The 7 Most UNEXPECTED Downfalls In Football
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- From Alexis Sánchez, who went from unplayable at Arsenal to totally ineffective at Manchester United in the blink of an eye, to Gaizka Mendieta, whose form fell apart after becoming one of the most expensive players of all time, HITC Sevens takes a look at a number of footballers who suffered staggering declines that few saw coming.
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GK's job is so hard, you could do a video only on "7 goalkeepers who fell apart after a game and never recovered" and it could have 5 parts
Butland did get an injury though? During an England warm up game and was never the same coming back
Loris Karius joined the chat.
Karius is the first name that came to my mind
you can play excellent for a whole season and mess up one match and this match is what you will be remembered....
Robert Enke, clearly number one in that one
The most unexpected downfall of a keeper to me was Edouard Mendy. He won UEFA and FIFA goalkeeper of the year and then almost immediately dropped off a cliff. He got injured but then when he did play it looked like his confidence had completely evaporated. Then it wasn't long before he was shipped off to the Saudis.
Edit to add: Stephen Caulker also had a very unexpected downfall. There was a point where he was looking like he could become the next really top level CB eventually but then he went from Liverpool to obscurity in Scotland.
I've read an interview of Caulker's where he talked about getting heavily addicted to gambling and alcohol, and falling into a depression to the point of actually being suicidal. Really heavy stuff. Happy to see that he's doing much better these days though, seems like a decent lad.
And now caulker is stuck with Sierra Leone.
Mendy benefitted from keeping a lot of clean sheets in a really good defensive system boosting his reputation rather than being majorly reliable himself. Sort of reina at Liverpool or hart at city type vibe were they were never the best keeper as such but would keep a lot of clean sheets
@@Ldoggmillionaire in fairness Hart rarely had a brilliant back four in front of him. His shot stopping was always solid, just distribution lacked
That's an understatement mate, his distribution makes Turkish Post look competent.
Genuinely feel for Ali. Horrible childhood, abusive father, ended up living with a secondary school friend as a teenager. The man needed an arm around him. He’d have been a different player under Ferguson. Hope he gets a club soon.
Ferguson couldn't reform ravel Morrison. No guarantee he'd have saved dele alli.
@@Evemeister12 Morrison was an aggressive basket case with terrible people around him. Ali is inwardly troubled. I saw Morrison at the PFA sessions for free against the other day.
For years I saw all those attacks from fans on social media towards Alli about how 'lazy', and 'passionless' he was, 'he only plays for money' etc. and I got pretty frustrated about it because while there was little hard evidence at that point, I knew there was something deeper going on with Alli. The complete lack of empathy was so disappointing.
You're right, I think a Fergie or Ancelotti type of manager would've been a godsend for Dele
All though I agree with you because he did have a hard life but he did the hard bit becoming a professional premier league player he has doctors and shrinks around him and he should have taken 6 months of or maybe even a season and got the help he needed because financially he could afford it and tried to sort it out. I have had a crap life but I carnt take time of for help because I would lose my house so got to keep on going and put my family first. I'm really not putting him down because I do know what it's like but just wish he would have asked for help and maybe took some time of before it got that bad.
@@jostaniforth7407 they both have troubled upbringings (in different ways), the way they react outwardly is because of that. Not sure why you're keen to pretend Raval and Alli are so massively different cases to make a weak point.
Stories of the likes of Hazard give me more and more admiration for Robben who’s stayed at world class level for a decade while being the 2nd most injured player of all time
In hindsight, Sanchez’s decline was sort of apparent, his last half season at Arsenal was really, really bad. We all deluded ourselves into assuming he was mentally checked out of Arsenal by then but sadly not
"The first training I had I realised many things. I went home, and I told my representative: 'Can't the contract be terminated to return to Arsenal?'
-Alexis Sanchez 😆
Yeah his fall off is only drastic to non-Arsenal fans. His playstyle depended heavily on his athleticism and energy. Don't get me wrong, he was immensely skillfull but what made him world class is that extra step he had on everyone else. At the time he left Arsenal he was approaching 30 with having no break in the summer for like 4-5 years due to international tournaments. I loved the guy and didn't even blame him for wanting to leave, but his drop off was predictable, although it probably did go as bad as it possibly could.
