We’re just about getting to grips with the fact that FIFA 16 was released a decade ago and we thought we’d check in on the seven Arsenal wonderkids from that game.
The Gunners have an excellent reputation when it comes to nurturing young talent, although not all of these young prospects managed to make the cut at the Emirates.
Using the SoFIFA database, we’ve taken a closer look at Arsenal’s seven wonderkids from FIFA 16 and have checked out what they are each up to in 2025.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Oxlade-Chamberlain was highly thought of back in the day and given a potential rating of 85 by the nerds at EA Sports.
The midfielder managed to rack up 198 appearances for the Gunners before making the switch to Liverpool in 2017, winning the Premier League and Champions League on Merseyside.
Injuries have hampered the midfielder over recent years and he left Besiktas in the summer of 2025. Still just 32, he is currently unattached.
Hector Bellerin
Bellerin was a popular figure at Arsenal during his 11-year stay with the club. However, upon the arrival of Mikel Arteta as head coach, the Spanish full-back’s days were numbered as Ben White promptly replaced him.
After enjoying short stints with Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon, he now plays for Real Betis, who will be playing Europa League football under Manuel Pellegrini this year.
Calum Chambers
Having shone under Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton, Chambers was snapped up by Arsenal in the summer of 2014.
Arsene Wenger paid up to £16million for the defender who was regarded as a future England international.
That didn’t quite materialise. Injuries and inconsistency hampered Chambers’ growth and he left for Aston Villa eight years later as a forgotten man.
A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it move to Cardiff in 2024 wasn’t what most people had expected of Chambers. He’s still only 30 and currently playing for the Bluebirds in League One.
Krystian Bielik
Arsenal splashed out £2.4million on a teenage Bielik back in 2015. The Poland international had a huge future at the time and was especially useful as he could play in defence or midfield.
He became an integral part of Charlton Athletic’s 2018-19 promotion-winning campaign from League One while on loan and Arsenal decided to cash in on him while his value was high.
In 2019, Derby County spent around £8million to take him from Arsenal. While he is still a tidy footballer, he’s had some rotten luck with injuries.
After helping Birmingham win promotion to the Championship in 2024-25, Bielik crossed the Second City to sign for local rivals West Brom.
Jeff Reine-Adelaide
Reine-Adelaide found his opportunities limited at the Emirates, making just eight appearances for the senior side before joining Ligue 1 Angers in 2018.
“There were several circumstances. When I had the opportunity to get playing time, I achieved good and bad performances,” the former France Under-21 international told Lyon Capitale in 2019.
“So it’s my fault, I must admit because I wasn’t always good. However, I didn’t really have a chance. I played for the cup matches, with players who didn’t know each other very well… It was complicated.”
Reine-Adelaide was able to restart his career back in France and his performances earned him a €25million move to Lyon in 2019.
He never quite impressed though and now plays for Eredivisie side Heracles.
Stefan O’Connor
Croydon-born O’Connor was earmarked as one to watch from a young age at Hale End.
The defender represented England at Under-17 level and racked up lots of experience in the Gunners youth ranks before making his first-team debut as a late substitute in a 4-1 Champions League victory over Galatasaray in December 2014.
However, that was his only senior appearance and his career never took off from there. O’Connor made a handful of appearances on loan at York City and MVV Maastricht before joining Newcastle in 2017, but his career was cut short by an ACL injury.
The 28-year-old has since set up his own sports management and talent agency and can be found onLinkedIn.
Julio Pleguezuelo
Pleguezuelo joined Arsenal from Barcelona just after he had turned 16, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Cesc Fabregas and Hector Bellerin.
He made his first, and last, appearance for the Gunners against Blackpool in the League Cup in October 2018 and was released a few months later.
The 25-year-old joined Eredivisie side FC Twente on a free transfer in 2019 and has since established himself as a first-team regular, making almost 70 appearances for the club.
He joined Plymouth Argyle in 2023 and remains with the League One club at the time of writing.
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