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#2 Adel Taarabt
“He’s got the ability of a Di Canio or someone. When he came here they called him the next Zidane.”
These are the comparisons that Harry Redknapp gave to Adel Taarabt, and he is in a place to know, having managed the Moroccan for six out of his 10 years in football.
The Englishman first managed Taarabt in Tottenham Hotspur and later brought the him to Queens Park Rangeros when Redknapp became the London side’s manager.
However, the Englishman's opinion had changed considerably by then, saying:
“He’s not injured. He’s not fit. He’s not fit to play football unfortunately. I can’t protect people who don’t want to run and train, and are about three stone overweight.”
Taarabt’s ability has never been in question, blessed with silky dribbling skills married to a wand of a left foot that became famous in the Premier League and Championship for some stunning goals.
However, the fact that QPR were happy to let the Moroccan move to Benfica by releasing him of his contract shows just how much he has fallen from his early days and how much he has wasted his undoubted ability.
The 32-year-old still plays his trade in Portugal with Benfica.
