Since 2007, my friends and I have played a 15-year-long game to predict wonderkids. Here are our best (and worst) picks.

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milivella1
5 hours ago
5 hours ago
2
14 Jul 2026 19:43:41

Back in 2007, we started a play-by-email game where you pick U-21 players with fewer than 2 international caps. You get points for every cap/goal they get in their whole career. Because it's based on whole careers, you literally have to wait 15+ years to find out who won the 2007 cycle.

 

Looking back at our 19 years of data, here are some of our best and worst moments:

 

  • On 9 May 2017, Jackson picked Vinicius Junior. For context, back then Vinicius didn't even have a Wikipedia page.
  • In 2008, I ruined my score by picking Royston Drenthe thinking he was the next Edgar Davids. Marcelo, Pique and Higuain were free and I picked Royston bleeping Drenthe.

 

Anyway, we are a group of 10 guys and our next cycle starts on August 1st. It's completely free, just a text-based passion project. If anyone is a big enough football nerd to want to join, send me a DM and I'll send you the rules.

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