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Football – it’s such a funny game. It makes one think that it’s all too simple – players with ability shine, those without it don’t. But the truth is far from it. It is no secret that even when a player is blessed in abundance with natural ability and skill, there are a lot of other factors that go into making him a superstar. His career is largely dependent on the team he plays for, players around him, injuries, luck and to a large extent, his own motivation and drive towards success. Here, we take a look at 5 players who should have had a much better career if not for various issues. It should be noted that some of these names are legends of the game, and considered one of the best in their positions.
Michael Owen
Flashback to 1996-97 season. Robbie Fowler, who was a revered figure at Anfield, and who would be called ‘God’ for his goal scoring exploits and commitment to the club, injured his hamstring and was deemed out of squad for a long time. And in stepped a young striker from the academy in the form of Michael Owen. What started was a tale of romance – Owen couldn’t stop scoring, and the Kop faithful could not stop loving him. He was the typical ‘fox in the box’ – turning up in the right places at the right time, scoring goals with ease. He finished the season as Liverpool‘s top scorer. In fact, he finished every season from then on as Liverpool’s top scorer till 2004, despite his hamstring troubles. Liverpool won the treble, and Michael Owen was awarded the Ballo d’Or for his exploits. In 2004, he shocked Liverpool fans and football world by moving to Real Madrid in a 10 Million pound transfer. The Kop stared in disbelief as they watched their prodigy move to the powerhouse of football. That ill-fated move started the downfall of Owen’s career. Relegated to the substitute bench, he still managed to score 13 goals in the league. Subsequently, he moved to Newcastle United. His injury woes continued to haunt him, and he was out for over a year due to injury suffered in World Cup 2006. His patchy form continued, and Newcastle were finally relegated in 2009. He now plays for Manchester United, mostly as a backup or a substitute. The Kop would never forgive him for turning his back on them, and a player who was supposed to be one of the greatest English strikers ever, ended up chasing an injury-ravaged career.
Guti Haz
José María Gutiérrez Hernández, or Guti Haz, as he is better known was a true Blanco. He joined Real Madrid’s cantera in 1986, when he was 9 years old. Though he started playing as a striker, he was moved into the midfield soon, where he played most of his career. Guti was blessed with immense skill and creativity, and soon became one of the important members of the Spanish team. He was also one of the very few players, who won three Champions League titles with Real Madrid in the 90s and early 2000s. He is also one of the very few players who managed to survive the Galaticos overhaul of the club, when many high profile superstars were bought to play for the club. He was so skillful that the Madridistas claimed that on his day, he was a better player than Zidane. But sadly, those days were far and few. Though he was a very intelligent player, he did not have the temperament to make it to the elite league. Lethargic and often lacking work rate that is so essential to a central midfielder, he would be seen strolling around on the pitch during most matches. In some ways, it could be said that he was happy just playing for Real Madrid. He lacked the killer mentality that takes players to dizzying heights. Guti was a player who was happy with the fact that he won’t be remembered in a few years time, and that was his biggest flaw. His international career with Spain, which spawned 6 years saw him make a measly 14 appearances. Guti was, in more ways than one, a sloth in the football universe. That is not to say that he wasn’t the most intelligent one!
Paul Gascoigne
Gazza, as he is popularly known, is considered one of the greatest players to have ever pulled on an England shirt. The best part of Gascoigne’s career came with Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur. Unlike Guti, whose undoing was his lack of ambition, and Michael Owen, whose career was rocked by injuries, Gazza’s career was ravaged by a combination of fatal injuries that he suffered and a disastrous lifestyle checkered with alcoholism, legal troubles and financial issues. He started his career at Newcastle United’s youth system, and went on to play for the first team. He always had issues with everyone around him, and his career at Newcastle was noted more for his off the field incidents. He signed for Tottenham Hotspur under Terry Venables, shrugging off interest from Manchester United. He blossomed into a world class footballer at Spurs, and went on to become England’s mainstay in World Cup ’90. He damaged his knee in the ’91 FA Cup final, and was never the same player again. After an almost 2 year lay off, he signed for Lazio, and subsequently for Rangers. Though Gazza was a player who had it all – passing, finishing, intelligence, skill, pace, dribbling, and everything else that accompanies it. It would not be off the mark to say that if not for his lifestyle, he would be named in the same breath as the legends of modern game. Gazza’s life could be summarized in Alex Ferguson’s quote when he said that his biggest regret in his management career was “not getting Gazza”.
Marco van Basten
If I said that arguably the greatest striker ever, Marco van Basten was a player who never quite fulfilled his potential, you might laugh me off. For the ones not in the know, if I added that he scored 277 goals for two of the biggest European clubs in under 350 games, you would not take me seriously at all. I would go one further and add that he is a three time Ballon d’Or winner, and a one time FIFA World Player of the year, and was voted 8th in a Player of the Century poll among the Ballon d’Or winners. Now, for the not-so-great part. Marco van Basten retired at the age of 28, when he was at the peak of his career, due to an injury he suffered two years earlier. Van Basten came through the Ajax youth ranks and established himself as the mainstay of the famed Ajax attack. He scored a spectacular 128 goals in 133 appearances, before moving to AC Milan under Arrigo Sacchi, where he was joined by fellow countrymen Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard a year later. The famed team went on to win back to back European cups in 1989 and 1990, along with three Serie A titles. Throughout his career, he was dogged by fitness issues, though it was in ’93 that he had a reccurence of the knee injury that kept him out for 2 years, before he admitted defeat. Marco van Basten was all that a striker could hope to be – he had a fantastic technique and a great volley in him, apart from good movement and tactical awareness. One could only wonder what might have been, had he played on for another 6 years. Maybe it would not have been a tough choice between him and Ronaldo for the ‘best striker ever’ title.
George Best
There was only one player whom Pele described as “the best player I have ever seen”, and it was a bar brawler from Belfast. George Best, described by most as the best player ever to play for Manchester United, was Britain’s most naturally gifted footballer. He had the elegance and grace that one would not associate with British footballers, especially way back in the 60s. He made the Manchester United No. 7 shirt famous, which was later donned by the likes of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. He formed the Holy Trinity of Manchester United along with Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton, the heroes of the team under Sir Matt Busby which won the European Cup in 1968, defeating the famed Benfica team led by the legendary Eusebio. His performance at Estadio da Luz, where he scored a fantastic four goals, is rated by many as one of the finest performances ever by a footballer. Football came easier to him than breathing. But sadly, so did alcoholism and other vices. He once famously claimed that if he went past nightclubs and bars as easily as he went past defenders, he would be the greatest ever. He was the first superstar of football, his lifestyle mirroring that of a movie star more than a footballer. Alcohol, drugs and his womanizing habits eventually got the better of him. He left Man Utd in 1974, but by then the age of 27, he was already a club legend. His talent was never in doubt, but he will always be remembered as the greatest player to have never fulfilled his potential. Surprisingly, Best himself never regretted it, as noted from his quote: “I spent 90% of my money on women, drink and fast cars. The rest I wasted”.
And this is Georgie at the twilight of his career:
We know we are missing out on quite a few footballers on this list, famous and unknown. The readers are requested to leave their comment below as to if they agree to the list and further additions to it.
