Making a prediction about a certain outcome can either make you look like a genius or they can make you look rather silly.
Nonetheless, they are something that are incredibly fun to do and something that many will look to do to further enhance their experiences, especially when it comes down to the football.
Bleacher Report looked to take on the challenge of predicting who could become the top 10 best footballers in the world back in 2012, and the list they provided had everything almost a decade ago. However, as we all know, things do not always go to plan in the world of football, thus making this list look incredibly outdated.
Some of their choices now look inspired, however others look just as bad as those bettors who have not signed up to online casinos including these ones accept UK players.
Here is what they had initially predicted:
10. Mamadou Sakho
9. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
8. Mario Balotelli
7. Jack Wilshere
6. Lucas Moura
5. Christian Eriksen
4. Thiago Alcantara
3. Eden Hazard
2. Mario Gotze
1. Neymar
In truth, about half of the list can be considered to have done rather well for themselves over the decade, however there are a few that have no place being on the list.
Of course, the likes of Neymar, Eden Hazard and Thiago Alcantara can be considered to be great picks and ones that Bleacher Report managed to get spot on.
However, their picks regarding the likes of Mamadou Sakho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mario Balotelli, Jack Wilshere and even the duo of Christian Eriksen and Mario Gotze can be questionable; admittedly the duo had solid years in between then and now, however they have struggled in more recent times.
The addition of Sakho looks to be a real disaster for Bleacher Report as he has been well short with his own game. The current Crystal Palace defender can not get a game for Roy Hodgson’s side at the moment, although it should be remembered he was playing for Liverpool at one point during the period.
Indeed, the same could be said about Mario Balotelli, as the forward has struggled to keep his head down and be a sustained success wherever he has gone. He struggled at Liverpool and Manchester City before heading to Olympique de Marseille, although that move was short-lived. He now finds himself at AC Monza in Serie B as he looks to get his head screwed on and playing football without drama.
Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both fall in the injury category as both England international midfielders have struggled over the years, although Ox did manage to lift the Premier League title with Liverpool last season.
