Where are they now?

[alka...@hotmail.com]

Was watching Betis and Real Madrid playing today and saw Joaquin is still playing. This guy was all the rage as the next great Spanish winger in the 00s but then disappeared completely from prominence - I didn't realize he was still playing at the top level at 36!

So thought of others who one time were destined for greatness, or at least some international prominance, but instead faded away with a whimper.

Frederico Macheda - Poor kid. Scored the beautiful stoppage time goal that arguably won the 2009 title for United, scored again in his next game, and was suddenly the new Cantona. Remarkably still only 26, he's plying his trade for Novara in Serie B after bouncing around the English second tier.

Adnan Junazaj - Another of Red Devil's future greats, still young but going nowhere noteworthy anywhere soon. Playing for Sociedad.

Sergio Canales - Another supposed future Spanish great, went to RM with great fanfare, also with Sociedad and still only 27.

Martin Odegaard - Only an idiot goes to RM at 17. Now on loan at Herenveen and seems destined for irrelevance.

Mateo Kovacic - Needs to leave RM or in serious danger of joining this list.

Memphis Depay - Seems to have found his level at Lyon. (United has done well in this category)

Who else?

[MH]

On 2018-02-18 17:19, alka...@hotmail.com wrote:
> Was watching Betis and Real Madrid playing today and saw Joaquin is still playing. This guy was all the rage as the next great Spanish winger in the 00s but then disappeared completely from prominence

His last cap was in 2007. However he hardly disappeared completely from
prominence. He moved up from Betis to Valencia (158 games, 18 goals, in
5 seasons. Some injuries during that time, I think, which probably
explains his disappearance from the national team - but the emergence of
Navas, Silva, Pedro and others also did him in. Still reached 51 caps,
so a solid international career. After Valencia 2 seasons at Malaga
when they were buying and making their presence felt (and played in the
CL), 57 appearances, 6 goals. Then on to Fiorentina - 2 seasons, 49
games, 4 goals, and in 2015 back to his roots at Betis. 77 games and 8
goals since then. I would say that is a more than respectable career,
and pretty prominent.

[alka...@hotmail.com]

On Sunday, February 18, 2018 at 8:31:06 PM UTC-5, MH wrote:
> On 2018-02-18 17:19, alka...@hotmail.com wrote:
> > Was watching Betis and Real Madrid playing today and saw Joaquin is still playing. This guy was all the rage as the next great Spanish winger in the 00s but then disappeared completely from prominence
>
> His last cap was in 2007.

He would have been 26 then. Pretty young to never play an international match again. This is a player who was linked at times with both Spanish giants as well as Chelsea and Liverpool (when they were a UCL powerhouse).

I forgot Lazar Markovic. Signed for 20M (back when it was a lot of money) on the back of one decent EL run by Benfica, now we can't get a penny for him from the furthest reaches of Europe.

[Bruce D. Scott]

alka...@hotmail.com wrote:

|> I forgot Lazar Markovic. Signed for 20M (back when it was a lot of
money) on the back of one decent EL run by Benfica, now we can't get
a penny for him from the furthest reaches of Europe.

Maybe Renato Sanches will be like this eventually... with what might
have been, had he only stayed in Benfica.

--
ciao,
Bruce

drift wave turbulence: http://www.rzg.mpg.de/~bds/

[Jesper Lauridsen]

On 2018-02-19, alka...@hotmail.com <alka...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Martin Odegaard - Only an idiot goes to RM at 17. Now on loan at Herenveen and seems destined for irrelevance.

Too early to write him off. Went to Real, trained in the setup, played
with the second team, and was then loaned to a smaller team, where he
is playing regularly. It will be interesting to see what happens for him
in the summer.

> Who else?

In general, the answer to the question "where are they now" is Besiktas.

[alka...@hotmail.com]

On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 3:47:08 PM UTC-5, Jesper Lauridsen wrote:
> On 2018-02-19, alka...@hotmail.com <alka...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Martin Odegaard - Only an idiot goes to RM at 17. Now on loan at Herenveen and seems destined for irrelevance.
>
> Too early to write him off. Went to Real, trained in the setup, played
> with the second team, and was then loaned to a smaller team, where he
> is playing regularly. It will be interesting to see what happens for him
> in the summer.

He's 19 now - at that age Mbappe, Pulisic, Dembele, Rashford, etc. were already making waves (granted every player doesn't follow the same trajectory). But Odegaard has completely disappeared from the conversation. He may improve and become established at a Euro Big 5 league club. But the 'next big thing' is looking rather unlikely for him now.

>
> > Who else?
>
> In general, the answer to the question "where are they now" is Besiktas.

Hah, yes.

[Mart van de Wege]

alka...@hotmail.com writes:

> On Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 3:47:08 PM UTC-5, Jesper Lauridsen wrote:
>> On 2018-02-19, alka...@hotmail.com <alka...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > Martin Odegaard - Only an idiot goes to RM at 17. Now on loan at
>> > Herenveen and seems destined for irrelevance.
>>
>> Too early to write him off. Went to Real, trained in the setup, played
>> with the second team, and was then loaned to a smaller team, where he
>> is playing regularly. It will be interesting to see what happens for him
>> in the summer.
>
> He's 19 now - at that age Mbappe, Pulisic, Dembele, Rashford,
> etc. were already making waves (granted every player doesn't follow
> the same trajectory). But Odegaard has completely disappeared from the
> conversation. He may improve and become established at a Euro Big 5
> league club. But the 'next big thing' is looking rather unlikely for
> him now.
>

I think he will improve. SC Heerenveen is very well known as a club good
at developing talent.

Mart

--
"We will need a longer wall when the revolution comes."
--- AJS, quoting an uncertain source.