@@Luka-st4uf he's also been playing professional since he was 15, he was always going to fall off earlier
@@Luka-st4uf Was the same with Costa and (smart) Chelsea fans. Yes he was a warrior, yes he was a workhorse & yes he knew where the goal was, but technically he was absolutely bang average! Once he started showing his age & his incredible sheer force of will left with it, he was destined for a HUGE drop off in performance.
I’m still stuck at “losing virginity to a goat” 😖
Can't belive Garincha fucked Messi
Sounds messi
Trust me, you really don't want to find out more about the sexual life of Garrincha.
I'm also still on that point.. Alfie needs to expound a little bit more...
In north Colombia many lose their virginity to donkeys, taking what they have when the catholic girls their age save themselves for marriage. Could be something similar
Going from Premier League to 2nd Division in India is absolutely diabolical 😭
He thought we wouldnt notice him sneaking hull city into the category of European giants 18:00
Sneaking? He's completely correct
HITC Sevens should pay some form of royalties. "Without Freddy Adu" practically a full time fixture of the channel
Without further Adu not without Freddy Adu
"...but was mad as a box of frogs on acid listening to The Happy Mondays, and didn't know how to put a bib on."...Alfie with the Factory band references!
paul ryder is my dad, definitely caught me off guard haha
These just depict how brutal modern football can be. You need a lot of things going well for you, and you will fail if only one thing goes wrong. You can be the most hard-working, and the most talented, but you have no place at the highest level of football if you're unlucky with an untimely or severe injury, or you simply make a wrong decision.
That's spot on. I think one of the toughest things to learn about life is how much "luck" really correlates to success.
yeah, the role that luck plays is underestimated
Not modern football, football in general. But I guess it is probably more likely now, since you can get benched easier, before teams had like 3 players outside of the starting eleven
@@MAVJ Yeah. And I think "potential" is such a nebulous concept as well. Or where good form turns into genuine skill level. I think a lot more is about luck and mental state than we like to usually admit, at least when judging footballers.
On other side, burden who do all bad thing still get picked due to his fanboys
Really expected Coutinho on this list
Still somehow on villa's books. Shows what a disaster Gerrard was
"Without further Adu" is exactly what I needed, thank you.
That’s why I’m here…
Holy shit Gaizka Mendieta that is a name I have not heard for a very long while. Was Valencia's talisman back then.
He had a phenomenal penalty technique as well, never used to look at the ball at all but would give the keeper the eyes and roll it into the opposite corner.
We adored him at Middlesbrough, an absolutely wonderful gifted footballer
Love the videos, Alfie. Would you consider adding timestamps to this kind of list style video for each individual player?
I've got to say if this Galatasaray loan doesn't work out, I can definitely see Victor Osimhen ending up on a list like this.
I can see it happening too
I met Jake Livermore a few years back and he was a complete gentleman, I made sure to thank him for the great hull city premier League memories
He never wanted to leave Spurs for anyone. So he was always miffed that they were happy to sell him.
Yall see San Marino win their first ever oficial match
What is surprising though is that all players from the Red Star team that won the Champions Cupnone of them made anything remarkable in their career after the Champions Cup win.
Just like Ajax 2019
Tbf that's not really true. Savićević and Jugović went on to have brilliant careers and won shitloads with Milan and Juve afterwards, and Prosinečki while not really dominating at least ended up playing for both Real Madrid and Barca
@@kostaurus If you weren't a contrarian, you'd realise that
Savicevic played less than half of the matches at Milan, a lot of the times not even making the substitutes' bench,
Jugovic bounced around from club to club and started being a squad player at only age 28,
and Prosinecki was far too injury-prone to have any type of career that his technical skills and creativity would have predestined him.
It was the same in my country, we also had world-class players. But the lack of professionalism is coded into one-party authoritarian states, which hurt their career as well.
Sinisa Mihajlovic
@@Evemeister12 yes that was the exception
Dele ali's peak was somewhere between Cole and Jude. Scoring 20+ goals in leagues like Cole palmer
and Scoring for England like Jude.
It still does feel real that my club (The Boro) managed to sign Mendieta and yet at one point we had Mendieta, Zenden and Juninho in our midfield.
Wild times.
