5 Players you probably did not know are still playing professional football

The football world has been kind to some, cruel to many. While some make it big, others either fail to live up to their reputation or never really get going. Some players are just a flash in the pan while others fade out.A second chance comes rarely in this brutal, competitive world. Here we look at some of the players who had promised much and had built a reputation for themselves, but now are distant memories in the mind of football fans. These players are still playing, and some might get that rare second chance.

#1 Joe Cole

Joe Cole, winner of 3 Premier League titles with Chelsea, now plays for Coventry City in the third tier

One of the hottest prospects in English football right from the age of 16, when Manchester United were reportedly ready to pay his youth club West Ham £10 million for his services, Joe Cole sort of lived up to his expectations and then faded out all of a sudden.

Indeed, when he joined Chelsea from West Ham in 2003 where he was the captain for the second half of their season and also the winner of the ‘Hammer of the year’ award, Chelsea coach Claudio Ranieri saw him as the perfect replacement for Gianfranco Zola.

He had his share of success at Chelsea, scoring goals and winning 3 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups, 2 League Cups and 2 Community Shields. But subsequent transfers to Liverpool, Lille and Aston Villa did not help his career as he was struck by injuries and scored only a handful of goals.

Currently, he is on loan to Coventry City in the third tier of English Football (League 1). A proper slide to a career that had promised much.

#2 Lassana Diarra

‘Lass’ has made a comeback in his football career

One of the best defensive midfielders during his time at Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid, the Frenchman who likes to be called ‘Lass’, faded out after leaving Madrid for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala and then joining fellow rivals Lokomotiv Moscow.

He was virtually unheard of during his stints with these two clubs. He also had to fight a genetic blood disorder that had put him out of the French national team since 2010. After some contract dispute with Locomotive Moscow, Lass did not play professional football for nearly a year.

On 24 July 2015, Lass signed for Ligue 1 club Marseilles where he scored on his debut. He has also been included in the French international squad after an absence of 5 years as French national team coach Didier Deschamps was particularly impressed with his form in the 2015-16 season with a struggling Marseilles side.

#3 Samuel Eto\'o

Eto’o now plies his trade in Turkey

The former Barcelona, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Everton striker needs no introduction. As the clubs would suggest, Eto’o was one of the best strikers at his peak. The winner of two Champions League trophies, Eto’o, in 2011, moved from Inter Milan to Anzhi Makhachkala in a transfer that made him the world’s highest-paid player.

A regular for his Cameroon national team, Eto’o played two years in the Russian Premier League where he was an instant success. However, as Anzhi faced financial crisis, Eto’o was sold off for the 2013-14 season to Chelsea who were having a striker crisis of their own.

Here also Eto’o enjoyed success, the highlight being his hat-trick against Manchester United in a 3-1 victory for Chelsea. He would eventually retire from international football in 2014 after joining Everton. He currently plays for Turkish club Antalyaspor for whom he has already scored 10 goals in 12 appearances.

#4 Heurelho Gomes

Gomes will look for a better performance in his second stint in the Premier League

The former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper made his mark with PSV Eindhoven where he was outstanding, helping them reach the Champions League semi-finals in his first season (2004-05) while making outstanding saves throughout the tournament.

PSV had not even qualified for the second round in 14 attempts prior to that. However, his reputation took a beating when he played for Tottenham Hotspur as he made a series of blunders while letting in goals.

He joined Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on loan for the remainder of the 2012-13 season where he started with strong performances but was hit by an injury as his season came to a premature end.

He returned to Tottenham but was only the third choice goalkeeper. For the 2014-15 season, Gomes joined Championship side Watford and played 44 matches, helping them to a promotion to the Premier League.

Currently, he is still there and has made 13 appearances for the club this season, keeping 4 clean sheets.

#5 Maxi Rodriguez

After success in the La Liga and the Premier League, Rodriguez is back where it started for him

The Argentine who played most of his career in Spain was a high-profile football player both with Atletico Madrid and Liverpool. At both clubs, the versatile player who can play as a winger on both flanks, as well as an attacking midfielder, forged an alliance with Fernando Torres.

He had scored 32 goals in 121 appearances for Atletico Madrid prior to his move to Liverpool where in his two-and-a-half-year career he scored 17 goals in 73 appearances. This included two hat tricks in his very first season.

However, in July 2012, he returned to his childhood club Newell’s Old Boys where he is currently playing. He has so far made 80 appearances for the club, scoring 31 times. He is a once high-profile player who could have offered more in big clubs.