Remember these?
With news that Newcastle United midfielder Cheick Tiote looks set to join Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, our minds have been cast back to a time when the Ivorian was one of the most sought after talents in the Premier League.
To Tiote’s credit, he stayed at St James Park but Magpies fans will admit that he hasn’t quite recaptured the bulldozing form that he showed in his first few seasons at Newcastle.
This got us thinking about some other footballers that shone brightly for a brief period before rapidly dropping down the clubs and leagues.
Maybe injuries, form or financial interests were a factor in the trajectory of their careers but there’s no denying that the following players all struggled to recapture their best.
This being said, they still played at a better level than us and have the cash to prove it, but some football fans might have one of those ‘ah yeah, I remember him being good!’ moments after hearing these names.
Francis Jeffers
The high point: Remember when ‘the fox in the box’ was capped by England? £8 million. That’s what Arsenal spent on him.
The clubs he played at since the one we all remember him from: Everton, Charlton, Rangers, Blackburn, Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle Jets x2, Motherwell, Floriana, Accrington Stanley.
Nery Castillo
The high point: Well Man City fans, remember any high points? To be fair to the Mexican striker, his goalscoring form at Olympiakos was so good that he got a €20 million move to Shakhtar.
The clubs he played at since the one we all remember him from: Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Chicago Fire, Aris, Pachuca, Leon, Rayo Vallecano.
Amir Zaki
The high point: At one point, Wigan’s striker was the third top scorer in the Premier League behind Nicolas Anelka (15) and Robinho (12) to Zaki’s 10 goals. Then he got too bit big for his boots.
The clubs he played at since the one we all remember him from: Zamelek, Hull City, Elazigspor, Al Ahed.
Kerlon
The high point: Seal dribble. Do we remember anything else? The very definition of a YouTube footballer.
The clubs he played at since the one we all remember him from: Chievo, Ajax (0 apps), Parana, Nacional, Fujieda MCFC, Miami Dade FC, Silema Wanderers, Villa Nova.
Clip via – Elzafir Habsjah
Adriano
The high point: Arguably the most talented footballer on this list, ‘The Emperor’ was probably the best striker in the world during the ’05 Confederations Cup. He also had some shot on him in Pro Evo.
The clubs he played at since the one we all remember him from: Sadly, his fathers death caused his career and life to go into a tailspin. After leaving Inter he played for; Sao Paolo, Flamengo x2, Roma, Corinthians and Atletico Paranese.
To be fair, they’re all decent clubs but he only managed to score 31 goals for these five teams across six years.
Take a look at this shot though. Hammer.
Clip via – latte93mug
David Bentley
The high point: His hat-trick for Blackburn Rovers against Manchester United.
The clubs he played at since the one we all remember him from: Birmingham, West Ham, FC Rostov, Blackburn.
Sidney Govou
The high point: 7 Ligue 1 titles with the all-conquering Lyon side and a starring role in the French team from Euro ’04 to World Cup 2010.
The clubs he played at since the one we all remember him from: Joined Cisse and Boumsong at Panathinaikos before heading off to Evian, Lyon reserves, Monts d’Or Azergues and FC Miami.
Asamoah Gyan
The high point: 3 goals in World Cup 2010 before moving to Sunderland for a very brief spell.
The clubs he played at since the one we all remember him from: Al Ain and Shanghai SIPG. He’s still playing international football for Ghana though and netted twice at World Cup 2014.
So, what about that money A$am€ah?
Michael Johnson
The high point: Under Sven , Johnson looked like a certain England international and he was even drawing comparisons to City legend Colin Bell. An abdominal problem led to a double-hernia operation. The injuries got worse after he tore his his anterior cruciate ligament.
Drink driving, issues with weight and mental health problems ultimately caused an extremely promising career to be cut short at 24.
The clubs he played at since the one we all remember him from: Leicester City.
Royston Drenthe
The high point: Winning the European Under-21 Championship with Holland before joining Real Madrid and winning the title in his debut season at the Bernabeu.
The clubs he played at since the one we all remember him from: Hercules, Everton, Alania Vladikavkaz, Reading, Sheffield Wednesday, Kayseri Erciyesspor and Baniyas.
All this without even mentioning Freddie Adu and countless others. Let us know if there’s any glaring ones that we missed out on.
