1999: London Donovan (USA)
London Donovan won the Golden Ball for the USA, but struggled to adapt to life in Germany and returned to the states. He signed for LA Galaxy in 2005 and became the club’s record goalscorer.
2001: Florent Sinama-Pongolle (France)
Florent Sinama-Pongolle joined Liverpool but struggled to make an impact. He played for several clubs around the world, including Atletico Madrid, but never really made waves.
2003: Cesc FÃ bregas (Spain)
Cesc FÃ bregas joined Arsenal and had a successful career, becoming a first-team regular and winning multiple trophies. He also played for Barcelona and Chelsea.
2005: Anderson (Brazil)
Anderson played for Grêmio in Brazil before moving to Manchester United. He had a successful career with the club but struggled after Sir Alex Ferguson left. He is currently playing in Brazil on loan at Curitiba.
2007: Toni Kroos (Germany)
Toni Kroos made his debut for Bayern Munich just weeks after the under-17 World Cup. He has since become one of the best midfielders in the world, winning multiple titles with Bayern and Real Madrid.
2009: Sani Emmanuel (Nigeria)
Sani Emmanuel had trials with Chelsea and Tottenham but signed for Lazio. He never made a first-team appearance and is currently without a club.
2011: Julio Gómez (Mexico)
Julio Gómez has had multiple loan spells in Mexico and is currently playing for Atlas.
2013: Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria)
Kelechi Iheanacho signed for Manchester City and had a successful stint with the club before moving to Leicester City. He is still young and has time to make an impact.
2015: Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria)
Samuel Chukwueze was signed by Arsenal and has been loaned out to Dutch clubs to develop. He is currently playing for VVV Venlo in the Eredivisie.
2017: Phil Foden (England)
Phil Foden won the Golden Ball for England and has been highly regarded. He is currently playing for Manchester City.