*Doesn't*
As a Charlton fan I feel it'd be remiss to not mention our greatest ever signing (Allan Simonsen) as a fairly stark downfall. European Footballer Of The Year aged 25 to the Second Division aged 29 is pretty remarkable
The disrespect for Joe Hart's time and career revival at Celtic is appalling
0:43 Garrincha lost his WHAT to a WHAT 💀💀💀
Ooh this one stings... Mendieta was awesome for us, helping our league Cup and Euros runs, and I believe he still owns a house near Middlesbrough. We may have sucked for a solid decade and a bit, now, but back then we were a solid side working on a modest budget.
The other painful one was Butland: when I was in hospital the other Christmas, he, Darren Fletcher, Sam Clucas and Charlie Adams had lunch with us on the ward having visited the kids. Had a good chat with them, really cheered everyone up.
I'm cautiously optimistic for our Boro this season, IF Carrick can get these players firing and somehow gets us up, the REAL issue is what the hell do we do then????? Gibbo will be up against teams literally owned by countries.
Theres no way he can compete financially. Even with the TV money etc. UTB
He lived in Yarm i believe for years after leaving Middlesbrough. Not sure if he still does though.
@@bricktop. I was going to say that he is on a par with Tony Bloom at Brighton so it isn't impossible to do well without vast resources...then I found out Bloom is worth twice as much as Gibson so Boro might want to look at minority investors to boost the coffers.
I think Celtic fans might have something to say about Hart. Bit of a swansong.
Victor Osimhen, he was coveted by many of the big clubs in Europe and forced a move but demanded a wage so high that no one wanted him and he had to join Galatasaray
how much was he demanding?
@@JJJackson777 Liverpool were interested but he wanted to earn more than Salah
which is the bigger fall off - Toney to saudi or osimhen to turkey lol
@@GrimReaper-er8uu Definetly Osimhen, he was younger and better
In light of other comments here, I don't even notice that "the list hasn't started". Silent majority loves the meanering intros, don't ever change them.
How is Donny vd Beek not in here? His downfall is mental
Joe Harts career went into a 'terminal death spiral' - apart from winning a shedload of trophies at Celtic of course....and yes, they do count. Also, David De Gea has only been without a club because of his ridiculous wage demands and not wanting to play in Saudi.
The standard of Scottish football is atrocious. Only European competion trophies are worthwhile there
Joe Hart as a mention is both very true and incredibly harsh at the same time. Harsh as his last three years have made him a Celtic cult hero. But, again, not absurd that he’s worth a mention at all.
Joe Hart is probably the only City player I like He seems like a good dude.
i will always love alexis sanchez, i know he left us but i’ll never be mad at a player taking a paycheck like that. he would have been silly to decline.
"The first training I had I realised many things. I went home, and I told my representative: 'Can't the contract be terminated to return to Arsenal?'
-Alexis Sanchez 😆
As shown by the quote by Alexis, all United could offer him was cash.
He was better off staying.
Spot on! Plus Arsenal were stupidity by letting their best players contract down to 1 year while only offering him 160k a week when he was asking for 250k.
“Yes, that is Bill Gates” is the funniest thing I’ve seen in an HITC Sevens video. Especially because I was staring a the photo thinking “wow is that really Bill Gates?” Right before it popped up 😂
as a stoke fan, i would argue that butland's downfall came from his ankle breaking vs germany. was never the same player after that, despite the prices that were rumoured much later. if i remember rightly, he played in a pre season game vs preston and went off injured again, making his ankle worse. not sure if it was confidence or problems with his foot, but i would definitely say it stemmed from that game vs germany
that last bit is so real... let's be honest HITC makes a living and we consume content centered around real people... and there wins and loses on and off the pitch....
A vid on players that got roasted by the press and social when they were just going threw life shit like we all do. Would be fire.
He touches on it but the expectation that because they "GET" to play, so they should be a certain way is crazy.
bro str8 saying he lambasted a dude without context is so solid!! still best footy utuber!
You forgot to mention Niran 😂😂
That damn knee injury. He could have been the goat😢
Niran's a clown who defends terrorism and criticises people defending their homeland.
The bouncing heart at the end is how I imagine you look when you're walking out of the stadium after Hull have picked up 3 points.
