Every four years, the FIFA World Cup gives a platform to young talents that converts them into the next big things. Another such competition is the UEFA European Championships, the last instance of which took place in June 2012. Christiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney shone at Euro 2004, Fernando Torres at World Cup 2006, Thomas Mueller at World Cup 2010 to name a few. However, these tournaments do not always have happy endings for the youngsters.Heres a look at five rising stars of Euro 2012, who couldn't quitefulfill their full potential.
#1 Nelson Oliveira Portugal
The winner of the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Nelson Oliveira went into Euro 2012 with a lot to prove. However, Hélder Postiga and the Hugo Almeida (after Postiga was injured) were preferred over him. He got to play just 20 minutes in the opening game, a 1-0 loss to Germany. He made an appearance in each match thereafter, coming off the bench, but failed to score.
After the tournament, he was sent on season long loans by Benfica, first to Deportivo La Coruña and then to Rennes. His performances went in vain as he wasn’t even considered for the 30-man squad.
#2 Ibrahim Afellay - Netherlands
After a bit part role in World Cup 2010, the then 26-year old Afellay was touted as the next big thing — at least by the Barcelona faithful. In spite of an injury plagued season after joining Barcelona in 2011, Afellay was called up to the Euro 2012 squad.
Afellay started the first two matches in Euro 2012’s Group of Death, but his poor performance didn’t help Netherlands as they lost both the games to Denmark and Germany. He was then benched for the final game for van Der Vaart, which Netherlands lost as well, crashing out of the tournament without a single point.
Afellay was sent on loan to Schalke 04 the following season, which was again plagued by a recurring muscle injury. His season was reduced to just fifteen matches, with four goals. He got into the news for criticising the medical staff of Schalke, and eventually returned to Barcelona.
Although he started training earlier than the rest of the Barcelona team in 2013, he had to undergo another surgery in August 2013 which made him unavailable until 2014. He made a total of two appearances for Barcelona in the 2013-14 season and wasn’t even considered for 30-man squad for the World Cup – and no one even noticed his absence.
#3 Yann MVila - France
Yann M’Vila is a defensive midfielder who had earlier in his career drawn comparisons to Claude Makelele and Patrick Viera. He has recently been signed by Inter Milan from Rubin Kazan, even though he hadn’t been in good form for the last couple of seasons.
M’Vila missed the first match at Euro 2012 due to an injury, but eventually made two starts and a substitute appearance as France lost in the first knockout stages against Spain. However, there was some drama to be unfolded. After being substituted against Spain, he refused to shake Laurent Blanc’s hand, leading to a one match ban.
As if that wasn’t enough, he decided to have some fun while on U-21 national team duty in November that year, which is why he was banned from further national team matches until June 2014. Ouch!
At 24, he can still bounce back and resurrect his career, provided he keeps a check on the attitude.
#4 Gregory van der Wiel - Netherlands
Gregory van der Wiel played all matches in the disastrous Euro 2012 campaign for the Netherlands. However, he was criticized for his performances, although Bert van Marwijk continued to defend his choices.
He was then transferred to Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, where he had two good seasons, with 64 appearances in two years. PSG won the Ligue 1 both times, and reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League twice, before being eliminated by Barcelona and Chelsea, respectively.
It was a shock, therefore, that Louis van Gaal left him out of the 30-man squad for the World Cup in place of Augsburg’s Paul Verhaegh.
#5 Mario Balotelli - Italy
There must be very few who are not familiar with the legend of Mario Balotelli. He broke into the Inter squad at an early age, and moved to Manchester City before going back to AC Milan, the club he supported as a boy. All the club matches aside, his best moment was a brace against favourites Germany in the Euro 2012 Semifinal, followed by an iconic celebration after his second goal.
Two years later, he did score against England to help his team to all three points in the opening game, but they failed to capitalize on the momentum in the following games, eventually losing to Costa Rica and Uruguay (overshadowed by the Suarez-Chielini incident) to bow out of the World Cup. Although he didn’t shine at the World Cup, he’s still just 23 and with plenty of time to improve.
