Players who never fulfilled their potential

Alright, I just came up with the idea to make a thread about players who were said to be the next big thing, but never quite reached what they could.

Rules of this thread:
- Injuries are a reason someone can be mentioned here
- Don't mention players who can still reach the top. Just because it seems that they won't reach it now, doesn't mean that they won't reach it at all.

Jermaine Pennant?

Gago?

Pennant.

Pennant had no potential, he's just shit!

Anyways, Ruben De la Red, Sebatien Deisler.

Neil Mellor and David Bentley for now. I'll be back with more.

Messi



Gamberini?

Mal wrote:Neil Mellor and David Bentley for now. I'll be back with more.

Neil Mellor

Anelka...

Keep them coming, people.

And you're welcome to add either why you think they never did, or a little description.

Cherno Samba.
The 13-year-old hit the headlines when he scored 132 goals in 32 games in one season alone. He was besieged by offers from big clubs, notably Liverpool, but the deal fell through and he joined Millwall. The trouble was, Samba's prodigious size and strength had given him an advantage in his early days, but once the players around him had grown up too, he no longer stood out. In 2004, he left the Lions to try and build a career in Spain. He later had brief spells at Plymouth, Wrexham and, most recently, Haka in Finland.

Ricardo Quaresma

Maybe Babel? He's still young though, but he's worth a mention.

luke. wrote:Gago?

That's Lady Gago to you.

John Welsh. He was tipped for big things now he is playing at Tranmere I think.

Simon Whaley

How about Kalou?

He's admittedly underrated by many, including me, and could still fulfill his potential, which looked great.

Johnny Evans

Podolski?

He is a great player, why is he still at Koln?

I highly rated Bentley, thought he'd be biggish.

erm... Giovanni dos Santos has screwed up his career imo. Should've stayed in Barca.

Boruc as well. Boruc could've been a top 5 keeper in the world imo. Though it's not like he hasn't had a good career.

Pawel Brozek as well, injuries and lack of form screwed him up. Could've been a good EPL goalscorer IMO. Should've left to West Ham or Fulham when they offered.

Also Miccoli. Though IMO he DID reach his potential, he never showed it off at a top top club. Like Mauro says, he could've been one of Serie A's greats of Football with 70 caps for Italy, but bad luck career wise stopped him.

Santiago Ezquerro was amazing at Bilbao. Shame he didn't make it at Barcelona.

Erm... Who else....?

Pip wrote:Podolski?

He is a great player, why is he still at Koln?

He doesn't perform at club level. I've heard he lacks all ambition to succeed at club level, and only has the ambition for the National Team.

He can stay at Koln though. Matuszczyk, Peszko and Podolski is sex!

Quaresma.
He's fucked off to turkey for the money now right?

chiboygeorge wrote:Pennant had no potential, he's just shit!

Anyways, Ruben De la Red, Sebatien Deisler.

I heard alot of good things about him. He had alot of Injuries tho right?

polska. wrote:I highly rated Bentley, thought he'd be biggish.

erm... Giovanni dos Santos has screwed up his career imo. Should've stayed in Barca.

Boruc as well. Boruc could've been a top 5 keeper in the world imo. Though it's not like he hasn't had a good career.

Pawel Brozek as well, injuries and lack of form screwed him up. Could've been a good EPL goalscorer IMO. Should've left to West Ham or Fulham when they offered.

Also Miccoli. Though IMO he DID reach his potential, he never showed it off at a top top club. Like Mauro says, he could've been one of Serie A's greats of Football with 70 caps for Italy, but bad luck career wise stopped him.

Santiago Ezquerro was amazing at Bilbao. Shame he didn't make it at Barcelona.

Erm... Who else....?

Same thing you said about Miccoli can be said about Pauleta.

I was watching the Besitkas/Fenerbahce derby a while back. Quaresma!!! He is a CLASS act.

Kuled wrote:

chiboygeorge wrote:Pennant had no potential, he's just shit!

Anyways, Ruben De la Red, Sebatien Deisler.

I heard alot of good things about him. He had alot of Injuries tho right?

Had heart problems.

Kuled wrote:

chiboygeorge wrote:Pennant had no potential, he's just shit!

Anyways, Ruben De la Red, Sebatien Deisler.

I heard alot of good things about him. He had alot of Injuries tho right?

Ruben de la Red.

They diagnosed him as having a weak heart and said he couldn't play football anymore.

Same thing happened to another brilliant Spanish defender whose name I forget now. He was at Sevilla or somewhere.

Joe Cole.

Quaresma hasn't failed per say, just hasn't shown enough when he's played at the highest level. He's pretty close to playing to his full potential atm, he's tearing up the Turkish league.

Lutolf for Grasshoppers.