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#3 Mario Balotelli | former Italian wonderkid
Mario Balotelli emerged as a brilliant star for Italy during the 2012 European Championship. It almost seemed like his route to stardom was set in the annals of destiny. The reality, however, was a rude shock.
The star went from playing for top Premier League clubs to plying his trade with Serie B side Monza before he even turned 30. Now at Adana Demirspor, Balotelli has made just 58 appearances with four clubs since 2018.
Disciplinary problems seemed to follow the Italian star to every club he joined. The star notably dragged Manchester City to a Premier League tribunal to fight the club's decision to fine him.
His inconsistencies often resurfaced with each dramatic dispute, with the star unable to capture his form during these issues. His presence in the final third remains potent, but only in moments of brilliance. That's because when tempers rise, a 10-game goal drought won't be out of the question for Mario Balotelli.
#2 El Hadji Diouf | former Senegalese wonderkid
After a scintillating season with Lens in the French league, Liverpool were quick to purchase the 21-year-old wonderkid in 2002 for £10 million. However, all El Hadji Diouf managed to bring to Anfield were his controversies. He remains one of the worst strikers in Liverpool's long history.
His performances for Senegal might have been brilliant, but the star failed to replicate that brilliance for his club.
His controversial antics included spitting on an 11-year-old Middlesbrough fan. He also snatched the ball from fellow teammate Neil Mellor to take a penalty. He notably got on the bad side of both Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard.
Diouf left Liverpool with just six goals in 79 appearances which is a worse return than most midfielders. His career continued downhill from there, and he eventually retired in the Malaysia Premier League.
#1 Adrian Mutu | former Chelsea star
Chelsea's decision to pay an exorbitant fee for Adrian Mutu made a lot of sense in 2003, especially with his brilliant performances in Serie A in mind. He had scored 22 goals in 36 appearances for Parma.
Interestingly, his time at Chelsea started hitch-free, with the star scoring on his debut and enjoying braces in back-to-back games. However, the downturn quickly started after he was embroiled in a very public divorce battle.
Another public feud began with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. This came after the manager made it clear that he had no intentions of playing Mutu, likely due to the star's off-field antics. Everything eventually came to a rough end when Mutu was sacked by Chelsea after failing a drug test.
Constant legal battles with Chelsea, since 2004, hampered his future prospects. After a short stint with Juventus, the star played for Fiorentina for most of his later career.