One of your best videos mate. Not only the usual seven (which are always incisive and thoughtful) but the whole thought that ends up with a conclusion. Love from an old fan here
This video is a reminder that football even for the top players is sometimes harsh. I just read a story of Raphina (the Brazilian who plays for Barcelona) talking about his struggles and almost wanting to quit football. Saying he even went to bed almost crying.
I feel like this is an Eredivisie in general and Ajax in particular special. With its relatively low pace and lax defending some players thrive there, make a transfer to a tougher, faster paced league and never recover from the shock. Of course, to make the transfer the players have to show their talent in their European matches too, but it is probably easier to step up for a big match every few weeks when you are riding high, than for Stoke or Getafe away when you are in mid table.
David Bentley
It all went downhill after he left Big Sam's Blackburn free for all and had to actually act like a professional! He was class for us (Rovers) though!
what video is it again where Alfie randomly intersperses clips from Bentley's bar in Spain?
@@maciejbala477 oooooh my god.. one of the ones about transfers that go bad?
I think the message at the end of this video is a very good one to spread. We think we know some people because of how much time we spent exposed to them, but we really don't. Some people find a way to ride out a positive facade whilst dealing with deeply personal and troubling issues under, and eventually it takes its toll. Not just for footballers, but for all people.
When you play for Pep you can be damned sure you may wake up one morning and get told you suck and it's time to move on even though you've played 40 matches for him the previous season.
Cancelo, Joe Hart, Cesc, Eto'o, Yaya Toure are all cases in point. Grealish being the next one soon.
Yaya Toure was so unfair
Most of the honorable mentions you list at the end are players who lost it around 29-30 or later, that’s why Sheva and Fernando Torres who fell on Chelsea sword are still considered superstar, exceptional players.
The 7 in the list are truly sad stories, with lost fortunes and careers. Definitely a correct list
I like this new midday schedule you have going on, Alfie!
Video idea:
I know this will sound generic, but what about the downfall of the South Korean national team? We just drew to Palestine at home, and lost to Jordan in the Asian Cup. Its much deeper then a slip in form though, its rooted in the corruption and hypocrisy of the Korean FA. Afrer the 2022 world cup, we hired Jurgen Klinsmann, a has-been. Then we fired him for Hong Myung-Bo, who already failed with the team in 2014. The dragged out selection process after Klinsmann took 5 months, with 2 interim coaches in between. We failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 40 years. Its been so bad that many politicians are calling for the chairman of the KFA to be removed, and there us strong animosity against anyone associated with the KFA.
You’ll be fine. You know Palestine are extremely motivated
@@Jonathanfootball144just ignoring everything else he said then
I think it was a joke.
Standard intro for a UA-cam football vide... 0:44 ... hang on, he lost his virginity to what? 🤣
Even looking back at Joao Cancelo's career i would've never thought that he would be in Saudi by 30
I'll never forget how dominant city were early Pep Guardiola when they use to beat teams 5,6-0 and Cancelo played a big part in it. People use to praise him for being so versatile that he could play both LB and RB. Was part of the PFA team of the season twice while also being in the ESM team of the year (with the likes of Mbappe and Messi) twice, not to mention also being part of the FIFA Pro11. The same player that before City was at Juventus and Inter also being in the Seria A team of the seasons in both years. Was still crucial for Barcelona in making the UCL quarterfinals.
I knew that Pep playing and preferring Ake in the left back role would've affected Cancelo's career but not this much. I still believe he would be one of the best fullbacks in Europe if he stayed but unfortunately he left.
For anyone who wants to know how legendary his career would've been:
Joao Cancelo was two league titles(La liga & Ligue 1) away from being the only player in history to win every league title in the top 5 leagues
Love your channel but, as a Boro fan, I must add further context here regarding Mendieta. He came to us on loan in the last year of his contract and, at that point, we were a very ambitious club. He was a key part in us winning the League Cup that season, our first and only trophy. He then signed permanently, but was sadly affected by persistent injuries. However, his part in the League Cup victory during his first season will never be forgotten in our neck of the woods. Better still, it helped us qualify for the first of our two back-to-back seasons in the UEFA Cup, which peaked with our unforgettable run to (and humbling defeat in) the UEFA Cup Final of 05-06. Gaizka should not be in this list!
