Someone posting the video on the Pogba thread made me realize one thing about what he meant for me.
For years and years I thought he could still have his break, or perhaps in his case the break would be realizing a higher consistency and composure during games.
Even before the summer he left I still noticed some parts of me hoping he'd still make it, that talents of his level would be unleashed to the level it should have.
What if he just needed the right playing style? The mental touch to click just right once? Whatever, if you've been on this forum, you've seen plenty of theories behind his potential staying locked.
But the move to Juventus came, the injuries grew, now the doping ban. He practically disappeared off the podium entirely.
Of course, there have been plenty who came before. We have Cassano, who couldn't hold an attitude for more than 2 games. Rossi at Villarreal.
Oliver Torres before his big injury was a big one for me at Atlético, and I still feel sad when I see him being a decent midfielder for Sevilla. (Perhaps he was my pre-Pogba now that I think of it – hadn't been this convinced about a worldbeater before as I thought he would be)
More recently we have the Greenwood and Sancho issues. They were ready to be stars. Sancho's hype wasn't far behind Bellingham's, we all know how we felt about Greenwood before the news came out.
But, with those two it already became much easier to let go of their career prospects. No one is meant to be a star, nor is any of that written in the stars (to be fair, I'm far from fluent in star).
Perhaps it could be better for players too. Before the social media/extremely consistent marketing presence and presentation seemed to be easier, based on how trainers who used to be players themselves talk about how players have to be way more perfect than they used to be in their free time. The rugs just aren't that wide anymore. Sadly, the hype and the eternal comments online will probably never cease (still not fluent) – so that theory is useless either way, at least from a falsifiability standpoint.
However, I cannot be the only one who was Pogba'd into not expecting players to shine more than they've shone.
Who is a player who helped you realize a career is not set in stone, and any talent could just fade like that into apparent obscurity?
Maybe subquestion if you feel like typing a lot: is there also a reverse? A never-would-be who proved you wrong big time?
For years and years I thought he could still have his break, or perhaps in his case the break would be realizing a higher consistency and composure during games.
Even before the summer he left I still noticed some parts of me hoping he'd still make it, that talents of his level would be unleashed to the level it should have.
What if he just needed the right playing style? The mental touch to click just right once? Whatever, if you've been on this forum, you've seen plenty of theories behind his potential staying locked.
But the move to Juventus came, the injuries grew, now the doping ban. He practically disappeared off the podium entirely.
Of course, there have been plenty who came before. We have Cassano, who couldn't hold an attitude for more than 2 games. Rossi at Villarreal.
Oliver Torres before his big injury was a big one for me at Atlético, and I still feel sad when I see him being a decent midfielder for Sevilla. (Perhaps he was my pre-Pogba now that I think of it – hadn't been this convinced about a worldbeater before as I thought he would be)
More recently we have the Greenwood and Sancho issues. They were ready to be stars. Sancho's hype wasn't far behind Bellingham's, we all know how we felt about Greenwood before the news came out.
But, with those two it already became much easier to let go of their career prospects. No one is meant to be a star, nor is any of that written in the stars (to be fair, I'm far from fluent in star).
Perhaps it could be better for players too. Before the social media/extremely consistent marketing presence and presentation seemed to be easier, based on how trainers who used to be players themselves talk about how players have to be way more perfect than they used to be in their free time. The rugs just aren't that wide anymore. Sadly, the hype and the eternal comments online will probably never cease (still not fluent) – so that theory is useless either way, at least from a falsifiability standpoint.
However, I cannot be the only one who was Pogba'd into not expecting players to shine more than they've shone.
Who is a player who helped you realize a career is not set in stone, and any talent could just fade like that into apparent obscurity?
Maybe subquestion if you feel like typing a lot: is there also a reverse? A never-would-be who proved you wrong big time?
Something about injury or something about him being announced as a Bayern Munich player a few days before the final