11 Superstar footballers who later played for obscure teams
New signings have always faced scrutiny – after all, the pressure that comes with the fresh ink of a new contract is not a small one. Players move to the big boys of Europe, leading to some of the deadwood and expendables being shipped out mercilessly.Some of them carve out a legacy in a new shirt while others become the archetypal rolling stone mercenaries. They traverse stadiums, cultures and experiences in rapid succession and end up at places least expected of people of their calibre.But then, such is life, of which the beautiful game is but a microcosm. Some of these are doyens of the game, whose names have been and shall be remembered well beyond their swan songs.However, before the swan songs come those curious little stints at curious little clubs. And by little, I mean the kind of teams that even the most ardent fans of the game would have a hard time recalling. So, how would an assorted team of such superstars fare? Let’s see.
#1 Rene Higuita (GK) - Deportivo Lara
In today’s world of excessive copyrights, patents, and their arch nemesis, piracy, Rene Higuita can take a good, calm nap. For, while imitation might be the highest form of flattery, nobody can rise as high as a sprawling Higuita in mid-air, however hard they try.
El Loco, or The Madman, as he was appropriately known, it wouldn’t be wrong to say he was popular exclusively because of his famous stunt – which couldn’t give two hoots about gravity and would’ve made the gunslinger in Total Overdose look like a damsel in distress.
However, plying his trade in a position that didn’t reward madness made Higuita a Nomad in the truest sense of the word. With a playing style that never reneged from the extreme ends of the brilliant to bollocks scale, Higuita set up camp almost everywhere in South America, hopping through various hues of obscurity towards the fag end of his career.
During this period, he even explored the valleys of Northern Colombia, playing for the likes of Bajo Cauca, before moving further up the obscurity scale, playing for Deportivo Lara, in Venezuela. And in true, inimitable fashion, the man behind the Scorpion kick, scored a goal every two games for them.