Where were these football superstars when they were 16?

Martin Ødegaard – the 16-year-old prodigy from Norway who was recently unveiled as Real Madrid's latest capture is a talent that everyone is talking about right now. As the modern era of football develops, the hunt for signing the best talents available in the world, has become somewhat of a usual practice for clubs now.At the age of 16, Ødegaard is perhaps one of the few players in the history of the game who had the option to reject almost every major club in Europe, including the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Liverpool, the Manchester clubs, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal – you name it, and that club wanted him. But, it was Real Madrid where he wanted to be and rightly so, the club acquired his services. Ødegaard’s contract with Real Madrid offers him an allowance of €80,000 a week. This brings us to the question: What was I doing when I was 16? What were you doing when you were 16?And, most importantly what were the current superstars in the game doing when they were 16? He made his debut for the first team last night as he became Real Madrid’s youngest ever player at the age of 16 years, five months and six days. For this slideshow, I’ve managed to churn out a few clips, fan opinions and headlines related to some of the leaders in football right now.

#1 Neymar - from Santos to Barcelona

I presume I am not wrong when I say that we have all known about how great a player Neymar was destined to be for quite a while now. From being that skinny, pacy teenager at Santos to partnering Lionel Messi in Barcelona’s attacking line – Neymar has definitely come a long way. At the age of 22, he is already Brazil’s captain and their best player by quite a margin.

Looking back at some of the old forums and fan pages from 2008, I was startled to find this thread. Certainly the Football Manager engine for the game’s 2008 version got it wrong, as clearly Neymar’s potential exceeds that of Tottenham Hotspur’s Emmanuel Adebayor.

The headlines he was making back in the day

Since it wasn’t until 2013 that the current Barcelona star made his switch to a European club from Santos that the 16-year-old Neymar’s popularity among European newspapers wasn’t the same as back home in Brazil. Things do change eventually, say after a year or two, when not a day went by when he wasn’t linked to either Real Madrid or Barcelona.

But how good was he back then anyway?

#2 Gareth Bale - from Southampton to Real Madrid

Gareth Bale’s progress over the years has been exceptional, given how quick he has propelled himself to the top of the game. Always known to be a good athlete, Bale started young – playing in football tournaments since the age of 9.

He made his professional debut at the age of 16 years and 275 days for Southampton during a Championship game against Millwall, thus becoming their second youngest player ever; the first being Arsenal's Theo Walcott.

The rise of Gareth Bale’s market value

Despite his lack of experience, Bale was called up to the national team, and eventually became Wales’ youngest player ever. His potential was recognized soon enough as he was adjudged to be the Football League Young Player of the Year the following season, before completing his move to Tottenham Hotspur.

The destination for both Gareth Bale and Martin Odegaard was the same – Real Madrid. Bale was more of a polished product when he arrived at the Bernabeu in a move which cost Real a staggering €100 million. On the other hand, €4 million is all the club had to pay for Ødegaard who has been hailed very highly by scouts all over the world.

Here is Bale scoring his first professional goal with an exquisite free kick:

#3 Luis Suarez - from Nacional to Barcelona

Unlike many others in the list, Luis Suarez was making news at the age of 16 for the wrong reasons. Aged just 15, the Barcelona forward head-butted a referee after the latter had sent him off in a youth-team match. He was also caught drinking and partying by one of the coaches and was warned to get his act together if he wanted to succeed in football.

He wouldn't make his first team debut until the age of 18 – four years after joining them. However, it was Ajax where he found his ground, attracting a move to Liverpool before he would go on to join Barcelona for €94 million in 2014.

Nothing much has changed after all it seems for the Uruguayan who continuous to be a controversial character in the game, someone who is unpredictable all the time – for the opposition as well as his own team.

#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - saying no to Arsene Wenger

The magical player that he is, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s potential to be a one of modern football’s greatest strikers was known to several clubs across Europe, including Arsenal who were very close to signing him at the age of 16.

