10 ultra-talented teenage stars who have failed to live up to their potential

Brazilian duo Robinho and Pato have failed to shineThere is arguably nothing more exciting in the world of football than the prospect of the latest wonderkid. Visions of what those heralded youngsters may achieve will provide ample debate for fans across the globe and we love it when those predictions come true.However, for every prodigy who goes on to relaise his potential, there is another who fails to deal with the hype. Some might be potential world beaters that can only sustain an average career at best, whilst others will fall off the football radar completely.Here are 10 players who were unable to project themselves into the stratosphere that was once predicted.

#1 Jermaine Pennant

Pennant has been thoroughly disappointing

There once was a time when Jermaine Pennant was touted as the future of English football. Unfortunately, a combination of problems both on and off the field have prevented the talented winger from ever achieving any real standing in the game.

Pennant joined Arsenal for £2million in 1999, making him the then-record signing for an apprentice. At the tender age of 15, the winger had the entire world at his feet. But he chose to kick it away.

In 2005, Pennant was jailed for drink-and-driving and the ‘bad boy’ image has caused a hugely detrimental impact to his progress ever since. A number of loans away from Arsenal underlined the feeling that he was no longer wanted in North London and the winger eventually found himself at Birmingham City.

A promising spell at St Andrew’s sparked a move to Liverpool, but once again the former England U21 star failed to live up to expectations at a big club. A disappointing spell in Spain with Real Zaragoza lasted less than a year before Stoke City came calling, initially on loan before securing his services on a permanent basis in the summer of 2011.

Despite a promising start, however, Pennant soon fell down the pecking order and was eventually released in January 2014. After months of failing to find a club, the ex-Arsenal man joined Indian side FC Pune City for the inaugural Indian Super League campaign.

Now in the twilight of his career, it seems inevitable that Pennant will ultimately reflect on his career by ruing missed opportunities.

#2 Ricardo Quaresma

The Porto winger has never quite set the world alight

Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma has enjoyed a fairly decent career in football, but his name will always be synonymous with the words ‘if only’.

Having broken into the Sporting Lisbon side as a teenager, many had predicted that the rapid trickster would go on to enjoy a brighter career than teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. However, whilst his slightly younger compatriot has gone on to become the world’s greatest player, Quaresma has made a far more modest impact on the sport.

Disappointing spells at Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea paint a pretty clear picture but his failure to live up to expectations was probably best highlighted by the fact he spent half a year in the UAE with Al Ahli. To make matters worse, that spell came at the age of 29 – when he should have been at the peak of his powers.

With 38 international caps and a Champions League winners’ medal to his name, it is hard to write Quaresma off as a complete flop. However, there is no question that his achievements in the game fall well short of the riches once predicted.

#3 Freddy Adu

Exciting prospect Freddy Adu burst onto the scene as a 14-year-old wonderkid as D.C United made him the first pick of the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. Fast-forward 11 years and the former USA international is now working as a nightclub promoter after failing to live up to his ‘next Pele’ tag.

The attacking midfielder actually enjoyed a very productive start to his professional career, lifting the MLS Cup during his first campaign before later being nominated for the 2005 FIFPRO Young Player of the Year award.

Following a brief spell at Real Salt Lake, the United States U20 skipper received his big transfer to Europe as Benfica parted with $2million for the then-18-year-old. Big things had been predicted for the teen, who had already been capped by the US senior team. Unfortunately, he never lived up to those predictions.

Adu failed at several European clubs before returning to his homeland with Philadelphia Union in 2011. After stuttered progress back in the MLS, he moved to Brazilian side Bahia, who would eventually release the player after just a handful of appearances.

Trials across Europe, including Dutch side AZ Alkmaar followed, before Adu finally found a new team in FK Jagodina. However, the midfielder failed to earn a single league appearance in Serbia and was subsequently released in December 2014.

His current job suggests that the 25-year-old’s time in football is over.

#4 Robinho

Robinho struggled to live up to expectations

Fans across the world had eulogised about the name Robinho long before he finally made his move from Santos to Real Madrid in 2005. However, the Brazilian trickster never really hit the heights so many had predicted.

A teenage Robinho had been absolutely sensational back in his homeland, earning his first senior Selecao cap at the tender age of 19 and had been largely touted as the man who would lead Brazil to World Cup success on home soil in 2014. As it turned out, he didn’t even make the squad.

Three years in Spain were sprinkled with moments of promise, but he didn’t produce the goods regularly and could hardly be deemed a success at the Bernabeu. Nevertheless, he made headlines again on transfer deadline day 2008 as the subject of a mind-blowing £33million transfer to English side Manchester City – although it would later be discovered that the player had mistakenly thought he was actually signing for rivals Manchester United.

Despite a promising start to life in the Premier League, things soon turned sour at the Etihad and Robinho was loaned back to Santos before eventually completing a £15million switch to Italian club AC Milan. Once again, magical moments have been rare during his time at the San Siro, and the winger is now back at Santos on loan once more.

Now 31, it seems unlikely that we’ll ever see Robinho light up the world in the manner which we had once hoped.

#5 Alexandre Pato

Pato failed to carry on his promsing start in Milan

By the age of 16, Alexandre Pato had already made huge headlines in his native Brazil by becoming the top scorer in the U20 Campeonato Brasiliero and fans all over the country were expecting him to eventually conquer Europe en route to becoming the world’s greatest striker. Despite a promising start, he has so far failed to live up to those dreams.

Competition for the Internacional star was fierce and he eventually opted to join newly crowned Champions League kings AC Milan in the summer of 2007. Registration regulations meant he would have to wait half a season for his competitive debut, but Pato still ended his first campaign in Italy with nine competitive goals under his belt.

