You could say the same about RVP, then.
Footballers who faded away
- Thread starter simplyared
- Start date
Lets not include Rooney, Kaka, Ballack in these threads just because they tapered off at the end.
Who was that England player who burst onto the scene in an early 2000s World Cup before dropping right off? I want to say Darius Vassell but I could have sworn he played for Arsenal.
And of course Bojan. The new Messi, now at 28 struggling to get games in The Championship.
And of course Bojan. The new Messi, now at 28 struggling to get games in The Championship.
He did well in Serie A. Man. City signed him around the takeover period and think he did his ACL twice in two years. Not sure where he went after that.
Walcott.
Michael Ricketts had crazy good scoring season for Bolton in 2001 (scored winner at Old Trafford with very good finish), played for England in one friendly, went to Boro and completely flopped and was playing for Walsall within 5 years.
Yeah, and also Kakuta, who Michael Ballack raved about.Josh McEachran.
Looked a genuine world class prospect at 17 so much so Ancelotti (who notoriously likes expierence) was giving him significant minutes.
Now in his supposed peak years has just been released by Brentford where fans were more than happy to see the back of him.
Although that said that was a bit of a funny era all round for English youngsters, I've seen a few of the predicted future England national team lineups from back around that time and
Pavlichenko
Hleb
Aquilani
Zhirkoff
Arshavin
Bent
Eduardo
Hleb
Aquilani
Zhirkoff
Arshavin
Bent
Eduardo
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Rosicky, Lucas Barrios, Jackson Martinez.
Think the Arsenal player you're referring to could have been Francis Jeffers,
DWelbz and TC23.
theo walcot?
Thomas Brolin - went to Leeds for big money, got really fat.
Criminal to write Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite Kaká and the other players in the same post.
He was as elegant on the ball as they come. He oozed class the moment he got a hold of a football. I felt he was made to play that attractive brand of football arsenal played.
Shame what happened to him after he left Bordeaux.
The wording of the suggested debate is very loose. A player not mentioned I guess.
Named as part of Pele’s FIFA 100 in 2004 (a list of the 125 greatest living footballers) Javier Saviola being just 22 at the time was the youngest on the list, he was destined for big things. At the time “El conejo” had scored 60 goals in 144 appearances for Barcelona, an impressive return when considering he was part of a struggling Barcelona side as a second striker, and behind a club legend in Patrick Kluivert. Move on ten years and things didn’t really go to plan, but it wasn’t the sudden decline we see with many talented footballers, it was altogether a more sad affair with a player who never fully achieved what perhaps he could have. Instead Saviola was a player who showed his outstanding talent for the biggest clubs on the planet yet never quite got the chances he should.
Named as part of Pele’s FIFA 100 in 2004 (a list of the 125 greatest living footballers) Javier Saviola being just 22 at the time was the youngest on the list, he was destined for big things. At the time “El conejo” had scored 60 goals in 144 appearances for Barcelona, an impressive return when considering he was part of a struggling Barcelona side as a second striker, and behind a club legend in Patrick Kluivert. Move on ten years and things didn’t really go to plan, but it wasn’t the sudden decline we see with many talented footballers, it was altogether a more sad affair with a player who never fully achieved what perhaps he could have. Instead Saviola was a player who showed his outstanding talent for the biggest clubs on the planet yet never quite got the chances he should.
Yeah, I remember comparing him to Frank Lampard at the time and as silly as it seems now I still think it holds true to a degree. For that one season it looked like he was developing into an attacking midfielder with good passing and great stamina and goal threat.
I vaguely remember reading at the time that he'd worked exceptionally hard at his strength and conditioning and it looked like it paid off for him, but for whatever reason his career quickly nosedived.
He is playing well in Russia, i was just wondering if he was better than Gamst when they played together. Never saw him play in the Pepsi League(icelandic league)
Neil Webb anyone?
Respected England and Utd player then just completely dropped off the radar about 1992.
Respected England and Utd player then just completely dropped off the radar about 1992.
Very bad injury. Was his knee if I remember.
My point exactly.
Wut? getting old + injuries =! fading away
The OP suggest rather at the middle instead of the end IMO
His decline started from age 29.
Darron Gibson.
James Rodriguez
I was watching him in one of those old match highlights shows on BT Sport quite recently and I was amazed by how good he looked pre-injury, as he had went to shite by the time my football memories begin.
Gareth Bale
Robinho
Off to the footballers you forgot existed thread...
Lucas Barrios had crazy scoring season for Dortmund just before Lewandowski turned up. Then he moved to China and within a year was playing in French second division or something.
Yoann Gourcuff?
Adebayor
Robinho
Robinho
The majority of players named either fell out of love with football or injuries destroyed them. Id also say money has a lot to say in the matter as well, maybe some want to enjoy life a little bit more with a wedge in their pocket and lose that edge.
Krasic
Hleb
Kanchelskis (Collapsed when he moved to Italy)
Hart
Krasic
Hleb
Kanchelskis (Collapsed when he moved to Italy)
Hart
Denilson. He could dribble like no other, but then he just disappeared.
Krasic was the first name who came to my mind! He played really well against United in those 2009 matches from the champions league and overall had a fantastic season and earned the Juventus move, was fantastic for a while there but suddenly left them. I wouldn't say he faded into mediocrity as he was quite good for Fenerbahce and Lechia Gdansk in terms of the level of his game, but didn't quite have the expected career trajectory at the top level
Also amazing the state of Hart's career after leaving City, he played more than 200 games for them and seemed to have a estabilished career there
Ronaldinho didn't decline, he stopped trying
Muniain: he was once europe's top prospect, but Bilbao demanded a fortune for him and he never left. Still at Bilbao and still only 26 y.o.
Benjani