Zlatan was an immigrant – with an alcoholic father and a tough Croatian mother who was never shy of disciplining her trouble-making son. When most youngsters would attend football schools to develop their skills, Zlatan lived the ghetto life in Rosengard where he would quite often steal bicycles, throw bricks at cars and shoplift from departmental stores.

He came very close to giving up on football due at the age of 15 before his career even took off after he had to start supporting the family by working at the docks, only to be convinced by one of his coaches against quitting.

A year later, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger would go on to meet 16-year-old Zlatan and offer him a trial at the club.

“Arsene gave me the famous red and white jersey - the No 9 shirt with Ibrahimovic on it and I was so pleased I even posed for a picture wearing it,” he revealed in his autobiography – I Am Zlatan. “It was a fantastic moment for me. Arsenal had a great team then and here was an Arsenal shirt made just for me.”

”So then I waited for him to convince me that I should join Arsenal,” he adds. “But he didn't even try. He never actually made me a serious offer, it was more, 'I want to see how good you are, what kind of player you are. Have a trial'. I couldn't believe it. I was like, 'No way, Zlatan doesn't do auditions'."

BeIn Sports’ documentary on Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s life – a great watch for any football enthusiast

#5 Wayne Rooney - ending Arsenal\'s unbeaten run with his debut goal

Since making his professional debut for Everton in 2002, Manchester United and England skipper Wayne Rooney has been around for more than a decade.

From breaking into the first team for the Blues, Rooney would go on to end Arsenal’s unbeaten run of 30 Premier League matches as he scored his Premier League debut goal in the form of a last minute winner at the age of 16, just five days before his 17th birthday.

The productive season saw him adjuded as 2002's BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year and led to him signing his first professinal contract in a deal that made him one of the highest paid teenagers back then.

Football Manager was known as Championship Manager in 2001, and here are two users discussing Rooney’s potential in the game.

Rooney’s goal against Arsenal at the age of 16:

#6 Eden Hazard - Developing into a world beater

Eden Hazard has been playing football since he was 4-years-old, and his former coaches say that success was ingrained in the Belgian’s future.

While at Lille, he was promoted to the reserve team at the age of 16 in 2007. Although he didn’t make his professional debut for the first team until the 2008-09 season, when he was included in the squad for a friendly against Nancy.

At the international level, Hazard was getting call ups from the Belgium U-19 team after representing them in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Hazard was always a known gem in the sea of wonder kids in Europe, and it was Chelsea who would eventually sign him for a handsome sum of £32 million in 2012 after he was linked to most of the major European clubs, particularly Real Madrid, with France legend Zinedine Zidane rumoured to have been acting as a catalyst in their attempt to sign Hazard.

How good was he at the age of 16?

#7 Lionel Messi - Still a blooming star at La Masia

Unlike the Zlatans and Bales in this list, Lionel Messi at the age of 16 was still a footballer who was finding his ground at Barcelona, playing for the Catalan side’s Juvenil B, Juvenil A, third and second teams.

He would, however, go on to make his debut for Barcelona’s first team in the same year in a friendly against Porto after earning the confidence of the then-manager Frank Rijkaard. Coming on as a late substitute, he donned the No. 14 shirt as his brilliance with the ball was evident right away.

“I'll never forget the fact that he launched my career, that he had confidence in me while I was only 16 or 17," as Messi recalls while speaking about Rijkaard. He was eventually handed his professional debut the following year, and since then there has been no stopping Messi.

Watch young Leo in action at La Masia:

#8 Cristiano Ronaldo - the Lisbon youngster

The current Ballon d’Or holder is arguably the biggest name in sports with a following that is unmatched by not just athletes but several celebrities.

But, what about the about the 16-year-old Cristiano? Previously diagnosed with a racing heart condition at the age of 15, it was suggested that he will have to end up giving up football for good. However, following a successful surgery, he was back in training at Lisbon.

He would then go on to represent Lisbon’s Under 16, Under 17, Under 18, B team and first team in the same year, becoming the first player in their history to ever do so.