5 world-class players who flopped after leaving the Premier League
The Premier League has, over the years, witnessed many world-class players. They made a name for themselves with their incredible performances and achievements.
After running riot in the English top flight, some of these superstars earned high-profile transfers to other top clubs across Europe. They managed to keep themselves at the top of the game by maintaining their levels, claiming honors and reaching new milestones.
In contrast, there lies another category of players. After impressing and earning big transfers away from the Premier League, these players failed to hit the ground running elsewhere.
These superstars found it difficult to shine outside the English top flight for diverse reasons. These range from poor mentality, adaptation struggles, injury crisis and mere bad luck.
That said, let's quickly take a look at five notable players who flopped after leaving the Premier League:
#5 Jonathan Woodgate
Jonathan Woodgate was a force to be reckoned with during his days in the English top flight. He was a huge problem for even the finest attackers in the division.
The former centre-back made 244 appearances in the Premier League. Woodgate represented the likes of Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United and Stoke City.
It's 16 years since Jonathan Woodgate's Real Madrid debut...
Own goal 😩
Red card 🔴
It was not worth the 13-month wait 😬 https://t.co/JLHHx5ruj3
At some point in his career, Woodgate decided to leave the division. He joined La Liga giants Real Madrid from Newcastle in a transfer worth €18 million in August 2004. His transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu proved to be a huge catastrophe.
The Englishman spent his entire debut campaign with Real Madrid on the sidelines. He made his debut appearance for the club the following season. He ended up scoring an own goal and being sent off to conclude a nightmarish outing.
He was later offloaded to Middlesbrough after spending two disappointing years in the Spanish capital.
#4 Alexander Hleb
Alexandre Hleb scored seven goals and made 10 assists in 89 appearances for one of the strongest Arsenal sides in history. No one can deny that he impressed in the Premier League. However, the attacking midfielder's performance levels dropped immediately after he left for Barcelona in the summer of 2008.
@Elcrucifixio It will be nice to hear from Hleb himself. He was one of Pep Guardiola's signings because Pep believed in him and supported him but he didn't blend in himself. Kindly read this article
dailymail.co.uk/sport/football…
Hleb spent most of his time in the Catalan capital stagnating on the bench. He made just 36 appearances for the Blaugrana across all competitions. He was loaned to three different clubs during his three-year stint with the club.
The midfielder parted ways with Barca in 2012 but things were never the same in his career anymore.