I don't care for Man City. I havent watched a single match of theirs unless they were playing my team. However, Cancelo's downfall was so bizarre I searched for documentaries about what happened to him
I think City players burn out playing for Guardiola. After the treble Gundogan left for Barcelona. Some players are always leaving after a successful season.
What about my career? I started playing at the age of 15, I was terrible, and I stopped. My downfall was unexpected, because my whole "career" even beginning was unpredictable :D
It was such a waste. Tragic story 😂
On cancelo, Barcelona wanted to keep him, his attitude and character were great there. It was all about the financials
I wouldn't say that Ramsdale has a fall downfall, its just the life of the goal keeper, there is only 20 jobs in the EPL & for a spot to open up you need someone to get injured or to be playing so horrendously bad that they are willing to replace them. Its the equivalent of QB in the NFL, you can be a good starter but get injured at the wrong time & never get the job back if the guy who comes in does the job just as well as you & often on a cheaper contract. With this then when you aren't playing every week you almost become out of sight out of mind
Arda Tuan and Diego Simeone got along with each other probably because they where the same kind of footballer. Which probably explains why Turan has flopped since joining Barcelona.
Bit harsh on Mendieta Boro looked on the up he played well for us I remember him ripping Man U apart on his on when they weren't a joke. The injuries were mega disappointing and arguably if he hadn't been injured for the UEFA Cup final it would have been a different game. Southgate for whatever reason never gave him a chance.
Thank you for the comments at the end on mental health. We keep our troubles hidden a lot of the time, and what people see is not what is really happening. Both Ali and Livermore are perfect examples of why we should not be judging people. We tend to forget people are, well, people sometimes. Ali speaking out about his mental health struggles make him on my favourite players, just for that reason. I wish we could foster an environment where people do feel able to come forward and talk about these things.
John Bostock should be on this list. Guy had the world at his feet at Palace, went to the ham for the money and his career nosedived!
You feel for Butland, we had a similar issue with Brad Guzan at Villa…played the best season of his career and won our player of the year award, but then lost all his confidence after playing behind the worst defence we’ve ever had, conceding goals after after despite making plenty of saves, because they were just awful. His confidence never returned and he dropped out of the team.
I don’t agree with Cancelo, he had a loan to an elite team where he played regularly, then went to Saudi to get paid. Not really too much of a downfall
The cancelo one has to be financial because right back has been a position we needed replacing since we lost Alves
Kounde is arguably the best rb in the world rn
@@mrlewin5134 he doesn't like playing rb and is naturally a cb
@@thevenbede767he’s better at rb
Juve would have also taken him but Cancelo wanted the big salary from the Saudis
I mean, yeah, Barcelona makes a ton of loan with option to buy kinda offers, only to never buy them because they can't afford it, so not surprised. But also saw some Barcelona fans not being all that hot about Cancelo, who did have some terrible games
Cuddicini was such a shame, he was an elite keeper and then Chelsea did what Chelsea did and bought another player in a position they didn’t really need to strengthen in, just because they could and a decent player who’d walk in to most first teams is no longer playing!
As a Saints fan.... I dispute that Ramsdale is having some crisis of form and is tumbling towards obscurity.
Dele was hands down one of the best prospects in the game before his decline. He played with so much confidence and skill he made the game look easy at times. Reminded me of a kid playing in the park with the freedom he played with. Hope he manages to get his personal affairs in order and comes back in some capacity. Truly a phenomenal talent on his day and I'd love to see if back in the prem and enjoying his football again
Particularly with Dele Alli, but across a lot of these players, it just beggars belief that an institution can allow itself to neglect a £120 million asset to the extent that it becomes worthless.
Young people need constant care and guidance and that requirement is multiplied manifold if they are required to perform as professional athletes.
To me it's another example of how clownish professional football clubs are compared to other institutions with similar wealth.
It's a sort of Beverley Hillbillies situation.
Most Barca fans wanted to keep Cancelo. But we are broke..
And it’s beautiful to see.
