3 football players who were great at one club but underwhelming at another

It is not easy being a footballer at the elite level. Not only do they have to cope with the great pressure of expectations, but they also have to adjust to the different demands and cultures at different clubs.

There are a few players who have played for a single club throughout their careers, like Paolo Maldini, Ryan Giggs, Francesco Totti, and Alessandro Del Piero, but most footballers are not that fortunate.

Moreover, at times they are lured away by lucrative transfer deals. Professional footballers always have to take the financial aspect into consideration, and therefore it becomes very difficult for them to reject a big offer. However, a footballer is not always able to cope with the changing demands of a new club, and ends up performing terribly.

Here we discuss 3 such great footballers who were great at one club, but performed terribly after their transfer to a new club.

#1 Kaka (AC Milan and Real Madrid)

The Brazilian attacking midfielder was signed by AC Milan in 2003 as a 21 year old, and played there for 6 seasons. He was among the best footballers in the world during his prime, and also won the Ballon d’Or in 2007.

Kaka was part of a brilliant midfield also featuring Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, and Rui Costa. He also provided numerous assists to the likes of Andriy Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi.

Kaka was a brilliant passer and a very good dribbler. He also had a decent shot on him. He won 1 Champions League and 1 Serie A title with Milan. However, his transfer to Real Madrid in 2009 turned out to be very disappointing, as he struggled to find form for the Spanish giants.

Kaka had difficulty in adjusting to a Madrid team under Jose Mourinho. New recruits like Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil also gave him stiff competition for a spot in the starting line-up, and finally Kaka left Real for Milan again in 2013. Maybe it would have been wise for him to stay at Milan in the first place.