By Moses Onyilo Adikwu
A lot of stars have graced the world of football but some have struggled to remain relevant, they don’t seem to get on their strides anymore and it’s quite surprising how a once dubbed world class player turns into somewhat of an average player or a player who has very little or nothing to offer the top clubs in Europe.
We’ll take a look at some of such players.
1. Miguel Michu:
Flashback to 2012, Spanish forward, Miguel Michu burst into the scene of the English premier league for Swansea after he had signed a 3 year deal with the Welsh club after catching the eye while playing for Spanish side Athletic Bilbao. The then 26 year old immediately set the EPL alight with blistering performances and he soon became a fan favourite and a talismanic figure at the Liberty stadium. The Spaniard once dubbed the next David Villa did make his debut for the Spanish national team also in 2012 but subsequently faded out and lost form due to persistent injury issues which forced him to retire from football in 2017 at the age of 31 after unsuccessful brief spells at Napoli, UP Langreo and Oviedo.
Michu posessed the attributes and predatory instincts of a modern day striker and it was a shame to see him quit football pretty early.
2. Christian Benteke:
Back in 2012/2013 season, two Belgians were making waves in the English premier league, Christian Benteke for Aston Villa and Romelu Lukaku for West Brom (on loan from Chelsea). Benteke’s 19 EPL goals and Lukaku’s 17 made the world to tip both players for greatness, however, they’ve both progressed in completely different directions. While Lukaku has had successfull spells at Everton, Manchester United and now Inter Milan, Benteke has struggled for form coupled with persistent injury problems which has made success hard to come by for the 29 year old at Liverpool and now Crystal Palace.
It’s reasonably shocking that a player who bagged 42 goals in 89 league appearances for Aston Villa has struggled for form in the EPL and at age 29, it seems almost unlikely that the Belgian will hit the kind form he once hit at Aston Villa.
3. Danny Drinkwater:
One of the heroes of Leicester City’s 2015/2016 premier league triumph, Danny Drinkwater has failed to live up to the expectations placed on him after he starred alongside N’golo Kanté in Leicester’s title winning midfield. Two years after Leicester’s 2015/2016 miracle, the Englishman who was much admired by then Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte made a move to London linking up with former teammate N’golo Kanté in what appeared like a mouthwatering prospect. However, things didn’t quite go as planned for Chelsea and the Englishman as loss of form and injuries meant Drinkwater couldn’t cement a regular first team spot in Antonio Conte’s side and the Italian’s dismissal in 2018 didn’t do Drinkwater any good as he couldn’t feature in the plans of Conte’s predecessor Maurizio Sarri. Danny Drinkwater’s inconsistency also meant he couldn’t get regular call-ups to Gareth Southgate’s three Lions team.
Subsequent loan spells to Burnley and now Aston Villa have also proven to be unsuccessful as the 30 year old has struggled with off the pitch issues. At this point where the Englishman doesn’t seem to be able to get his ass together and focus, no one knows whether he’ll still attain the level expected of him from most fans and pundits. Whether or not he was over-hyped at a point in his career is still a question that lingers in the minds of many.
4. Mario Balotelli:
In 2012 where high spending Manchester City ended their 44 year wait for a Premier league title, there were various stars on parade for the Citizens, one of which was Italian striker, Mario Balotelli. The Italian joined from Inter in 2010 after showing a lot of promise at the San Siro for the Nerrazzuri. His time at Inter Milan wasn’t free of controversies though, but Manchester seemed willing to take chances on the then 20 year old. Everything seemed to be going rosy for Mario Balotelli and Manchester City at first as the youngster nicknamed ‘Super Mario’ by Italian football fans played a vital role in the Citizen’s title quest, his league goal tally at 14 goals was only bettered by Sergio Aguero’s 23 goals for the club. On the final day of the season, Balotelli’s assist and Aguero’s finish provided the very much needed icing on the cake in Roberto Mancini’s title winning season with Man City.
Things later turned sour for the Italian striker at Manchester as disciplinary issues both on-field and off field affected his relationship with the his club. Things went worse as Balotelli was pictured in 2013 being involved in a training ground bust-up with his Manager, Roberto Mancini.
Mario Balotelli was later sold to AC Milan in 2013 but he didn’t enjoy the rich vein of form such as he experienced in Manchester. The Italian has subsequently moved to clubs like Liverpool, Nice, Marsielle and now Brescia. His career still hasn’t been free from the controversies he’s known for by the fans and the media alike. And at 29, one would doubt if ‘Super Mario’ is going to ever produce Anything super or special as a player again.
5. Arda Turan:
In August 2011, Arda Turan became the most expensive Turkish footballer in history after he signed for Athletico Madrid in a deal worth £12 million + bonuses. The Turkish forward became a key part of Diego Simeone’s side during his four year spell at Athletico Madrid and was part of the club’s famous title triumph in 2014. The Turkish star soon moved to Barcelona in 2015 but joined in 2016 due to the club’s transfer embargo at the time of the deal. Arda Turan had made much impact at Athletico Madrid where he had lesser support compared to what was available at Barcelona and his arrival at Catalunya was a mouthwatering prospect and he seemed to get on his stride for the Catalan Giants but later failed to cement a regular spot in the team’s first 11.
Arda Turan was subsequently loaned out to Turkish side İstanbul Başakşehir but still struggled for form in his home land and his spell in Turkey was characterised by controversies stemming from disciplinary issues and the Turkish forward is back at Barcelona but doesn’t seem to be in the plans of the club who are likely going to release him in June when his contact ends. At 33 years of age, Turan has passed his peak and it’s very unlikely he’d ever find his mojo again.
MoSoccer.net 