Best 18 year old you've ever seen

[Deleted]

I'm going to regret this as it will hype Adnan up massively but it's a bit of fun. Best 18 year old you've ever seen & i'm going to allow watching past players on DVD's.

Best
Giggs
Rooney
Januzaj
Ronaldo

I've gone for this order. Can't remember what age I first saw Messi so i'll leave him out even though he scored 14 in his first 16 game for Barca iirc. Best was the best player in his team the moment he steped into it. Was a crazy & very unintellegent footballer but he could beat 5 players in a row just for fun. Rooney was destined to be an all time great. He stood in his own way. Beast of a teenager, he was stronger than most men, had a real spark as a young player. Januzaj would be the lowest out of those players for pure ability at 18 but he's easily the most intellegent i would say. His decision making is impeccable. I don't think he'll make Ronaldo & Messi levels though, probably the rung below next to Ibra which will suit us just fine. This is harsh on Ronaldo as his debut was at 18 & everyone knew he would be a superstar. The next year or so he cooled down a bit due to a lack of footballing intellegence.

[Deleted]

I'd have to say Rooney. With Giggs and Ronaldo, as good as they were (and you could see they were sprinkled with stardust), you could tell you were watching a teenager.

Someone could have told you Rooney was actually 28 not 18 and you wouldn't have battered an eyelid. Teenagers simply weren't supposed to play like he did. Dribbling and fancy tricks and flicks, that's exactly how younger players play. But Rooney had both the body and mind of a much older player.

In saying that, Edwards was supposed to be even better though. Not that I saw him, but by all accounts even as a teenager he was like a 30 year old experienced old head.

[Deleted]

Jan 12, 2014 22:34:47 GMT dazjoe said:

I'd have to say Rooney. With Giggs and Ronaldo, as good as they were (and you could see they were sprinkled with stardust), you could tell you were watching a teenager.

Someone could have told you Rooney was actually 28 not 18 and you wouldn't have battered an eyelid. Teenagers simply weren't supposed to play like he did. Dribbling and fancy tricks and flicks, that's exactly how younger players play. But Rooney had both the body and mind of a much older player.

In saying that, Edwards was supposed to be even better though. Not that I saw him, but by all accounts even as a teenager he was like a 30 year old experienced old head.

I left out Edwards as he was 19 I think in the only full game I've got of him.

[redcase]

I'm going to fuck shit up and say Pogba. Definitely one of the best 18 year old central midfielders I have ever seen.

[Deleted]

Gonna say I watched an England U21 game once and Aaron Lennon was outstanding, pulverised the full back into the dust. He was still at Leeds and about 18 then, and I really wanted United to sign him after that game.

However:

1 - That was only a one off game, not like I saw him do it week in week out, and

2 - I was very drunk at the time, so could have been staring at a lampost instead thinking I was seeing something unreal.

So probably doesn't really count.

[Deleted]

Pele won the world cup aged 17 scoring two goals in the final. Never seen him play though, just highlights. Looked a far superior player to Maradonna in comparative highlights though.

[Deleted]

Whiteside deserves a mention I'd think too.

He was a fantastic talent, injuries robbed what could have been one of the all time greats.

Fergie himself said in his autobiography that he though Norm had as much natural ability as Best, he just lacked the extra bit of pace that Best had, and that was probably because of an injury he'd gotten as a young kid.

[0]

Zaha. Wakey wakey DD.

[Deleted]

I'm not sure what others will make of this but Owen was pretty awesome. That goal against Argentina in the world cup was when he was 18 I think, hit his best at about 23 before injuries ruined him. Never had the talent of some of these players but combine his pace & instincts & he was lethal.

[Kojak]

Rooney is a good shout. It wasn't like watching a kid at all. When he was 18 it was like watching a 28 year old in his prime. Which is probably why it's like watching a fat bloke touching on 40 now.

[Deleted]

Jan 12, 2014 23:45:23 GMT dazjoe said:

Whiteside deserves a mention I'd think too.

He was a fantastic talent, injuries robbed what could have been one of the all time greats.

Fergie himself said in his autobiography that he though Norm had as much natural ability as Best, he just lacked the extra bit of pace that Best had, and that was probably because of an injury he'd gotten as a young kid.

Never really watched him, even highlights. I've heard many people say the same thing though. I think I remember him leaving because he wasn't happy with the contract Ferguson offered him. All down hill from there.

[Deleted]

Jan 13, 2014 1:43:14 GMT @ausred88 said:

I'm not sure what others will make of this but Owen was pretty awesome. That goal against Argentina in the world cup was when he was 18 I think, hit his best at about 23 before injuries ruined him. Never had the talent of some of these players but combine his pace & instincts & he was lethal.

That's a very good shout, without injuries he probably would of been England's best striker.



I've seen some great 18 year olds but those are different stories

[karthy]

Best , Giggs , Rooney , Ronaldinho, Pogba , Owen. Ronnie and Januzaj.

I know that Ladnan is being compared to Best and Giggs but Best was ... well the best, he was really something else. Rooney was too good at 18. Had almost everything and none of the cuntiness

Ronaldinho was 18 playing for Gremio and was good even then.amazing skills.

For all the "how great Barkley is" Pogba dominated him and is defo a better MF.

Aside though , think really best if Jani isn't burdened with any comparison to Giggs or Best - don't think its good

[fletchabey]

Jan 12, 2014 23:01:57 GMT redcase said:

I'm going to fuck shit up and say Pogba. Definitely one of the best 18 year old central midfielders I have ever seen.

No where near and I say that without sour grapes. At 18 Pogba was doing great in academy games (though always as much influence as he should have been), Adnan is gaining MOM in league games. On the curve Adnan is way ahead. Bare in mind Pogba nearing 21 and the question is specific. I watched a lot of Pogba at 18 and relatively their miles apart. (*edit as Tatty points out, Pogba wasn't even the best 18 year old in that team let alone best ever)

I'd have Adnan ahead of Ronaldo too, he just looks so much more effective already. If Adnan had been playing in better performing United side, I'm sure he'd have benefited to. Rooney was a monster, but he was basically at physical peak by 17, whereas Ronaldo had to wait till 20/21 where it all came together. Ronaldo just evolved into a near perfect athlete, the perfect blend of speed, strength, balance and height. Combined with skill and application, its no surprise how good he became. If Adnan has the application and gains some speed and power as he reaches his peak, he can be as good as he wants.

[Tatty]

Ravel Morrison.
Brazilian Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Owen.
Fowler.


Only gone for players in my lifetime. There's other who you could tell would be good/great players, like Joe Cole, Rio, Gerrard, but they were hardly the best 18 year olds I'd seen.