Here’s a look at the careers of these ten players tipped for greatness a decade ago – including a Tottenham Hotspur ace, a Liverpool attacker who began at West Ham, plus players who enjoyed loans at Portsmouth, Everton, Chelsea, Wigan Athletic and even a Barnsley striker.
There are always top ten lists of the next great star to grace the beautiful game. So I thought it would be interesting to investigate the success of a list made ten years ago and see where the careers of these young men progressed to.
Rafael Van Der Vaart – Ajax
Jury is out on RVDV; a disappointing time with Real Madrid was sandwiched between success at Spurs and Hamburg/Ajax. His honours list should be longer but an accumulation of almost a century of caps for Holland and a nomination for the Ballon d’Or mean he may not have met his potential but still a very successful career. VERDICT: HIT!
Andres D’Alessandro – River Plate
Moved to the wrong club with Vfl Wolfsburg in 2003 and despite exciting loan deals with Portsmouth and Zaragoza he never made it in Europe. Fans of Internacional in Brazil would tell you he is a hit after a so far successful 4 year stint but for me his failure in Europe and international level means only one thing. VERDICT: MISS!
Landon Donovan – San Jose Earthquakes
Rather unfair and fickle to say he is a success when D’Allesandro isn’t since neither has fully proved themselves abroad but the man is a legend in the States. 143 caps and 49 goals for his country and a sterling career at LA Galaxy differentiate him from the Argentine. VERDICT: HIT!
Ricardo Quaresma – Sporting Lisbon
A move to Barca did not work but he seemed to change his fortunes with a move to Porto in 2004. After moving to Inter things went downhill and after a brief loan spell at Chelsea he moved to Turkey in 2010 with Besiktas. He is only 28 but this deal has been another disaster and chances are running out for the Portuguese. VERDICT: MISS!
Joe Cole – West Ham United
His career is stalling but his success at Chelsea and a brief period of time when he was England’s best player might make him a hit in some people’s eyes. However I will reserve judgement to see how this season, his comeback season, goes. VERDICT: UNDECIDED?
Mido – Ajax
An undoubted miss; serial flopper at various clubs he now finds himself at Oakwell playing for Barnsley next season. His attitude has never been helpful and he has wasted what could have been a promising career. VERDICT: MISS!
Julius Agahowa – Shaktar Donetsk
Fast and powerful; yet it never happened for the Nigerian. Spent 7 years at the Ukrainian side before Wigan snapped him up in 2007. A dismal season followed and after a brief spell In Turkey now finds himself without a club after an unsuccessful return to Donetsk. VERDICT: MISS!
Dmitry Sychev – Spartak Moscow
After teenage success at Spartak a move to Marseilles in France was a disaster. After one season he moved back to Russia with Lokomotiv where he still remains and is loved by the fans of the Red-Greens. So in that respect it’s hard to say Sychev is a miss; but he definitely hasn’t reached the higher echelons of his potential. VERDICT: MISS!
Antonio Cassano – AS Roma
A few months ago I would have classed the temperamental Italian a miss after a disappointing time at Real Madrid and a tumultuous period with Sampdoria. However after recovering from a life threatening health condition to perform brilliantly at Euro 2012 Antonio has to be classed a success. VERDICT: HIT!
Kaka – Sao Paulo
There’s no wonder he points to the heavens every time he scores because talent like his must be god given. A World Cup Medal, Champions League Medal, Balon d’Or win, FIFA World Footballer of the Year accolade and a brief stint as the world’s most expensive footballer have followed and whilst injuries have sidetracked him recently there’s no doubting his success. VERDICT: HIT!
image: © Jan S0L0
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