5 top talents who flopped due to off-field issues
Coming across a young 16-year-old player who has been dubbed a "wonderkid" by the press, fans and even critics can be exciting. Everyone is on the lookout for the next Lionel Messi or the next Manuel Neuer. Any young footballer who shows off more talent than their peers is quickly picked for the role.
There have been many cases of players who have failed to live up to their potential, either due to injuries or inconsistently poor performances. A good example is Philippe Cristanval who won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award and won the league with Monaco in 1999-2000. But after a failed move to Barcelona, Marseilles, and Fulham, he retired at just 29.
Harry Kewell helped Leeds get to the semi-finals of the Champions League at such a young age and moved to Liverpool with the world at his feet. The five years he spent at Liverpool were laden with injuries, and he was eventually shipped off to Galatasaray. From the Turkish league, he eventually moved to the Australian league where he eventually retired: a far cry from what was expected of his career.
Harry, Harry Kewell 🎶
A wonderful curling shot at Elland Road back in 2004 😍⚽ https://t.co/PG6qnZjHoe
Players like these have had injuries or bad form diminish their potential. But there are some footballers whose off-field issues have dramatically hampered their careers. Without further ado, let's take a look at some talented players who flopped due to problems they had off the field:
#5 Ravel Morrison | former Manchester United wonderkid
Ravel Morrison started out as, in Alex Ferguson's words, the best player the manager had seen at that age. With that description, he should have been the biggest player out of Manchester United in the last decade. He was dubbed the next Wayne Rooney and seen as United's best prospect since George Best. But Morrison's career was quickly stagnant, partly due to legal issues, and he ended up leaving for West Ham.
He was unable to properly settle down in a single club. The star ended up struggling to maintain a first-team spot through all 11 other clubs he played for, even before he turned 28.
He's currently joined Derby County and has reconnected with his former teammate and current Derby manager Wayne Rooney. While it might be too late for the former wonderkid, he may somewhat redeem himself with this chance at the Championship side.
#4 Adriano | former Inter wonderkid
Before Neymar burst into the Brazilian scene ten years ago, Adriano was the biggest star out of the South American nation. Flourishing at Flamengo while he was still 17, the former star moved to Internazionale when he was just 19. His brilliant performances on loan catapulted him into the first team for the Nerazurri. He quickly became a superstar, winning four Serie A titles with Inter. So what went wrong?
Adriano's father died of a heart attack when the star was 22, and although his performances didn't derail, he started drinking a lot and clubbing. He was dropped from the Brazil squad twice after getting caught at nightclubs, but it didn't help.
Inter's patience wore off with the star and he was sent back to Sao Paulo in Brazil on loan. Drugs and alcohol, as well as an achilles injury, reduced his time on the pitch for the clubs he later joined. From 2010 until his retirement in 2016, Adriano played less than 50 matches.