10 players with bright starts that faded early

#6 Federico Macheda

Manchester United v Stoke City - Premier League

Federico Macheda was just 17 years old when he came on as a substitute for Manchester United against Aston Villa. The score was 2-1 to Villa, and it was a must-win game for United in the final sprint for the Premier League title. Cristiano Ronaldo pulled a goal back to level the score but that wouldn't be enough -- a goal had to be scored for United; it was now or never.

The ball fell to Macheda who had the ball knocked away from his feet, but it came to Ryan Giggs who passed it back to the Italian who had now found a bit of space. He flicked the ball to his side after receiving it, sending the defender the wrong way, then curled it round the keeper's outstretched arm and into the far corner of the net.

Old Trafford exploded. The ground's moniker -- "The Theatre of Dreams" -- seemed very much appropriate at this moment in time. Macheda was instantly a United hero.

However, after he scored that wondergoal on his debut, expectations were sky-high. This was probably the crux of his downfall; his inability to handle the pressure caused him to plummet to perhaps the lowest depths a football can go.

In January 2011, Macheda embarked on one of many loan deals to Sampdoria, where he was mediocre at best. The same can be said for his spells with Stuttgart, Queen's Park Rangers, Doncaster, and Birmingham, too. He failed to revive his stagnating career and was ultimately sold to Cardiff City on a free transfer in July 2014.

His time at Cardiff would prove just as miserable. He was given an opportunity to prove himself on loan at Nottingham Forest but returned the same as he had been. In August 2016, his contract would be terminated and he was made a free agent.

By December, he had joined Italian side Novara in the third tier of Italian football, where he stayed for two years before moving on to Greek side Panathinaikos on a free transfer in September 2018.

Despite it seeming like Macheda has been around forever, he's still only 27 years old. It's safe to say that he never quite realised his potential, though, and has plunged into obscurity, which is probably how it will stay until he retires.