Business
THEN AND NOW: What the world’s greatest soccer stars looked like at the start of their careers
Diego Costa, Lionel Messi, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Getty/John Walton/AP/Manu Fernandez/Getty/Adam Davy Some of the world’s biggest soccer stars are approaching the end of their careers.Lionel Messi is 32, Cristiano Ronaldo 34, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 38. As we enter the new decade, Business Insider has taken a look back at what some of the globe’s most…
- Some of the world’s biggest soccer stars are approaching the end of their careers.
- Lionel Messi is 32, Cristiano Ronaldo 34, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 38.
- As we enter the new decade, Business Insider has taken a look back at what some of the globe’s most famous players looked like as youngsters.
- Find out who has changed the most over time below.
- Read more of our soccer coverage here.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Lionel Messi’s appearance may have dramatically changed, but his magical soccer skills certainly have not.
AP/Manu Fernandez/Getty/Quality Sport Images
Cristiano Ronaldo: teenage heart-throb in 2003, teenage heart-throb in 2019.
Reuters/Marcos Borga/Getty/Marco Canoniero
Robert Lewandowski was once a pencil-thin teen, but he’s now one of the world’s most revered goalscorers.
Getty/EuroFootball/Christof Stache
Few things in life are certain other than death, taxes, and Sergio Ramos getting sent off in El Clasico (it’s happened five times).
Getty/Denis Doyle/TF Images
Zlatan Ibrahimovic made a name for himself scoring crazy goals with Ajax from 2001 to 2004, and he’s been doing the same ever since.
Getty/Adam Davy/Shaun Clark
Mohamed Salah is barely recognizable from his days as a youngster at FC Basel
Getty/Nigel French/Chloe Knott
Neymar has added a beard and tattoos these days, but he still had a mullet back in 2009.
Getty/Mauricio Lima/Soccrates Images
12 years apart, same old Luis Suarez — he’s scored 466 career goals to date.
Getty/VI Images/NurPhoto
Eden Hazard still wears the same number for Belgium, but he’s grown up a lot since making his debut in 2008.
Getty/Photonews/MB Media
Diego Costa has aged incredibly well given that he was just 21 in the left hand picture.
Getty/John Walton/Quality Sport Images
Now a man of many haircuts, Paul Pogba was keeping it simple as youngster with Manchester United in 2009.
Getty/Mike Egerton/Barrington Coombs
Other than dying his hair and growing a beard, not much has changed about Sergio Aguero since he started his career at Independiente 16 years ago.
Reuters/Marcos Brindicci/Getty/Paul Ellis
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