For all that can be said about the footballing talent that rises to the top of globally prestigious leagues like La Liga and the Premier League, there seems to be just as many players whose lifespan seems to fizzle out prematurely, leaving fans to wonder not just “What happened?” but also “What if…” Here are five examples of talented players who went on to crash and burn or simply slide back into obscurity before their potential was reached.
1. Andy Van Der Meyde
Van der Meyde was a crucial player of the Ajax side during an era when titans of the sport such as Van der Vaart, Ibrahimovic, and Sneijder were underpinning the team with the brightest player. Van der Meyde was initially viewed as one of the most promising young talents whose star was still on the rise. Unfortunately, a problematic time with Inter Milan was the beginning of the end for the young prospect. Problems with alcohol abuse and depression led to his personal and professional life coming apart at the seams. A transfer to Everton didn’t do anything to alleviate his difficulties, compounded by the steady collapse of a marriage plagued by cheating. Following some unremarkable stints with Dutch teams WKE and PSV, he wrapped up his playing career at the relatively tender age of 31.
2. Adriano
Following an initially triumphant run in Brazilian and Italian leagues, Adriano’s promise on the pitch began to collapse seemingly overnight. Following on from winning several titles in addition to player of the year personal accolades in the Best Player’s Award and Golden Shoe, he would later claim the dubious honour of winning the Bidone d’oro title for the worst player in Serie A in 2006 and 2007 consecutively, as well as in 2010. What led to his downfall wasn’t clear, but the bulging gut he developed later on in his career suggests gluttony and laziness may have played a part.
3. Ricardo Quaresma
After making his first appearance at the youthful age of seventeen for Sporting CP, commentators began to speculate that Quaresma has the emu casino necessary to one day take the place of the fabled Luis Figo amongst the national team. Barcelona snapped him up for approximately £5 million lightning link slots, but the promising player only managed a single season with the Spanish side before bouncing listlessly from European clubs like Inter Milan, Porto, and Chelsea. Bedevilled by a temper that was known to get him in hot water with both management and teammates, Quaresma has counted himself out of numerous top teams due to a penchant for tantrums.
4. Stephen Ireland
Around the time of Manchester City’s ascendance to the financial big leagues, Stephen Ireland was distinguishing himself as one of the team’s finest players in a side that counted legendary players such as Patrick Vieira, Robinho and Gareth Barry amongst their roster. A lack of direction began to emerge in his performances on the pitch, and unremarkable stays at Aston Villa and Newcastle United saw his career choked by falling out with the management.
5. Ibrahim Afellay
After a commendable period of headline-making football at PSV Eindhoven, the right wing player made the move to Barcelona in 2011. This was, unfortunately, the start of a sustained period of bad form and injuries for the player, who barely managed twenty appearances for the club in three years, which shows no signs of abating.