Where are they now? Every Euro U17 MVP winner since 2002: Rooney, Sancho, Kroos…

Since 2002, UEFA have been awarding an MVP award for the best player at the U17 Euros and plenty of familiar faces have won the prize in the past.

In total, 18 U17 MVP awards have been handed out since 2002 and we’ve checked up on where every single winner is today.

You’ll no doubt recognise most of the names on this list, although there are a few who have seemingly dropped off the face of the earth since winning it.

2002 – Wayne Rooney

It’s fair to say Rooney lived up to the hype – and then some.

The same can’t quite be said of his managerial career just yet, but he’ll be looking to turn that around with Plymouth Argyle in the Championship next season.

2003 – Miguel Veloso

Aged 38, the Portuguese midfielder is still going strong today. Having spent a large chunk of his career in the Italian top flight, he dropped down to Serie B last year to join Pisa.

He racked up 28 appearances for the Italian club last season and finished 13th in the league. His deal with Pisa is set to expire at the end of the month, although they do have the option to extend it by a further year.

READ: 9 players from Euro 2012 we can’t believe are still playing in 2024

2004 – Cesc Fabregas

Now we’re talking. A two-time European champion with Spain and a World Cup winner with over 100 international caps, not many players can hold a candle to Fabregas’ international career.

He’s since hung up his boots and is now the assistant manager at Como 1907 who were recently promoted from Serie B.

2005 – Nuri Sahin

The Turkish midfielder retired at the tender age of 33 and has since gone into coaching. After managing Antalyaspor for two years, he’s now the assistant manager at Borussia Dortmund.

2006 – Toni Kroos

Football won’t quite be the same without Kroos. The German midfielder is set to hang up his boots after Euro 2024, having enjoyed a stellar career with the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

He’s not the only big name calling it quits this year either.

READ: 4 big name footballers who will be retiring in 2024: Kroos leads the way…

2007 – Bojan Krkic

Once dubbed as the next Lionel Messi, it seems a bit mental that Bojan ended up retiring before Messi did. Living up to that sort of hype was always going to be impossible, but the Spanish playmaker can still look back on his career with plenty of pride.

After all, there aren’t many people who have won two Champions League trophies and have played professional football in three separate continents.

2008 – Danijel Aleksic

The Serbian forward made his professional debut when he was just 16 years old and he made quite the name for himself at the U17 Euros in 2008.

He never quite made it at the elite level, only representing Serbia on two occasions, but he has enjoyed a good career predominantly playing in Turkey for Istanbul Basaksehir.

2009 – Mario Gotze

He’ll forever be remembered for that goal against Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final, won’t he?

Now aged 32, you can find the German midfielder playing for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga where he’s spent the last two years, enjoying a renaissance after a difficult spell.

2010 – Connor Wickham

Compared to some of the other players who have won this award, Wickham’s career hasn’t quite been as glamorous. Once a hotly-tipped prospect, injuries haven’t been kind to the forward over the years.

The 31-year-old has played for seven different clubs in the last five years and now finds himself as a free agent, having most recently played for Charlton Athletic in League One.

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2011 – Kyle Ebecilio

The Dutch midfielder spent three years in the Arsenal academy and has played for the likes of Nottingham Forest and ADO Den Haag.

Now aged 30, Ebecilio plays amateur football for Capelle who compete in the fifth tier of Dutch football.

2012 – Max Meyer

Every man and their dog knew about Meyer during his early days with Schalke. Once hailed as one of Germany’s most promising wonderkids, Meyer’s career never quite took off like many had predicted.

He spent a few years playing in the Premier League for Crystal Palace and now plays for FC Luzern in the Swiss Super League.

2013 – Anton Mitryushkin

To this day, Mitryushkin is still the only goalkeeper to have ever won the MVP award at the U17 Euros. The 28-year-old has had stints in Germany and Switzerland and is now back in his native country playing for Lokomotiv Moscow.

2014 – Steven Bergwijn

It’s a shame his move to Tottenham never really worked out. Since leaving the Premier League, Bergwijn has been getting his career back on track with Ajax.

He’s bagged 29 goals for the Dutch club across the last two years, although is still waiting to win his first trophy as an Ajax player.

2015 – Odsonne Edouard

During his days in the PSG academy, Edouard scored over 60 goals in just two years which earned him the nickname ‘The Rocket’.

He’s not quite kept up that scoring record in his senior career but is still considered a solid Premier League forward. He’s spent the last three years with Crystal Palace, although is being linked with a return to Celtic right now.

2016 – Jose Gomes

The former Benfica prodigy has had an interesting career to say the least. At the age of 25, he’s already played for nine different clubs and currently plays for Chornomorets Odesa in the Ukrainian Premier League.

2017 – Jadon Sancho

Right now, Sancho’s next move is very much up in the air. He managed to find some form while on loan with Borussia Dortmund but doesn’t seem to have a future at Manchester United while Erik ten Hag is still at the club.

Still only 24, Sancho has time to make a success of his career yet.

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2023 – Paris Brunner

It’s too early to say whether Brunner will live up to his potential. The 18-year-old forward is on the books at Borussia Dortmund but is yet to make his senior debut.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on him over these next few years.

2024 – Francesco Camarda

The latest player to win the award is Camarda who currently plays for AC Milan. He made his senior debut as a 15-year-old and has already featured in a couple of Serie A matches.

Still just 16, he’s someone to keep your eye on over these next few years.