10 talented players who were too stubborn to succeed
Talent alone can only get you so far because, without the right attitude and the determination to succeed, even the most talented players can falter and lose their way. Take for example the case of Ronaldinho, who is labelled one of the greatest players of recent times.Even though Ronaldinho was successful, the Brazilian was infamous for his poor off-field antics and lifestyle which garnered heavy criticism. If the Brazilian could have focused more on his game then we could have perhaps seen a much longer spell at the top for the people’s favourite.For all of Ronaldinho’s antics, he was still successful during his stay in Europe, but not all players are as talented as the Brazilian and some of them do not do justice to their talent, lose their way midway through their careers and end up as forgotten men.So here are 10 well-known players who were too stubborn to succeed.
#1 Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli has already played for 3-time European Champions, 5-time European Champions, 7-time European Champions and Manchester City, but it is true to say that despite his huge potential, his career is not going the right way.
In only his second season with Inter he had a number of disciplinary problems, most notably with his manager Jose Mourinho and Balotelli was omitted from the squad on several occasions. In March 2010, he sparked new controversy by wearing AC Milan’s jersey on an Italian Show, while he was playing for Inter Milan.
After a series of controversies, he was sold to Manchester City in 2010 where he reunited with his former manager Roberto Mancini. He had a very good debut season at City, but his disciplinary issues followed him there as well and he was sent off on multiple occasions.
In his second season, Balotelli missed 11 games domestically and in Europe due to suspensions and he decided to take his club to a Premier League tribunal for fining him two weeks’ wages, but eventually accepted the fine. During his third season, he was involved in a physical altercation with Mancini and he was rarely used by City.
Eventually, he was sold to AC Milan in January 2013 and he scored 12 goals in 13 games to help AC Milan qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Balotelli left Milan to join Liverpool in 2014 and this time his goal scoring form let him down after managing to stay away from controversies.
Now playing for Nice in Ligue 1, he seems to have cleaned up his act with some decent performances. But the only question is how long will it last?