A return of 15 league goals came in the following season and another 26 were added over the subsequent two seasons. He had additionally cemented his place in the Brazil national team and look destined to lead the national line for years to come. However, recurring hamstring injuries started to disrupt his development at Milan and a steep decline soon followed.

Having hit just one league goal during his final 18 months at the club, Pato was sold back to Brazil as Corinthians paid £12million for a four-year deal. However, he was loaned out to Sao Paulo after just one, and has yet to earn a recall to the national team since.

Now 25, Pato should be at the top of his game. Instead, the possibility of fading into football obscurity is becoming ever more likely.

#6 Danny Cadamarteri

Danny Cadamarteri once looked destined for success

In October 1997, a teenage Danny Cadamarteri thrust himself into the hearts of Evertonians with a crucial goal against arch-rivals Liverpool. That, his fourth goal of the season, led to many predicting that he could lead the Goodison Park frontline for years to come. As it turned out, though, that derby goal would be the highlight of his career.

The young pacer striker seemingly boasted an eye for goal and all the requisite skill needed to shine at Goodison Park, but he managed just nine more league goals in the space of four years. In 2002, he dropped down to Division 1 with Bradford City and would never play Premier League football again.

Cadamarteri has enjoyed some level of success within the game, helping Dundee United win the Scottish Cup in 2010 and also playing a part in Huddersfield Town’s League One play-off success in 2012. However, a return of under 40 league goals in over 15 years as a professional striker can hardly be considered good.

#7 Haruna Babangida

At the age of 14, Haruna Babangida joined Spanish giants Barcelona from Dutch side Ajax and was believed to be one of the most exciting prospects on the planet. However, despite a fairly productive development in Barcelona’s B team, the Nigerian midfielder somehow slipped through the net into football obscurity.

Babangida featured in a pre-season friendly at the age of 15 and was expected to become a future star for Louis van Gaal’s side. Unfortunately, despite boasting a pretty decent record of over 40 goals for the B side, the promising youngster never made his competitive debut for the senior team.

In 2004, Babangida cut his losses by joining Ukrainian side Metalurg Donetsk, which in turn initiated a decade of travelling across Europe’s minor leagues. The 32-year-old recently joined Maltese side FC Mosta and is playing in front of under 600 people alongside the likes of Ian Zammit.

A far cry from the Camp Nou and Lionel Messi.

#8 Michael Johnson

At 26, midfielder Michael Johnson should be entering his peak years as a professional footballer. Instead, the once promising youngster lives a life away from football following an explosive fall from grace.

As a teenager, Johnson burst on to the scene with a string of phenomenal displays for Manchester City. A corker of a strike against Derby County in August 2007 inevitably led to speculation that he’d go on to be an England great, but his time in the spotlight turned out to be extremely brief.

Injuries, combined with well documented off-field problems, limited his progress in the side and he slowly but surely fell into the shadows. There was a brief loan spell at Leicester City in 2011-12, but by the time City released him in the summer of 2012 it had been over three years since his last Premier League appearance.

A disastrous tale of wasted talent.

#9 Royston Drenthe

After signing for Real Madrid at the age of 20, following two extremely successful years at Feyenoord, Dutch star Royston Drenthe was hoping for a royal future in the game. However, a transfer to Reading wasn’t quite what he meant!

Having delighted fans in the Eredivisie as a teen, Drenthe really came to prominence during Jong Oranje’s successful showing at the 2007 U21 European Championships. The Dutch star not only helped the team win a second successive crown, he additionally picked up the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player – and with that a switch to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Unfortunately, Drenthe could never secure a regular spot at either left-back or left-midfield. Growing impatient, Real sanctioned loan moves to both Hercules and Everton before the Blancos decided against renewing his contract in the summer of 2012.

Following a year in Russia with Alania Vladikavkaz, Drenthe moved to English side Reading on a two-year deal. Having failed to impress during his first year at the Madejski, though, the club didn’t assign him a number for the 2014/15 season and allowed him to join Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday on a six-month loan.

After returning to Reading, the club quickly sold him to Turkish side Kayseri Eriyesspor. Drenthe has enjoyed a promising start to life in the SuperLig and at 27 still has time to rebuild his career. Whatever happens, though, he won’t be living up to the expectations of yesteryear.

#10 Nii Lamptey

Lampety failed to recapture his glorious youth

Once labelled the ‘Ghanaian Pele’, Nii Lamptey was expected to become one of the game’s leading talents during the 1990s and early 2000s. What actually materialised was another tragic story of unfulfilled potential.

Lamptey first gained plaudits as a 14-year-old at the U17 FIFA World Cup, which enticed Belgian side Anderlecht to acquire his services. However, it was at the 1991 U17 World Cup where he became a real star, by leading Ghana to the title and came fifth on that year’s African Footballer of the Year list. A bright future seemed inevitable.

Lamptey moved to PSV in 1993 and enjoyed a relatively successful year in the Netherlands before earning his big break to Premier League side Aston Villa. Still only 19, the sky was the limit for this immensely talented Ghanian star.

However, it never quite worked at Villa Park and he was soon shipped off to rivals Coventry City. Again, though, Lamptey failed to make any real impact. At 21, he was already on a downward spiral.

A number of brief spells across Europe, South America and Asia ensued, but Lamptey never managed to transform his early potential into results at club level. Likewise, the last of his 38 senior international caps came before his 22nd birthday.

Lamptey retired in 2008 after a particularly modest career and is now believed to be a farmer.

Edited by Staff Editor