5 world-class footballers who are well past their prime

#3 Philippe Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho is yet to live up to his enormous price tag.

Barcelona broke the bank in the 2018 summer transfer window to secure a club-record €135 million transfer for Philippe Coutinho.

There were huge expectations on the Brazilian as he was presented as the Blaugrana's replacement for Xavi and Andres Iniesta. However, Coutinho has looked like a shadow of his former self at Camp Nou.

Arguably, his best performance since signing for the Cules came against the club while on loan at Bayern Munich. The Brazilian scored a brace to complete Bayern's 8-2 demolition job of Barcelona in the 2019-20 Champions League quarter-final.

Coutinho has been afforded more game time in the 2021-22 season to make a case for himself, but has largely flattered to deceive. The 29-year-old has failed to control the game from the middle of the park, and has contributed to Barcelona's disappointing start to the season.

In 11 appearances across all competitions this season, Coutinho has generated a return of only one goal. The likes of Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Sergio Busquets have gotten the nod ahead of the Brazilian in Barcelona's recent games.

Several clubs have turned down the opportunity to sign Philippe Coutinho in recent years. So it might be said that the player is nearing his end at the top of the game.

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#2 Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale is arguably one of the most underrated players in Real Madrid history, despite having played a pivotal role in four Champions League wins.

After his £90 million transfer from Tottenham Hotspur, the Welshman failed to live up to the ridiculously high standards of the Real Madrid faithful. Bale's relationship with the fans and club remains a fractured one, which has been a major hindrance in his development at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Welshman has registered only three appearances for Real Madrid this season, but has managed to get on the scoresheet in his limited playing time.

Much like Hazard, the 32-year old has spent a long time on the sidelines due to recurring injuries during his eight-year stay in Madrid. Bale has also looked unsettled in the Spanish capital for a long time now, and that has severely impacted his game.

While you can never write off a champion player like Bale, it would be fair to say that we've already seen the best of the explosive forward.

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#1 Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard

During his seven-year stay at Stamford Bridge, Eden Hazard established himself as one of the elite talents in the game. However, things haven't panned out according to script thereafter, as the Belgian international has largely underwhelmed at his new club.

Real Madrid splurged a club-record €116 million to seal Hazard's signing. The Belgian was tipped to be the man to replace Cristiano Ronaldo in the long run.

The Belgian captain, though, failed to hit the ground running in the Spanish capital. Injuries haven't helped Hazard either, as he has been restricted to the sidelines for a major chunk of his Los Blancos career.

Hazard has managed to remain relatively injury-free this season, notching up ten appearances across competitions. He enjoyed a promising start to the season, registering an assist in Real Madrid's season-opener of their ongoing league campaign.

The former Chelsea man has failed to make any real impact since, with no goal contributions in his subsequent nine appearances. This season, Hazard has been relegated to the bench in some of Real Madrid's most important fixtures, including their most recent El Clasico game.

From the outside, it seems like the Belgian has fallen out of favour under Carlo Ancelotti. He is seemingly behind Benzema, Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo and Asensio in the pecking order.

In a recent interview, Ancelotti said:

"Those who don't play need to have faith. Look at Mariano, how he finally got his chance and is enjoying himself, playing good. That's what Hazard needs to do."