15) Nicolas Anelka
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The big Frenchman had all the weapons in his arsenal to become of the great strikers, but as his career is coming to a screeching halt, you can’t help feel that he has never made the most of his talent.
Possessing good pace, immense power and a bag of tricks, Anelka made big money moves to Chelsea, PSG, Arsenal and Real Madrid.
He never performed on a consistent basis and could not establish himself as a dominating force in attack. Anelka also had behavioral issues and fought with most of his manager’s, spoiling his reputation in the process.
14) Francis Jeffers
Having two of the largest ears seen in homo sapiens, Jeffers had the world at his feet after an 8million move to Arsenal and a goal on his international debut with England. However, he turned out to be one of Wenger’s biggest transfer mistakes and fell faster down the pecking order than Ryan Giggs’ trousers once away from Imogen Thomas. When the likes of Robbie Fowler and Dwight Yorke were banging in goals every match week, the Arsenal lad was struggling to go past the worst of defenders. His career reached a new low when he was released by Motherwell in 2011.
13) Robinho
Another player who has commanded huge transfer fees but never quite delivered on his promise, Brazilian winger Robinho never made the most of his talent. The winger played for some of the biggest clubs in the world (Real Madrid and Manchester City).
As politics are crucial in Spanish elections for club presidents, Madrid chief Florentino Perez used Robinho as a bait to lure Cristiano Ronaldo. After a decent debut, Robinho faded away and churned up lackluster performances.
He was offloaded to Manchester City in 2008, where he failed miserably. He was shipped out on loan to Santos in 2010 and is a non-entity in today’s world of ‘elite football’.
12) Jose Antonio Reyes
‘The Spanish sensation who left Zinedine Zidane in awe'- Jose Reyes’s career could not have gotten a better start. Playing for huge clubs such as Real Madrid, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, this man was en route to become ‘football’s next big thing.’ But, his name and fame started slowly deteriorating with his dip in form and was often kept out by players in comparatively better form than him. His willingness to work hard started becoming more and more imminent that led to clubs offloading him. He finally joined RCD Espanyol, with a hope of finding his feet again.
11) Javier Pastore
One of the most graceful players when on song, Argentina midfielder Javier Pastore has gathered countless admirers. After a couple of impressive seasons with Palermo, Pastore was bought by big spenders PSG for a hefty €42 million.
The central midfielder has impressed in patches and has not lived up to everyone’s expectations. Pastore lost his place in the starting XI soon after the arrival of Italian youngster Marco Veratti. He has failed to impress even in national colors and has fallen out the radar. Pastore must try his luck somewhere else if he wants to resurrect his career.
