10 players with bright starts that faded early

#8 Ryan Babel

Fulham FC v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League

After Ryan Babel graduated from Ajax's youth academy in 2001, he was expected by many people to do big things, and, sure enough, within three years of him being in the first team, he was bought by Liverpool for £15m.

Babel's time at Anfield was largely a success and he developed rapidly within a side that was generous to the youngster, giving him advice and generally helping him out when possible. As a result, he blossomed into a very good player. But, as with everything, what goes up must come down.

It seemed as if Babel ran out of steam and exhausted all of his ability by the time he had reached his early twenties, as he began to slip down the rankings at Liverpool quite quickly at one point.

Hoffenheim took him off Liverpool's hands in January 2011 for a mere £6m, a reflection of how much he had declined since he joined the Reds four years ago. But six months with the German club was all he would get before he was handed to Ajax on a free transfer.

From here, Babel would be passed around four different clubs before finally landing with Fulham in January of this year for just under £2m. He was brought in to try and save the struggling London side from sliding into the relegation zone, but despite a few positive performances, he was mostly unimpressive.

Babel recently featured for the Netherlands in a European Qualifier match, however, which definitely a big step up from the level he's been playing at in recent years, but many believe it to be a one-off. Babel will play in the Championship for Fulham next year if he doesn't jump ship.