5 worst football debuts of all time

For all the great debuts that footballers have had over the years, there have a few which have flattered to deceive. With that in mind, here is a list of the 5 worst debuts by a player for a club or country.

Click here for the list of the 10 best debuts in football.

5. Mikael Silvestre (Portland Timbers)

After having played for clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal and Inter Milan, Silvestre moved to the MLS to play for the Portland Timbers, but showed on debut why signing an ageing defender might not always turn out to be a good investment.

He was at fault for all three of New York Red Bulls’ goals, and looked extremely lacklustre, misplacing his passes, missing the ball completely on occasion, and moving like a man who was went beyond his years.

4. Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal)

Picked up from Charlton Athletic in what was a surprise move by Arsenal in 2011, Carl Jenkinson would have been ecstatic upon joining a club that he had supported as a kid.

However, while he might have dreamt of scoring on debut for the Gunners all his life, he certainly did not expect it to happen in the way it did in a pre-season friendly against German side FC Koln.

Receiving the ball 25 yards out, Jenkinson produced an exquisite first-time chip that strikers would be proud of, albeit on the wrong side of goal. His keeper, trying to scramble back, could not get a touch to it, leaving Jenkinson to rue a mistake that he wouldn’t know how he managed.

3. Chris Iwelumo (Scotland)

Iwelumo was given his first game for Scotland in tense circumstances. Being brought on with 35 minutes to play, with the score at 0-0 and Scotland needing a win to keep themselves in the hunt to qualify for the World Cup, the striker knew that with a good performance he could have put himself in the front papers the next day.

However, being presented with the ball two yards in front of goal with no goalkeeper in sight, Iwelumo horribly scuffed his attempt, seeing his prod inexplicably fly wide of the goal.

A possible debut dream had turned into a nightmare, and after the match he said: “I was confident, put my foot out and it hit the heel. I’m gutted but I’m a big character and I’ll take that one on the chin and move on.”

2. Lionel Messi (Argentina)

He might be the current and three-time Ballon d’Or winner, but Lionel Messi didn’t exactly have the greatest start to his international career with Argentina.

In a friendly against Hungary in 2005, Messi was brought on in the 63rd minute for his senior team debut at the age of 18. However, he didn’t last very long, and was sent off in under 2 minutes for allegedly-elbowing Vilmos Vanczak, who was tugging on Messi’s shirt.

Much has changed for his fortunes since, but arguably the greatest footballer of all time had a less-than-perfect start to his international career.

1. Jonathan Woodgate (Real Madrid)

After impressive spells at Leeds United and Newcastle United, Woodgate was signed by Real Madrid in 2004 for a fee of £13.4 million, the price surprising many given Woodgate’s physical frailties and injury frequencies.

Due to a long-term injury, Woodgate was not able to play a single match in his first season for the Spanish giants, and made his debut in September 2005 in La Liga against Athletic Bilbao. However, his opening game could not have gone worse, as he scored an own goal, and then was red-carded.

More injuries curtailed his Madrid career, as Woodgate left for England in 2006 after playing just 9 league games for Los Blancos. He was also voted the worst signing of the 21st century by Spanish daily Marca.

Click here for the list of the 10 best debuts in football.