By Abiodun Adewale Adeniyi | Founder & Editor, Beyond the Final Whistle
September 13, 2026 | Player Spotlight | The Journey
In 2019, some of world football's most promising young players arrived in Poland carrying the same dream: use the FIFA U-20 World Cup to announce themselves to the world.
Among them were Erling Haaland of Norway and Success Makanjuola of Nigeria.
Haaland produced one of the tournament's unforgettable individual performances, scoring nine goals against Honduras. His career would soon accelerate through Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund before taking him to Manchester City.
Makanjuola's journey followed a very different road.
Then a teenager representing Nigeria's Water FC, the left-footed attacker was part of Paul Aigbogun's Flying Eagles squad. Seven years later, his career has taken him through different levels of European football.
Their stories demonstrate one of football's most important realities: playing at the same elite youth tournament does not mean two careers will follow the same path.
Success Makanjuola's Journey Started in Nigerian Football
Born on May 24, 2001, Makanjuola was just 17 when Nigeria selected him for the 2019 U-20 World Cup.
FIFA's official tournament squad list recorded him as a Water FC player, while contemporary reports in Nigeria described him as an exciting left-footed attacking talent.
TheCable's profile of Nigeria's U20 attackers described Makanjuola as a strong and direct player whose major qualities included dribbling and pace.
His selection represented a major opportunity.
Shortly before the tournament, Makanjuola told The Nation that Lionel Messi was his football idol and Barcelona his dream club.
For a teenager playing his football in Nigeria, the World Cup represented a chance to take an enormous step toward that European dream.
The 2019 U20 World Cup Put Makanjuola on the Global Stage
Nigeria entered the competition alongside Qatar, the United States and Ukraine.
The official squad included several players who would go on to build careers in Europe, including Akor Adams, Igoh Ogbu, Tom Dele-Bashiru and Makanjuola.
The official FIFA tournament squad list confirms Makanjuola wore No. 17 for the Flying Eagles.
One of his appearances came against the United States.
With Nigeria trailing 2-0, Makanjuola replaced Kingsley Michael in the 70th minute. The Americans held on for the victory, but the match gave the youngster another taste of football on the international stage. The U.S. Soccer match report confirms his introduction from the bench.
Nigeria eventually reached the Round of 16 before their World Cup journey ended.
But Makanjuola had been exposed to something much bigger than domestic youth football.
At the Same Tournament Was Erling Haaland
Norway were also competing in Poland.
Their squad contained an 18-year-old striker named Erling Haaland.
Few could have predicted exactly what would happen next.
Haaland's nine-goal performance against Honduras made headlines around the world, and his career soon exploded.
Red Bull Salzburg came first, followed by Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City.
Today, Haaland's goalscoring numbers are on an entirely different scale. We recently examined that extraordinary progression in our Beyond the Final Whistle feature, Erling Haaland Reaches 300 Club Goals — The Incredible Numbers Behind Manchester City's Superstar.
Makanjuola also headed toward Europe after the World Cup.
His route, however, would be much less straightforward.
Makanjuola Leaves Water FC for Spain
Only months after the World Cup, an important opportunity arrived.
Makanjuola completed a move from Water FC to CD Leganés in Spain.
PUNCH reported in October 2019 that the Nigerian had agreed a three-year deal after his transfer from Water FC.
It appeared to be the European breakthrough he had been chasing.
Leganés were playing in La Liga at the time, and the club already had Nigerian internationals Kenneth Omeruo and Chidozie Awaziem in their ranks.
But signing for a European club and establishing yourself at the highest level are two very different challenges.
Makanjuola's career would eventually require him to find opportunities elsewhere.
A Football Journey Away From Europe's Brightest Lights
Rather than experiencing the rapid rise Haaland enjoyed after Poland 2019, Makanjuola had to navigate the less glamorous side of European football.
His journey included spells at lower levels in Spain before subsequently taking him into Latvian and Czech football.
That distinction is important.
It would be easy to look back at the 2019 World Cup and ask why one player became a global superstar while another did not.
But professional football rarely works that simply.
Development depends on opportunities, coaching, injuries, club decisions, adaptation and sometimes simply being in the right environment at the right moment.
Makanjuola kept searching for those opportunities.
Nigeria Still Came Calling
His international journey also continued beyond the Flying Eagles.
Makanjuola progressed to Nigeria's U23 Olympic Eagles, eventually taking on the responsibility of captaining the side.
That experience showed how much his years in professional football had changed him.
The teenager who travelled to Poland dreaming of Barcelona was becoming a more experienced footballer carrying leadership responsibilities for his country.
It was another chapter in a career that had taken a very different route from the one many might have imagined in 2019.
Why We Shouldn't Measure Makanjuola Against Haaland
The purpose of connecting Makanjuola's story with Haaland isn't to suggest that one succeeded while the other failed.
Haaland is an extraordinary exception.
Hundreds of talented young footballers appear at FIFA youth tournaments. Only a tiny percentage become global superstars.
Some establish themselves in major European leagues.
Others build careers in smaller leagues.
Some return home.
Others eventually leave professional football entirely.
The journey from talented teenager to established professional is one of the hardest transitions in the sport.
Makanjuola has continued playing professionally while representing Nigeria at multiple youth levels.
That deserves to be part of his story too.
Same World Cup, Different Destinations
Looking back seven years later makes the 2019 tournament fascinating.
Haaland went from being an exciting Norwegian prospect to one of football's most feared goalscorers.
Makanjuola went from Water FC to Spain and continued navigating his way through European football.
Two young men entered the same tournament with enormous dreams.
Football took them in different directions.
And that is exactly why youth football is so unpredictable.
A World Cup can provide exposure.
It can create opportunities.
But it cannot guarantee what comes next.
Beyond the Final Whistle, Success Makanjuola's journey reminds us that football isn't only about the superstars who reach the very top. Behind every youth tournament are dozens of young players fighting to turn one opportunity into a lasting professional career.
Do you remember Success Makanjuola and Nigeria's 2019 Flying Eagles? Which member of that squad should we follow next in The Journey?
