Masia.
10-year-old Kylian Mbappé during his youth days with AS Bondy.
Rose Lavelle’s backyard mix-tape.
Neymar Jr. flexing on the futsal court.
10-year-old Wayne Rooney scoring a wonder goal. (I think his hair is already trying to find a way off his head.)
16-year-old Marcus Rashford dazzling at the prestigious Dale Farm Milk Cup.
Andrés Iniesta’s days at la Masia.
It's Ronnie.
Paul Pogba doing work and making Alex Ferguson very angry.
An even younger Ansu Fati. (How's that possible?)
João Félix. So hot right now.
