5 players who peaked too soon

#5 Robinho

Robinho was fantastic at Real Madrid but his peak was a short one

Another Brazilian who peaked way too soon and has since tailed off, Robinho seemed to have the potential to be the best in the world when he first emerged from Brazil in the mid-2000s. Pele himself had spoken of Robinho’s talent when he was only 15, and at 18, he seemed to be living up to the billing, helping his club Santos to two league titles in three seasons.

A move to Real Madrid followed where he was handed the No. 10 shirt vacated by the legendary Luis Figo.

At 21, in his first season at Real, Robinho was brilliant, and in two further seasons he didn’t slow down. He was arguably Los Blancos’ key player as they won the La Liga in both 2006/07 and 2007/08, and so it came as a surprise when new contract discussions with the Brazilian went south, leaving him looking for a move elsewhere in the summer of 2008.

Robinho seemed set to move to Chelsea when Manchester City – newly minted from a buyout by Abu Dhabi United Group – swooped in and signed him on transfer deadline day for around £32.5m. Again, he was brilliant in his first season with his new club – finishing as City’s top scorer with 14 league goals. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got.

In his second season, following an injury, he barely played a part and was soon left looking for a new club. A loan move to Santos was followed by a permanent one to AC Milan, but after a decent first season at the San Siro his effectiveness began to wane quickly. Another loan move to Santos was followed by a jump to Chinese side Guangzhou, and he currently plays back in Brazil for Atletico Mineiro, having never gotten close to the type of form that made him one of the world’s most exciting players in his early 20s.