Anyone mentioned Alen Halilović ? The Croatian Messi ?
Touted wonderkids who made no impact in football
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) are here to discuss three 1-1 draws.
The first got us knocked out of the FA Cup, the next puts us in a good position in our Round of 16 Europa League game, and the latest was an actual decent performance against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
All hopes for the season now rest on the Europa League - does Amorim have the squad to win it?
Does anyone remember Márcio Sousa? He just basically was the most valuable u21 player from 2003-05 and basically his career was spent on low level clubs. He basically took Portugal U17 to the world cup title with a generation with so little talent, with him and Miguel Veloso being the best players from the lot. And this wasn't because of having physical advantadge as he is a small player and skinny.
Maradona said himself this guy was a worthy sucessor
Porto even refused 20M+€ offers for him at the time.
Maradona said himself this guy was a worthy sucessor
Porto even refused 20M+€ offers for him at the time.
Ah yes. I was a huge fan of his when he was playing on the youth and reserve team. I'm shocked of how his career has turned out.
Fran Merida
Krisztian Nemeth
Krisztian Nemeth
I did think about him, didn't mention him because he's still only 23 so there's a small chance he could still become a player
Rhain Davis
Savio Nserenko - went to Fiorentina with the age of 20 for quite some money and fecked up hard.
Breno - considered to be the bigger talent then Thiago Silva. Alc. problems and other issues. Gave new meaning to "being on fire"
Tiago Neves - Bra wonderkind. Never heard ever since.
Breno - considered to be the bigger talent then Thiago Silva. Alc. problems and other issues. Gave new meaning to "being on fire"
Tiago Neves - Bra wonderkind. Never heard ever since.
Riechedly Bazoer
Like 99% of them? I guess you could strip that down to 90% failure rate for players who will make it in a top football league but not become superstars.
Hachim Mastour was a youtube sensation and looked like he would be brilliant but it never happened for him.
Fifa legend, him and Bakkali.
Having a full career playing on the top division of a competitive league is, IMO, a very good career. You really need to be a very good player in order to play almost your whole career on a top division even if it's not on a top club, it is a very competitive and demanding environment. If you fail to deliver, there are hundreds of youth/lower league player in the queue to take your place.
It's crazy that I remember this, but I was 15 at the time and you just know and remember way more about football when you're younger than you do as you get older. The kid was called Rhain Davis and it was in 2007, I remember reading about him in the paper on holiday that summer. I think he was about 9 or 10.
Ah yes, signed for West Ham for £10m. No goals, went to Fiorentina. Around this time he faked his own kidnapping and asked a ransom from his family. Currently playing non league football in Germany.
Don't know if he counts but one youngster I'm always sad for is Levan Kenia
Signed by Schalke at the age of 17 in 2008, he was already a Georgian international having played against the likes of Italy and Scotland at the age of only 16. I saw him a couple of times in his first season, played 10 times for and scored a great goal in the German Cup. After that though, he injured his ankle and didn't play another match for 2.5 years!
He was just brilliant, Schalke had recently sold Ozil then and he looked just as talented as him, albeit more of a winger than a playmaker. Left footed, dimunitive and quick with the ball at his feet (played exactly like Messi in his early days). I'm sure he was going to be a star for Schalke and world football, it's incredibly sad to see him injured for so long and never have the chance to reach that level. To have one or two injuries that keep you out for a year is tough enough, to not play for over 2 years consecutively is insanely tough!
After returning 3 years from last match, he had a spell in the German 2nd division, a midtable Ukranian team and now plays in the Belarusian League.
Video of him playing at 16 (skip to 3:00 for him against Italy)
Signed by Schalke at the age of 17 in 2008, he was already a Georgian international having played against the likes of Italy and Scotland at the age of only 16. I saw him a couple of times in his first season, played 10 times for and scored a great goal in the German Cup. After that though, he injured his ankle and didn't play another match for 2.5 years!
He was just brilliant, Schalke had recently sold Ozil then and he looked just as talented as him, albeit more of a winger than a playmaker. Left footed, dimunitive and quick with the ball at his feet (played exactly like Messi in his early days). I'm sure he was going to be a star for Schalke and world football, it's incredibly sad to see him injured for so long and never have the chance to reach that level. To have one or two injuries that keep you out for a year is tough enough, to not play for over 2 years consecutively is insanely tough!
After returning 3 years from last match, he had a spell in the German 2nd division, a midtable Ukranian team and now plays in the Belarusian League.
Video of him playing at 16 (skip to 3:00 for him against Italy)
Not sure if mentioned but..
Pogba
Pogba
Unfortunatelly some players suffer from career wrecking injuries and never recover.
Similar story to Pedro Mantorras: young Angolan forward who made his way through Barça La Masia system, made an amazing half-season at Benfica. He had everything at his favour: explosive speed, strength, drilling, a powerful shot and very dangerous on free-kicks. Things were going so well that his transfer to Milan was already being arranged. Then he got a serious injury (his knee cartilage just got literally wiped off!), and when he returned he could only train 2 times a week and could barely run. Was still important in our title with Trapatonni being used as a power sub. Yes, he limped while moving, but his shot technique was still amazing.
Edit: Benfica felt responsible for his poor injury treatment and gave him a contract until 2011, but he was pretty much finished after 2003 and wasn't even training at 2004
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Hachim Mastour, remember him?
Whatever happened to Volanthalan? Pretty sure he was youngest player at euro 2004 or something, Swiss forward.
