Footballers who showed great promise...

[DannyMan2006]

Didn't Carraghher captain the U21's for ages - he hasn't turned out too badly.

Under 21's is not classed as youth.

[DannyMan2006]

Wasn`t the car accident just after the big move? I`m probably wrong about this, as you seem pretty clue up about this.

From Wikipedia regarding Lentini:


Gianluigi Lentini (born March 27, 1969 in Carmagnola) is a former Italian international winger who once held the distinction of being the world's most expensive footballer, when he moved from Torino to AC Milan for £13 million in 1992.

Indeed, it was this fee - which arose due to a bidding war between Milan and Juventus - that partially triggered a wave of huge spending amongst Europe's top clubs in the 1990s. At the time, the world was staggered that so much money could be paid for one footballer - the Vatican called it "an offence against the dignity of work". Sadly, he is not distinguished for much else (indeed, The Observer newspaper ranks him as the 7th-biggest transfer flop of all time). He played 30 times in Milan's title-winning season in 1992-3, but then managed only 33 games for the four seasons after. In fairness, his career never really recovered after a car crash in 1993 which left him briefly in a coma and with serious head injuries - although Milan were already disappointed in him before then.

Wiki also mentions the fee paid for him wasnt eclipsed until 4 years later!

[Shaggy]

Who's he?

What about Andy Reid? Or Phil Babb?
People forget how majestic Babb was at the 1994 World Cup. He had the skill.
He completely blew his career.

You don't believe in the theory that it was Paul McGrath making him look good, then?

[Maestro]

You don't believe in the theory that it was Paul McGrath making him look good, then?

There is some validity in that statement, definitely. McGrath was always on a different plane. However, while not being in the same class, Babb was a talented player who pissed away the talents he had and destroyed a successful career by being a poor professional and all round knobend. He was a role model for the Kieron Dyer Premiership Celebrity Footballer Generation.

[Shaggy]

He was indeed. His lifestyle clearly can't have helped. I did think he was a talented player who probably over-performed in 94 (or was helped majorly by the brilliant McGrath - who was so good he could get away with being a pisshead).

[sambirken]

phil babb was the worst player of all-time! didnt know he could play football his early days

[Maestro]

phil babb was the worst player of all-time! didnt know he could play football his early days

[MrMichael]

Davor Suker's name should never have been mentioned in this thread. The guy had a phenomenal scoring record for Croatia, he was on about a goal a game up until his last couple of years internationally. In his prime the guy was dynamite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEQfwUlJlPM

[spud_gun]

Ali Dia

[Shaggy]

Ali Dia

[Maestro]

Ali Dia

LEGEND

[Lee]

Richard Wright...!
Destined for big things at Ipswich, got capped by England, joined Arsenal. Now 2nd choice Everton keeper

[cobain]

Under 21's is not classed as youth.

What about Gerrard then? :whatever:

[cobain]

Stephane Guivarc'h

Stephane Guivarc'h features strongly among a convincing list of Newcastle contenders. Signed by Kenny Dalglish for £3.5m in 1998 and instantly belittled by successor Ruud Gullit, the French World Cup winner moved on to Rangers for another brief, miserable spell. He returned to Auxerre for £3.5m, having collected substantial signing-on fees due to him from both clubs. 'I knew I could leave Rangers via an escape clause,' he said. 'I made sure of that after my experience at Newcastle.' Today, Guivarc'h is notable only for the interesting apostrophe between the c and h in his surname - the relic of Breton, a language once spoken by half-a-million Celts, and meaning 'swift stallion'.

[cobain]

Or this fella:

Savo Milošević (I think he now plays in Spain)
Yugoslavia's hero in Euro 2000 was a disaster at Aston Villa. Cleverly nicknamed 'Miss-a-lot-evic' by the tabloids, his finishing and approach play at Villa Park eventually left Brian Little, who signed him from Partizan Belgrade for £3.5m, unemployed. Villa fans failed to take to him despite 28 goals in 90 games, including the winner in the club's League Cup final victory over Leeds. The pressure became too much. After spitting flamboyantly at his own fans in Villa's 5-0 defeat to Blackburn he was put on the transfer list and sold to Real Zaragoza for £3.5m at the end of the season...