@@oMINCEo not everyone can have 2 billionaire owners and spend 1bn in 2 separate seasons to finish mid table
those barca fans are idiots
@@DontAttme fair
@@oMINCEo Yea real beautiful too see a good player go to Suadi.. -.-
It’s interesting how almost every major downfall is after a bad transfer to an ill fitting team.
That Thumbnail really hurted as a Chilean 🇨🇱😿
Make a best 7 or best XI of players to never play in the Champions League. Qualifying rounds/play-offs not included
stoke fan here, and you are right about Butland he was incredible for us and then just turned into a complete liability on the relegation season, you did say though " he didnt have any serious injury" actually he got a very bad injury playing for England vs Germany and he honestly was never the same after that.
He done very well last season but has been shite this season.
Is it just from a foreign perspective or did west brom had one of the best youth acadamies with the worst outcome a few years back. I remember jonathan leko, kyle edwards, rakeem harper, sam field and o‘shea also were very promising back then and none of them is a regular starter in premier league today.
I would add Kevin Kuranyi to the list.
From being part of Schalkes golden generation and fighting on even footing for Germany number 9 with Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez to being banned from the national team by Löw and shipped off to play the rest of his career in Russia.
I haven’t heard that name in Yearssss. What a throwback Baller
I don't think Mendieta deserves to be on the list. He may have been at the top of his game at Valencia, but after his seasons at Lazio and Barcelona he was far less effective. He was 31 and at a club that wanted rid of him.
Middlesbrough at the time were willing to pay his wages and secured him on loan. This was the same season they signed Zenden and added to a squad that already contained Juninho. So they weren't unheard of for signing big players.
That season they won the league cup and Mendieta made the move permanent, no doubt helped by him meeting a local girl. His second season saw the club play in Europe and sign players like Reiziger for Barca and Viduka from Leeds.
So, he signed permanently for a team that loved him, who won a trophy, were playing in Europe, paying him good money at 32 and had him on a contract until he was 35.
He was settled, well paid and approaching retirement, before injuries hurt his performance. He even stayed in the area after retirement to raise his family.
So, in my opinion, it was a little surprising, but not shocking enough for the list.
Here are few more examples: Samuel Umtiti,Raphael Varane,Sadio Mane,Edouard Mendy,Bakayoko,Ndombele, Koulibaly,Ansu Fati,Danny Ings ~
Martial
umtiti was known why
If Casemiro’s contract wasn’t so huge he would be at least a mention.
5 time CL winner with Madrid, in contention for the best DM in the PL when he moved to Man Utd, then his form completely collapsed the following season and he has never recovered from it.
Of course when you enter your 30s as a footballer you start to decline, but 31 years old and the level of decline he experienced was extraordinary
Sadio Mane doesn't really belong to that list. By the time he left Liverpool he had won everything bar the world cup, and he apparently felt that he had nothing left to prove and could take his foot off the pedal. So it wasn't an unexpected drop-off.
@@beno1129 I guess it's because of the manner in which he left Bayern for that brawl with a teammate? But yeah, it's not really drastic
Shows how insane it is for people like ronaldo and other players who stayed consistent year in year out
Alfie snuck Hull into the European giants conversation and thought we wouldn’t notice 😂
Now comes the great struggle of fast forwarding to when the list actually starts.
on the topic of Dele, as a Spurs fan, i think his match form began to decline right when Eriksen’s output dried up. And Eriksen’s output began to dry up when we lost Dembele and thus scrambled to put together a proper midfield, plus losing Kane to a series of injuries that winter and spring, put Dele in a really tough spot where the service that gets thrived off completely dried up.
mental health issues aside, i think we also failed to get the best out of him in that later part of his Spurs career and his form took a big hit due to not really being able to play to his strengths.
I can’t imagine how he lost his virginity to a goat 0:44
Same, I had no idea Garrincha and Messi ever had sex
you put it's two hind legs in one wellington boot and go from there
I remember watching a documentary about some village in rural Colombia where having sex with donkeys is regular. It was because they're very religious so didn't believe in sex before marriage or mastubation so would opt for sex with donkeys to express their sexual desires. This is a modern day village btw aswell, so I'm guessing he grew up in similar circumstances where beastilaity is normalised.
@@miguel_aquatico lmfao. You win the comment section
The Hazard downfall really surprised me. I didnt know about his bad training/diet habits. It was a really epic downfall.
