“Wonderkid”

Definition

A teenager who is obviously, undeniably special. Note the tense though. Wonderkid is a prediction, not an achievement. The games are full of them. So is the scrapheap.

Origin

The soccer video games, of all places. Championship Manager, first released from a bedroom in Shropshire in 1992 and later reborn as Football Manager, tagged its under-20 players with the highest possible ceiling as “wonderkids.” A generation of fans grew up hunting for them on a laptop at 2am, and the word leaked out into real life.

Used in a sentence

“Villa have a proper wonderkid on their hands with this Madjo lad.” “So did DC United with Freddy Adu. He was the next Pelé at 14 and ended up at thirteen clubs in eight countries. Ask me again in February.”