Promises that never were

The gap between initial expectations and the level that future football prodigies reach can vary greatly. In this context, many footballers never manage to live up to their predicted potential, falling short of the initial forecasts.

Clubs around the world dream of discovering the next jewel, that "different" player, that talent who stands out from the norm. A few years ago, it was about finding the new Maradona or the new Pelé; today, everyone is looking for the future Messi or Neymar. How many times have we heard phrases like, "He has a great future," "He's the reincarnation of...," or "He plays like...," "He's a star, he'll end up in a big team," and so on. These popular sports phrases sometimes become reality, and sometimes they don't, or at least not as expected.

Today we will focus on these talented players who, despite having played for major clubs and having their moments of glory, had many qualities to go much further in their football careers. These players were labeled as "the future best players in the world," and people and the football world had high expectations for them. However, for various reasons such as pressure, injuries, or simply a decline in their performance, they "burned out" before their time.

Fredua Korateng Adu, better known as Freddy Adu, is a clear example. The Ghanaian-American footballer made his professional debut in MLS at just 14 years old and was already being scouted by teams like Manchester United. He was hailed as the most important promise in the country, with some even comparing him to Pelé. Even the Brazilian star himself stated, "God gave Freddy the gift of playing football. If he is mentally and physically prepared, no one will stop him." At 16, he debuted for the national team after dazzling in the U-17 World Cup. He enjoyed all the perks: being the highest-paid player in the league, lucrative advertising contracts, fame, and more. He moved to Europe, playing for clubs like Benfica and Monaco but never managed to settle. He went through teams in Greece, Turkey, Brazil, Serbia, Finland, and Sweden, and even returned to play in the US, but never showed the potential he had as a young player.

Paulo Henrique Ganso is one of the most technically talented players to emerge from Brazil in recent years. He played alongside Neymar in the Santos team that won the 2011 Copa Libertadores. His talent suggested he was ready to succeed in a major European club, but his arrival on the continent was delayed. He joined São Paulo in 2012 and only reached Sevilla in 2016. He participated in a few matches and had a discreet spell, leading him to be loaned out to Amiens SC in France, where he also failed to show his full potential. In 2019, he returned to Brazil to play for Fluminense, where he is currently active and has enjoyed one of his best moments since his time at Santos.

Royston Drenthe, the Dutch footballer remembered by many for his signing with Real Madrid, is another example of the previously mentioned cases. He was developed and made his debut at Feyenoord at 19. Named the best player of the U-21 Euro, he attracted the attention of several scouts. Many labeled him as Roberto Carlos' heir. In 2007, Real Madrid bought him for around 13.5 million euros. He made his debut at the Bernabéu Stadium against Sevilla in the Spanish Supercup, scoring a stunning goal from outside the area. It seemed like a fairy tale; everything pointed to the start of a global star, but it didn't turn out that way. He failed to convince his coaches and was loaned out several times before being released. Besides Spain, he played for clubs in England, Russia, Turkey, and the UAE, finishing his career at Kozakken Boys, a team in the third tier of his country. His poor decisions and acts of indiscipline leave us with the typical "what if..."

We could describe more cases similar to these three players, but we will only mention a few: Bojan Krkić (Barça's promise), Giovani dos Santos (Mexican, Barça's promise), Javier Portillo (historical pichichi of Real Madrid's youth team), Jesé Rodríguez (Real Madrid, signed by PSG), Alen Halilović (Croatian signed by Barcelona at 17), Jack Wilshere (youngest player to debut for Arsenal at 16), Sebastian Giovinco (great promise of Juve and Italian football), Federico Macheda (Italian, Manchester United's promise), Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira (promise of Gremio who played for Porto and Manchester United, Golden Boy in 2008), Yoann Gourcuff (the little Zizou, Stade Rennes' promise and French football, signed by Milan), Robson de Souza, better known as Robinho (jewel of Santos, ex-player of Real Madrid, Milan, Manchester City, among others). Many of them ended their careers retiring very young, and some even faced addiction problems, bankruptcy, or involvement in crimes.

As we can see, there are many players with great potential who, due to their football qualities, manage to captivate scouts around the world. We can watch thousands of videos or find numerous statistics about these players; however, it is also true that despite their skills with the ball, many other factors such as injuries, consistency, pressure, or lack of professionalism cause these stars to fade and not shine as brightly as we initially thought.

Pérez Santellán Juan Pablo