Cristiano Ronaldo backed 5 players for greatness in 2015: What has happened to them now?

In a 2015 interview, Cristiano Ronaldo backed Martin Odegaard, Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba, Memphis Depay, and Neymar to reach spectacular heights in football.

When asked to name five players who could go on to have stellar careers, then-Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo said (via The Mirror):

“I will mention Martin Odegaard of [Real] Madrid, for example. At 16, he’s still young but you can see he’s a very good player. [Eden] Hazard is also another example, the number seven of Manchester United, Memphis Depay is a good player too, Paul Pogba and maybe Neymar.”

Out of the five, only Arsenal skipper Odegaard has followed Cristiano Ronaldo’s predicted trajectory. Since leaving Real Madrid permanently ahead of the 2021-22 season, Odegaard has emerged as one of the best players in the Premier League.

He has been firing on all cylinders this season, scoring seven times and providing five assists in 16 Premier League games. His brilliance has helped the north Londoners climb to the top of the Premier League table.

Hazard sealed a massive €115 million move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2019. Ravaged by injuries and poor form, the Belgian is yet to replicate the heroics that made him a sensation at Chelsea. He has only played 72 times for the Whites since his transfer, pitching in with seven goals and 11 assists across competitions.

Sealing a €222 million transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, Neymar became the most expensive footballer of all time. He has scored an impressive 115 goals and provided 73 assists in 165 games (across competitions) since the transfer, but is yet to deliver the long-desired Champions League trophy.

That Odegaard assist was so aesthetically pleasing.

https://t.co/OFyW8sdDOu

Depay failed to make it big at Manchester United, playing only 53 matches over 18 months (between June 2015 and January 2017) and scoring seven times. He regained his form at Olympique Lyon, which paved the way for his Barcelona transfer in July 2021. He has since played 41 games for the Blaugrana, scoring 14 times.

Lastly, Pogba, who was a Juventus player when Ronaldo gave the aforementioned interview, joined Manchester United for a staggering €105 million fee in 2016. The club’s record transfer never quite managed to live up to his sky-high billing, courtesy of poor form and fitness issues. Having scored 39 goals and claimed 51 assists in 226 games, Pogba returned to Juventus as a free agent in the summer of 2022.

Despite not doing all that much in club football, Pogba reached the pinnacle of international football in 2018. He was one of the integral members of the French team that won the FIFA World Cup in 2018.

Jamie Carragher takes a fresh swipe at Cristiano Ronaldo after Al-Nassr transfer

On 30 December, Cristiano Ronaldo announced that he had signed a two-and-a-half-year contract (June 2025) with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who has been a vocal critic of Cristiano Ronaldo, called the Al-Nassr transfer a sad end to Ronaldo’s career.

Cristiano Ronaldo has just landed in Riyadh ahead of his move to Al Nassr 🟡🛬 #Ronaldo

Second part of medical will be done on Tuesday, then he will be unveiled as new signing.

🎥 @ariyadhiah_br
https://t.co/a4vPUbaHFP

Drawing parallels to Lionel Messi’s World Cup win, Carragher said (via Marca):

“In some ways, it's a sad end for him," Carragher said on Sky Sports. "You have two of the greatest players in Messi and Ronaldo, and Ronaldo has finished his career during an interview with Piers Morgan and Messi has won the World Cup. It's not the best way to go out."

He joined Al-Nassr as a free agent after seeing his Manchester United get terminated in November. The mutually agreed-upon termination came after his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, in which he criticized United’s owners, facilities, and manager Erik ten Hag.