#10YearsChallenge: Check Throwbacks Photos Of Messi, Neymar, Pogba And Others

Posting throwback photos my by a regular occurrence on social media — there is a whole day of the week reserved for it, after all — but there have been a spate of them this week thanks to the #10yearchallenge. Toe Poke thought it would have a crack at the social media trend and examine exactly how some of today’s most prominent football stars looked a decade ago, back in the halcyon days of 2009.

Already a three-time La Liga and two-time Champions League winner, 2009 was the year in which Messi sealed his first Ballon d'Or -- and did so while looking like a nervous school-leaver at his first job interview.

lready a three-time La Liga and two-time Champions League winner, 2009 was the year in which Messi sealed his first Ballon d’Or — and did so while looking like a nervous school-leaver at his first job interview.

Long before the myriad accolades, the Champions League finals and the mammoth scoring streaks, Salah was still patiently awaiting his professional debut while playing for the youth team at El Mokawloon in his native Egypt.

In 2009, Neymar had just graduated from the Santos youth academy and into the first team at the tender age of 17 with the world at his dazzling feet. A decade on and he's already old news at PSG, who have a newer, younger, more prodigious star in their midst.
In 2009, Neymar had just graduated from the Santos youth academy and into the first team at the tender age of 17 with the world at his dazzling feet. A decade on and he’s already old news at PSG, who have a newer, younger, more prodigious star in their midst.



Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

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In 2009, Aubameyang was on loan at Dijon having failed to cut the mustard at AC Milan as a teenager. Skip forward and the striker has commanded around £72million in transfer fees largely by virtue of scoring masses of goals all around Europe.
In 2009, Aubameyang was on loan at Dijon having failed to cut the mustard at AC Milan as a teenager. Skip forward and the striker has commanded around £72million in transfer fees largely by virtue of scoring masses of goals all around Europe.

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Oddly, Hazard looks absolutely exactly the same now as he did when he was jinking past defenders for Lille 10 years ago. The only logical conclusion is that he must have a haunted self-portrait hidden in his attic.
The shirt may have changed in the meanwhile, but that hasn’t stopped Ronaldo from whipping it off and showing us all his rippling abdomen at any given opportunity.