Retired at 26. Came back after joining the Seventh-Day Adventist church which meant he couldn’t play on Saturdays which meant his career at any club didn’t last that long. I’m not sure if he still holds the youngest goal scorer at the Euro record
Nowadays everybody wanna talk like they got something to say
But nothing comes out when they move their lips
Just a bunch of gibberish
And motherfeckers act like they forgot about Hachim Mastour
But nothing comes out when they move their lips
Just a bunch of gibberish
And motherfeckers act like they forgot about Hachim Mastour
Ravel Morrison is right up there with Freddy Adu at the top of the list.
Supposedly had all the talent in the world, posters still regaurly mention him all across this site.
Then he threw it all away and never did a single thing of note.
Supposedly had all the talent in the world, posters still regaurly mention him all across this site.
Then he threw it all away and never did a single thing of note.
I remember watching the U21 Euros around 2002ish and Hugo Viana and Massimo Maccaroni looked like they’d be the next Rui Costa and Vialli! Newcastle and Middlesbrough bought them for big money and both flopped and had average careers
Solskjær signed him at Molde. And yes, he was terrible.
Ganso is definitely up there for the worst. Was hyped as the next great thing alongside Neymar.
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Leandro Damiao
Australian Goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis.
Liverpool signed him in 2007 and Rafa Benitez described him as the best goalkeeper in the world...for his age!
Apparently he was on a contract of 10k a week at the age of 16. Looking at where his career went after that, I think that was the best pay day he's ever had.
Liverpool signed him in 2007 and Rafa Benitez described him as the best goalkeeper in the world...for his age!
Apparently he was on a contract of 10k a week at the age of 16. Looking at where his career went after that, I think that was the best pay day he's ever had.
Yes I remember one of the commentators on the bbc or match of the day or something saying he's the most talented player hes ever seen when he was making his first few starts for Spurs
Sad story. He was the real deal apparently.
Anyone remember that Polish kid from euro 2016, Kapustka. Incredibly still at Leicester as we played them in a practice game and he played for them!
Who was that Serbian kid we signed who somehow went from being a wonderkid to being so terrible we actually unsigned him before we had even signed him?
Lilac or something like that. He no longer even has a name I can remember.
Lilac or something like that. He no longer even has a name I can remember.
Also Neil Mellor.
Went from being Liverpool's answer to Rooney to being a retired 40 year old reporting on League 2 games for Soccer Saturday within the space of about 3 years.
Went from being Liverpool's answer to Rooney to being a retired 40 year old reporting on League 2 games for Soccer Saturday within the space of about 3 years.
Adem Ljajic went to the Italian league played for a few teams including Roma was okay player, but I remember from his earlier scouting videos he was unreal taking it around 6-7 players and scoring top bins like it was a piece of piss to him.
Really thought he would make it big..
Still one of the more bizarre United transfers in recent memory. I remember conventional wisdom at the time being that we took on Tosic just to get Ljajic, then Tosic was shit and we pulled out of the Ljajic deal before he ever signed. Always thought there must have been more to it than whatever issue we cited - work permit, etc.
He did end up having a decent career in Italy for a few of the top teams.
Another Manc wonderkid. Christopher Byrne. A magical left winger. Touted as "the best player to emerge from the lower leagues in 15 years" by Sammy Mcllroy, when managing him at Macclesfield Town. Byrne scored a hat trick within 30 minutes of his debut for Macc. The fans loved him straight away. And just 18 games later he was gone. But not before he scored another 30 minute hat trick (alongside 1 from ex red Peter Davenport) in Macc's final game of the season. A hat trick that secured Macc's promotion to the football league for the first time in their history. At just 21 his legend was secured. Sunderland came in for him. Peter Reid signed him alongside Kevin Phillips and Lee Clark. His debut came in the opening game of the season at the brand new Stadium of light.. vs Kinkladze's Man City. And despite chopping Kinkladze down to give away a consolation penalty. Sunderland won 3-1. With Byrne running the show. Black Cat fans went home raving about the trickiest winger they'd seen since "Shackleton" in his prime.. (me neither)
But just 5 games later it was all over. Byrne had disappeared from the first team forever. His contract cancelled for homesickness (aka harbouring a wanted murderer in his hotel room) and any hopes of a comeback were ended a few years later when he was shot in the leg a 10 minute walk from Old Trafford. Or maybe a 20 minute walk with a bad leg.
But just 5 games later it was all over. Byrne had disappeared from the first team forever. His contract cancelled for homesickness (aka harbouring a wanted murderer in his hotel room) and any hopes of a comeback were ended a few years later when he was shot in the leg a 10 minute walk from Old Trafford. Or maybe a 20 minute walk with a bad leg.
Nserenkos talent was insane, but he lost gravity.. Bit like Berkant Göktan
See also Mitch Langerak? BVB had a few of these - Ibrahim Tanko, Vladimir But.. Later Isak, Leiter, Bittencourt, Passlack etc etc etc
Gael Nlundulu
Ben Pearson (for us)
Dani Pacheco
Zak Gilsenan (very early to say this)
Ben Pearson (for us)
Dani Pacheco
Zak Gilsenan (very early to say this)
Bojan Krkic, while not completely useless was destined to become the next Messi. In the end he was even too shite for a mediocre Ajax side.
Royston Drenthe is also a good shout. After that wonder goal he made during his Real debut I was sure he would have an amazing career. That was before I knew he was an idiot.
Royston Drenthe is also a good shout. After that wonder goal he made during his Real debut I was sure he would have an amazing career. That was before I knew he was an idiot.
John Bostock
Jesus, what a terrible story.