Playing football with the same level or amount of potential you started your career with is simply no joke. To maintain your shine takes an unbelievable amount of hard work, devotion, and determination.
Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are true examples of such players. What they have achieved is the fruits of their endless blood, sweat, and tears.
However, not every talented player achieves further greatness, as some of them even take their own abilities for granted.
Now, let’s have a look at TOP 10 football players with massive potential who wasted their talent and faded away.
10. Federico Macheda
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Federico Macheda is a player who should 100% be listed next to players who failed to fulfill their potential. No one can deny the fact that his start at Manchester United was spectacular. However, it was difficult for the Italian to handle all the pressure and fan expectations that constantly surrounded him. Macheda is currently playing at Panathinaikos FC.
9. Ricardo Quaresma
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Ricardo Quaresma was once considered as one of the biggest young talents of Portugal. He used to be so good with the ball that he was often compared to Cristiano Ronaldo. Quaresma joined Barcelona from Sporting Lisbon, however the conflict with then Barca manager Frank Rijkaard made him return to Portugal. The master of rabona passes is currently playing at Vitória S.C.
8. Adnan Januzaj
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Adnan Januzaj was only a youngster when he started playing for Manchester United – one of the best clubs back then. Playing for a club like United requires a huge weight of expectation, and Januzaj either didn’t seem like he wanted it enough. Imagine you’re only 18 years old and the future is looking very bright. You play for undoubtedly one of the greatest clubs in the world. However, too much pressure didn’t let Januzaj show every side of his talents. The 27-year-old is currently playing at Real Sociedad.
7. Anderson
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Anderson was a promising star of Manchester United – the winner of the 2008 Golden Boy award. The United starlet was an extremely exciting young man when he first broke onto the scene. However, his reputation slightly faded away after falling out of bars and crashing his car on a night out when he was supposed to be recovering from an injury. The Brazilian retired in 2020.
6. Mario Götze
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Mario Gotze was probably the greatest ever Number 10 in the history of Borussia Dormtund. The man who scored the winning goal for Germany in World Cup 2014 final against Argentina. He was a potential future Ballon d’Or winner if he had stayed at Dortmund for a few more years to develop better. However, Gotze has been terribly unlucky with injuries, which prevented him to make the grade at Bayern Munich. The German is currently playing at PSV.
5. Jack Wilshere
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Have you ever get curious on what happened to Jack Wilshere’s football career? From being Arsenal’s brightest youngster to becoming a rejected player at West Ham. But no matter what, football fans will never forget 19-year-old Wilshere’s top-tier performance against Pep Guardiola’s Barca. The Englishman is currently playing for Aarhus Gymnastikforening.
4. Mario Balotelli
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Mario Balotelli is indeed one of the best players to step on the pitch. At the age of 17, he was already a miracle to watch. He was constantly hailed by every football manager for his skills and incredible talents. However, his biggest problem was discipline issues and unconventional behavior. The Italian is currently playing at Adana Demirspor.
3. James Rodriguez
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James Rodriguez had the world under his feet after World Cup 2014. The Colombian wonderkid shined in Brazil, claiming the Golden Boot after scoring six goals throughout the WC, despite his side getting knocked out in the quarter-finals. However, he failed to shine under some of the world’s best bosses and couldn’t succeed at Real Madrid the way he deserved. James is currently playing at Al-Rayyan.
2. Bojan Krkic
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Bojan Krkic was one of the most promising stars of Barcelona. Krkic even scored more goals than Leo Messi in the La Masia. The Barca starlet even managed to break the record Messi’s record as the youngest Barcelona player to feature in a La Liga match when he made his debut in 2007. The 31-year-old is currently playing at Vissel Kobe.
1. Hachim Mastour
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Hachim Mastour was one of the most promising wonderkids in the world. The Italian-born Moroccan spent 4 years at AC Milan, having begun his career at Reggiana before moving to Milan for €500,000 at the age of just 14. Since then his career has gone downhill rapidly. He was a great talent with huge potential, hailed like no one else. The 23-year-old is currently a free agent.