The 25 nominees for the 2017 Golden Boy award were announced on Tuesday, a list of the most promising footballers in the world. We take a look at how the careers of the previous winners unfolded after lifting the prestigious trophy.
Started by Italian publication Tuttosport in 2003, the Golden Boy recognises the brightest talent under the age of 21, with newspapers around Europe voting to decide.
Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Rashford or Gabriel Jesus are looking to follow the footsteps of Leo Messi, Wayne Rooney as well as a host of other big names who were honoured at the dawn of their careers.
But, what did the previous 14 Golden Boy winners go on to achieve?
2003 - Rafael van der Vaart (Ajax)
After coming through the ranks at Ajax, spells at Hamburg, Real Madrid or Spurs followed. Now 34 years old, he plays for Danish side Midtjylland, following a brief stint at Real Betis. He has 109 caps for the Netherlands.
2004 - Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Manchester United and England record goalscorer, the 31-year-old has returned to boyhood club Everton to put an end to a fantastic career. He lifted five Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the 2007-08 Champions League.
2005 - Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
After winning the award at 18, he went on to become arguably the greatest footballer of all time. 29 trophies with Barcelona plus five Ballon d'Ors to his name.
2006 - Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
A product of Barca's La Masia academy, he spent 8 years at Arsenal before returning to the Catalan club. Now at Chelsea, he has won everything from club and country.
2007 - Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid)
The Argentine striker has banged in the goals for Atletico Madrid and Manchester City, and is a true hero at the Etihad after scoring the dramatic title-winning goal in 2012.
2008 - Anderson (Manchester United)
Following a bright start at Manchester United, Anderson's career gradually went downhill and he never lived up to his potential. Spells at Fiorentina, Internacional and Coritiba have followed for the Brazilian midfielder.
2009 - Alexandre Pato (AC Milan)
Another Brazilian who struggled with form and fitness. He excelled for AC Milan initially before returning to Brazil. Corinthians, Sao Paulo, Chelsea and Villarreal followed before he joined Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian in a lucrative move earlier this year.
2010 - Mario Balotelli (Manchester City)
The Italian striker never lived up to the hype created when he broke through at Inter Milan. He is currently finding his feet at Nice after spells at Manchester City, AC Milan and Liverpool.
2011 - Mario Gotze (Borussia Dortmund)
He impressed at Borussia Dortmund before joining rivals Bayern Munich. He later returned to wearing yellow and black after recovering from a metabolic disorder. The highlight of his career came in the 2014 World Cup final, when he scored the winning goal for Germany against Argentina.
2012 - Isco (Malaga)
His breakthrough at Malaga attracted attention from top clubs but Real Madrid finally lured the young Spaniard. He has since developed into a key member of Zidane's squad, winning back-to-back Champions League trophies and La Liga last season.
2013 - Paul Pogba (Juventus)
Paul Pogba left Old Trafford in 2012 to establish himself as one of Europe's top midfielder at Juventus. The Red Devils paid £89m to seal his return before lifting the Europa League under Jose Mourinho.
2014 - Raheem Sterling (Liverpool)
A key figure in Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool team, he forced a move away from Anfield to join Manchester City in a deal worth £50m.
2015 - Anthony Martial (Manchester United)
Manchester United snapped up the Frenchman in 2015, paying Monaco £58m for an 19-year-old. The forward has found it harder to break into Mourinho's lineup, but still responds when given the chance.
2016 - Renato Sanches (Bayern Munich)
He won Euro 2016 with Portugal and was rewarded with a move to Bayern Munich. After a difficult season for the Bavarians, the midfielder now finds himself plying his trade at Swansea City, who are battling to avoid relegation.