Lentini had a massive decline from being the world's most expensive player after he had a really bad car crash. He had a full career after that but was never the same player.
Jack Butland - while it was said no significant injury, he broke his ankle playing for England and that was his turning point. Was never the same player afterwards
Ali's story breaks my heart every time I hear it
Juve sold Cancelo as he wanted to leave for more money, and Juve's locker policy is to never keep players that want to leave.
Hadn't thought about Mendieta in years, remember the fuss when he signed for Middlesbrough and how people said it was below his level.
Alan simonsen, from Barcelona and ballon dor to... Second division charlton athletic: despite interest from real, and other giants, cause he wanted a break
butland did sustain a significant injury? you usually do good research but that’s a shocker, he was out for almost the entire 16/17 season through injury that he picked up playing for england, this was just after his first breakthrough season at stoke in 15/16 which earned him the call up, and he was likely going to be england no. 1 for the euros if he hadn’t been injured. after he came back he never really looked the same, but was still a good level, but then the relegation absolutely destroyed his confidence, combined with the injury he was never the same. as a stoke fan his downfall wasn’t necessarily expected, but was perfectly explainable.
Please guys, De Gea was never the best goalkeeper in the world. This has to stop. It's as if Neuer, Alisson, Oblak didn't exist. De Gea was not good. United were just crap.
2.19 so serious question because of lazyness: What about Filipo Inzaghi? I mean he said himself "for running there are other players" (roughly translated) and I think Ferguson said he was born in offside. Did that just work because of his playstyle or was there a different kind of lazy between him and Hazard?
About Timo Hildebrand, I dunno how his view was outside but in Germany he kinda had the nickname "Der Klatscher" (clapper) because he tended to not actually caught balls so his downfall isn't too suprising
Unfortunately, I actually DID expect Dele Alli's downfall, simply because I found the hype surrounding him in the English media far too overwhelming. I just KNEW he wouldn't live up to it in the long term
I believe I read somewhere that Mario Ballotelli career (& his mental health) downfall was at least partially due to the amount of racial abuse he suffered on the pitch.
It's not hard to understand why that might well be very true.
His worst spell was at Liverpool where he likely faced the least abuse and he had some good spells in countries where he likely received the most such as Turkey so sounds more like a convenient excuse.
I remember just a few years ago when Berahino signed for my club Sheffield Wednesday thinking at the time that whilst it was risky, if it worked we’d have had an amazing player on a free. It’s so perplexing how he just hasn’t found the form of the early years of his career
Fernando Torres was the saddest for me. He was my favorite player I have his 2010 wc jersey and his full kit. There was a commercial for yogurt I think in Spain where he and David villa were superheroes that played all the time after the 2008 euros (like I remember literally the day after the final) and then right after his move to Chelsea he just completely fell off 😢😭
The phrase "terminal death spiral" as descriptive noun is just so damming and brutal, yet accurate.
Great name for a Heavy Metal band tho 🤘🤘
Degea didnt really have a downfall, he just did not want to play for the money that was offered. He could still be the best gk in the world.
That Red Star 1991 Champions Cup winning team feels the same as the Ajax 2019 side. All literally world class players, then most of them left the club in the same year and none of them made anything remarkable in their career after the Champions Cup win.
Not really Mihajlovic became like a goat free kick tacker.
always blame the keepers never the build up or the turnover that led to the goalies mistake.
Arda should’ve stayed at Atletico
Cancelo was the best fullback itw and just disappeared
Alli was a beast for us
Just when we're talking players from the past couple of decades, it surprises me that neither Phillipe Coutinho or Pierre Aubameyang were on this list, but when we're talking all of the time that I've followed football (since the late 80's), I'd still say that Paul Gascoigne's fall from grace in the early to mid 90's tops everyone else. I really think that if he'd stayed at Spurs and not gone to Lazio, then he could have kept playing at the same level for much longer, but alas, it wasn't to be.
Goalkeeping is hard to judge because of limited actions and impact on actual play, so some become unjustifiably overrated. Once they switch teams it turns out they were nothing special
You could just tell by his appearance, that Dele Alli was dealing with a bunch of stuff. IMO, it would be great if he came to the MLS: good money, no language barrier, low pressure...