Wasted Talent

Niall

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Just found this article on players who were wasted talents, those who could have been greats of the game;

http://msn.football365.com/story/0,17033,8750_6441275,00.html

For those of you who can't be bothered to read the article I'll give you the run down;
10. Ryan Green
9. Joe Cole
8. Robin Friday
7. Billy Kenny
6. Winston Bogarde
5. Carlo Cudicini
4. Adriano
3. Adrian Mutu
2. Stan Collymore
1. Paul Gascoigne

Some interesting choices, what do you guys think of them and who else do you think should be on the list?

I think Freddy Adu will join this lot if he doesn't do something soon, maybe you could add Ronaldinho, he did acheive a lot and was the greatest player in the world but surely with the right mindset he could still be the best now, he's only 29/30.
 
I also saw it, and Robin Friday stands out for me. Often labelled as "the greatest footballer you never saw"

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''He soon moved to Hayes, who were willing to pay him more and were closer to his home in Acton. Hayes started one match with only ten players, as Friday was finishing a pint in the local pub. When he finally took the field after ten minutes he was obviously drunk and spent the game staggering around the pitch. Naturally, the opposition ignored him, until he scored the only goal of the game.''
 
"Ronaldinho, he did acheive a lot and was the greatest player in the world but surely with the right mindset he could still be the best now, he's only 29/30. "

Ronaldinho is still class........ Possibly Milans best player last season
 
"Ronaldinho, he did acheive a lot and was the greatest player in the world but surely with the right mindset he could still be the best now, he's only 29/30. "

Ronaldinho is still class........ Possibly Milans best player last season

The problem with Ronaldinho was towards the back-end of his spell at Barca, he was already a superstar and he knew it. He sacrificed football in order to go out partying and clubbing.

If he was 100% dedicated he would still be in the top 3 players in the World.
 
The problem with Ronaldinho was towards the back-end of his spell at Barca, he was already a superstar and he knew it. He sacrificed football in order to go out partying and clubbing.

If he was 100% dedicated he would still be in the top 3 players in the World.

oO)
About his fitness and dedication -

The Brazilian had been accused of being overweight and unfit last term, which in turn led to rumours that he could potentially depart the San Siro over the summer. Several sides from all over the world were said to be interested in his signature, though since the player’s agent announced in early August that there would be no move, there has been little speculation.

Now back with his side, Ronaldinho appears to have turned over a new leaf and is ready to get back to his best.

“’Dinho’ is improving,” Tognaccini explained.

“Since arriving in Milan, he has made remarkable progress.

“Now, his weight is close to what he had with Barcelona when he won the Ballon d’Or, 82 to 83lbs. When he arrived at Milanello two years ago, on the first day he weight nearly 90lbs.”

As i said, hes still class, 17 assists and 15 goals in 36 apps is hardly bad. I know he was easily the best in the world at Barca, but keeping that momentum was always going to be hard. He dipped and now hes playing great again. Hardly wasted talent.

(also this season 4 apps 3 assists)
 
oO)
About his fitness and dedication -

The Brazilian had been accused of being overweight and unfit last term, which in turn led to rumours that he could potentially depart the San Siro over the summer. Several sides from all over the world were said to be interested in his signature, though since the player’s agent announced in early August that there would be no move, there has been little speculation.

Now back with his side, Ronaldinho appears to have turned over a new leaf and is ready to get back to his best.

“’Dinho’ is improving,” Tognaccini explained.

“Since arriving in Milan, he has made remarkable progress.

“Now, his weight is close to what he had with Barcelona when he won the Ballon d’Or, 82 to 83lbs. When he arrived at Milanello two years ago, on the first day he weight nearly 90lbs.”

As i said, hes still class, 17 assists and 15 goals in 36 apps is hardly bad. I know he was easily the best in the world at Barca, but keeping that momentum was always going to be hard. He dipped and now hes playing great again. Hardly wasted talent.

(also this season 4 apps 3 assists)

Yeah. I wasn't knocking his dedication now, but back after he won the Ballon d’Or and he seemed to lose interest. If he kept up the standard throughout his time at Barca and carried that form into Milan he would still be in the top 3 for me.
 
Ryan Babel too! But not as hyped up as a lot of the others on the list.
 
The problem with Ronaldinho was towards the back-end of his spell at Barca, he was already a superstar and he knew it. He sacrificed football in order to go out partying and clubbing.

If he was 100% dedicated he would still be in the top 3 players in the World.
Cristiano Ronaldo isn't 100% dedicated; he's always out partying and with different girls, as well as crashing expensive cars. Yet he could be thought of as one of the top 3 in the world at the moment.
 
Why are we discussing Ronaldinho and Cristiano Ronaldo as wasted talents? 'Dinho won Ballon d'or and Ronaldo is arguably the brightest player of this generation.

Get back to talking about real wasted talents guys, the guys who had the same level of talent but who also struggled with off the field issues and injuries, and so never played for their country, won the world cup etc etc.

My Dad speaks about Robin Friday like he could easily have been the best player ever to have played for England if he wasn't such an off the field mess.
 
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Michael Owen. Think how good he could've been without injuries, in his prime.
 
I think Anthony Stokes should be on the list, I was chuffed when we signed him from the gunners, and he was an epic flop.
 
David Bentley was promising at Blackburn, wasted at Spurs. Although he was never going to be one of the worlds best, as much as he'd like to think he is.
 
Michael Owen. Think how good he could've been without injuries, in his prime.

True, considering most players peak around 28 and Owen hasn't been fully fit since he was 25/26, he would almost certainly have beaten Bobby Charlton's England goalscoring record.
 
89 caps and 40 goals isnt bad

I'm not saying he did badly, I'm saying think he good he COULD have been, if he wasn't perma-injured. Think how deadly he'd be aged 28, at the height of his powers, still with the pace and still with the predatory instincts.

EDIT: Ha, yeah, agreed with above.
 
Francis Jeffers.

Looked like a good prospect for Arsenal but flopped completely.
 
David Bentley? Looked brilliant for blackburn now see where he is at :S
 
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