10 of the biggest wastes of talent in football

Modified Mar 11, 2022 09:40 GMT

Adriano was considered as one of the best strikers during his time at Inter

#5 Anderson

Anderson was a Champions League winner at United

“If I want to, I can be a great player.”

When Anderson uttered these words in 2011, there was still hope for his floundering career at Manchester United. The Brazilian came to United with huge promise, winning the Golden Ball in the FIFA U-17 World Cups, and then claimed the Golden Boy award for the most promising youngster in 2008.

“He was clearly the best player, but there were times when he just stood around.” – This description of Anderson’s performances in the U-17 World Cup ought to have been a fair warning to the Manchester United faithful, but they didn’t care, christening the heir apparent to Paul Scholes with a chant that considered him better than Cesc Fabregas.

That everyone, even Sir Alex Ferguson, had been hoodwinked by the Brazilian’s talent soon became apparent. Rumors of his large appetite and unintelligence leaked from former United stars such as Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown as they left the dressing room. Ultimately, after eight seasons and 181 games, Anderson left the Red Devils, scoring a paltry nine goals.

He repeated those very inconsistencies at Brazilian club Internacional before moving to Adana Demirspor in 2018.

He finally announced his retirement from football in 2020.

Edited by Staff Editor