The present invention concerns a method for the in vitro detection of an increased risk of diabetic nephropathy in a subject suffering from diabetes and being normoalbuminuric. Another aspect of the invention pertains to a method for the in vitro identification of a marker for prediction of diabetic nephropathy. Finally, the invention concerns a kit comprising means for detecting at least two proteins selected from the group consisting of heparan sulfate proteoglycan core protein or fragments thereof, carbonic anhydrase 1, prothrombin or fragments thereof, tetranectin, CD59 glycoprotein, plasma serine protease inhibitor, mannan-binding lectin serine protease 2 or isoforms thereof, antithrombin-III, alpha-1-antitrypsin, collagen alpha-1(I) chain, alpha-enolase, histone H2B type 1-O, glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase, protein AMBP and zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein.