Aye me too. But don’t be under the illusion that being rich means you have a perfect life. Every single person has problems. To say you can’t feel sorry for someone because they got a bit of luck with money is a narrow-minded view.
Footballers you honestly felt gutted for
- Thread starter Sky1981
- Start date
Two former United youth come to mind: Ben Collett and Ben Thornley.
I've often read in the forum and elsewhere online how good Ben Thornley would have turned out, arguably the best of the Fergie Fledglings according to some past players. Also read Ben Collett had a top tier future ahead of him.
I've often read in the forum and elsewhere online how good Ben Thornley would have turned out, arguably the best of the Fergie Fledglings according to some past players. Also read Ben Collett had a top tier future ahead of him.
Wesley Moraes doesn't even look like a footballer anymore. And it was a result of a shitty tackle by Ben Mee, his career is over.
Michu
Rafael (under LVG that twat)
Kagawa after SAF left
Rafael (under LVG that twat)
Kagawa after SAF left
Gutted for Frenkie de Jong. Got his dream move to his dream club and now they're literally pushing him out the door, playing him at centre half, players are letting his passes go past them to make him look bad, had an entire smear campaign against him, and to top it all off, he might have to play for Manchester United.
Pretty easily if you're a functioning human being.
Cristiano Ronaldo should be treated like a God but due to rampant age-ism is treated under a different set of rules as compared to others.
Why are you posting in this thread if you’ve not got anything useful to say.
bet you’ve copied this post and put it in the maguire / donny / de jong thread as well no???
David Busst, an innocuous looking challenge with Irwin and Choccy (i think) ended in a double compound fracture of tib and fib. Was at OT that day and the silence was eerie.
Poor sod contracted MRSA in hospital as well which nearly killed him.
Poor sod contracted MRSA in hospital as well which nearly killed him.
Maybe 2003 was his time. That was an awful game from what I remember. At Old Trafford I believe?
L.Ronaldo - bad bad bad injuries. Could have been GOAT.
Adriano - everyday I am shuffling...
Kaka - I don't know whats the cause of his downfall
Jones - anyone still remember the time he was being compared with great Ducan Edwards?
Pogba - immense talent but totally wasted his career with us and ends up being hateful figure
Greenwood - what a great start and what a quick end to his career
Adriano - everyday I am shuffling...
Kaka - I don't know whats the cause of his downfall
Jones - anyone still remember the time he was being compared with great Ducan Edwards?
Pogba - immense talent but totally wasted his career with us and ends up being hateful figure
Greenwood - what a great start and what a quick end to his career
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Ballotelli.
Anyone read the story of Adrian Doherty? Very sad. Forever Young I think the book is called, wirth a read.
From this club, there are a few. I felt gutted for Eric Djemba Djemba. I really thought he would be the heir to Roy Keane's throne.
Shinji Kagawa is another one who should have more time but lost it due to Moyes not being able to mould him in.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy is the one that made me feel the most. He is my favourite player and a complete CF but due to timing of his transfer moves he ended up at clubs which were still not at their peak. He is probably one of the best CFs of all time.
As for outside of this club, I wont say i was gutted for anybody.
Shinji Kagawa is another one who should have more time but lost it due to Moyes not being able to mould him in.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy is the one that made me feel the most. He is my favourite player and a complete CF but due to timing of his transfer moves he ended up at clubs which were still not at their peak. He is probably one of the best CFs of all time.
As for outside of this club, I wont say i was gutted for anybody.
First he had nothing, then he had everything, and then he faded as quickly as he'd risen.
He was a product of his past, purchased because of this narrative, and thrown into the deep end before he could swim.
Now, the poor guy is, once again, only remembered because of his past.
He was a product of his past, purchased because of this narrative, and thrown into the deep end before he could swim.
Now, the poor guy is, once again, only remembered because of his past.
Bebe
There was a skilful little player named Dener who played for the club Portuguesa in Brazil, who died in a car accident age of 23. He was not only a joy to watch, but such a fragile figure. I always feel sad remembering him.
Was going to post this myself. It was beyond stupid as well.
If we'd started Berbatov he'd of been able to hold the ball up. Playing Rooney so deep behind Hernandez was never going to allow us to get up the park.
Yeah. Very good book and a tragic story.
Fernando Redondo, the man can play
Torres. He looked suicidal at Chelsea.
Tom Thorpe. Captained United at youth level including the FA youth cup win in 2011 which included the likes of Pogba, Lingard and Morrison. Stayed at United until the age of 22 before moving to Rotherham where he played 10 games over 2 seasons. Then dropped down to League One with Bolton for a season before joining ATK in India for a season in 17/18. After that he fell out of football and hasn't had a club since.
Always a shame to see a promising player fall out of football and not have a career even in the lower leagues.
Always a shame to see a promising player fall out of football and not have a career even in the lower leagues.
‘I honestly feels’ is wrong, OP, respectfully. I honestly feel for that poor unlovely spawn of Haaland that has to wear light blue. Poor lad. It’s a generational curse.
David Busst
I was thinking ffs, thankfully I didn't reply and later saw the white text.WTF!! Why in the hell would you feel sorry for him.
Alf Inge Haaland when Keano ended his career.
Nibble
Nibble
The one that springs to mind immediately is Juan Mata.
Bought him mid20s just been player of the year at Chelsea and we played him out of position throughout his time at OT
Bought him mid20s just been player of the year at Chelsea and we played him out of position throughout his time at OT
I’ve explained this multiple times…
I don’t think what he’s alleged to’ve done is acceptable or excusable. But I personally view it as the behaviour of a mentally unstable young person.
If you view it through that lens, as I do, then its easy to pity a young man who’s thrown away a golden career because he’s a feck up.
Marcus Alonso killed someone, and plays on - I don’t ‘pity’ him, or respect him.
If Greenwood is guilty, I DO NOT respect him, but I pity him - I think it’s a pitiful outcome to his potential as a person.
I don’t view it as particularly controversial if you actually read what I’ve said properly rather than simply jump on the fact that I’m giving a *slightly* nuanced reaction.
Gazza is a player I pity also, he’s a long time domestic abuser - yet no one jumps on that… why? Gazza should’ve been helped - that’s how you STOP domestic abuse as a cultural phenomenon. If that’s what you want?
Do I think, if guilty, Greenwood should be playing for a club like Manchester United? NO. But do I think he should be given help to rehabilitate himself and offer something to society and himself? Absolutely. To think otherwise is utterly insane.
edit - apologies for the long wall of text. I’ve been affected by domestic abuse history in my family and I have a deeper understanding of it than some might.
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Like Chadwick.
Just some interview I saw from about 2002 where he was super excited about playing for united, along with clips of people like Giggs etc. talking him up.
Dunno why. The interview just makes me feel bad for him because he turned out to be a bit shite.
Just some interview I saw from about 2002 where he was super excited about playing for united, along with clips of people like Giggs etc. talking him up.
Dunno why. The interview just makes me feel bad for him because he turned out to be a bit shite.
Phil Neville. His talent was never appreciated by his team mates.
Kagawa, I actually got goosebumps in the last few games of Moyes era. Mata and Kagawa's combination was insane, we looked much better.
He was an amazing footballer.
The comparisons to Best did not help.
But he suffered a knee injury in his teens that he could never shake off.
Most will remember his brilliant goal against Everton in the 1985 Cup Final.
But he simply was a very gifted footballer when he was fit.
Fergie did try to work with him.
Unfortunately Whiteside was part of the drinking culture that was present in the club at the time.
Combined with his injury problems, his days were numbered.
He moved to Everton but could not complete his contract as he eventually succumbed to his knee injury.
We all cheered that, "don't slip up"... utter classicStevie G?
But I then I've seen a couple of interviews with him (particularly Gary Neville's SoccerBox (which, for the record, is a really weak name for a show)) where he comes across as somewhat human and admits that this moment was particularly painful for him. I still think he's a legendary scouse bastard, but considering the context of it all, you can see how it would hurt.
Also... how could we forget Darren Fletcher... robbed of a starting place in the 2009 CL final at the peak form of his career by a red card that should never have been given (and in the VAR world would have been rescinded)... then his illness which muted his career. Yes he achieved and won a lot in his time here. But he will always feel robbed of a chance to have gone to that next level.
Anderson - has just been left a meme and never afforded the same allowance as other injury prone players. The lad broke his leg badly the year before he signed for us. Had a great first season but then was constantly getting injuries. We all say he was indisciplined but no one seems to think that maybe the injuries and let downs became too much for a lad who was lauded for the very very peak of football. Contrary to what most think the ability was very apparent in him but he was plagued with injuries. I remember him absolutely destroying Reading for 20 minutes (in the 4-4 or 4-3 game), scored a goal and created another and was just all around incredible. Done his knee 20 minutes in and was crying coming off the pitch. For me the picture of a guy whose body wouldn't let him achieve what he wanted. Unlike the likes of Owen he just didn't have the temperament to keep coming back. Our fanbase have never been anywhere near as understanding about him as they are with Jones and Saha et al.
Rooney - strange one as he has achieved so much. However seems like, in his prime, he was always injured going into international tournaments. He was never one to come back straight away in top form and was always on his way back when England played at the big tournaments. I remember him being ridiculed for South Africa world cup but the lad clearly wasn't fit.
Beckham - forced out of the club he loved because of external things but proved that those things never really did affect his level of performance on the pitch. However mostly that he is never remembered for the incredible player he was, outside of United fans.
Andy Cole - why oh why is he never mentioned amongst the very best of the PL? If you don't consider him as an incredible player then you have no business watching football for me.
Rooney - strange one as he has achieved so much. However seems like, in his prime, he was always injured going into international tournaments. He was never one to come back straight away in top form and was always on his way back when England played at the big tournaments. I remember him being ridiculed for South Africa world cup but the lad clearly wasn't fit.
Beckham - forced out of the club he loved because of external things but proved that those things never really did affect his level of performance on the pitch. However mostly that he is never remembered for the incredible player he was, outside of United fans.
Andy Cole - why oh why is he never mentioned amongst the very best of the PL? If you don't consider him as an incredible player then you have no business watching football for me.
Roy Keane, one of the best ever to play for the club but got no proper send off, was a true great of the club that some might forget about the reasons why he left, remember he showed up for training and didnt miss training due to his problems with club over wages but that imo was on club publicising his demands, didnt want to leave, whether right our wrong his greatness for club is forgotten by some
Anyway, for me:
L.Ronaldo for his knee injury. What could have been.
Van Basten again for his injuries leading to early retirement.
Baggio, reputation messed up by 1 penalty.
Adriano, mental health deserves alot of attention.
Wilshere could have become a great midfielder but for recurrent injuries.
Gotze. The talent was there but God knows what happened at Bayern plus some metabolic disease.
Scholes. Should have been the starter for England but was stupidly pushed to the left to accommodate stevie G and Lampard.
Zico. For some reason did not end up in a big European club and thus doesn't get as much recognition as deserved. The second best of his generation after Maradona.
In a way, Messi around 19 and 20 years age. Haven't seen a more talented young footballer but injuries (leading to him missing crucial games or going into crucial games just upon returning from a lengthy injury lay off) and emphasis on UCL since 2007 robbed him of becoming the youngest ballon d'or winner ever. Although he has more than made up for that!
Rooney. His willingness to play for the team meant that he often sacrificed his personal glory. Not appreciated enough here.
I don't feel gutted for the likes of Best or Ronaldinho because their career decline was of their own making.