10 World Class Players Who Threw Away Their Careers

There have been remarkable players who captured the hearts of fans worldwide with their exceptional skills and natural talent. However, regrettably, some of these gifted athletes made unfortunate choices that resulted in them throwing away their promising careers.

       Mason Greenwood

The young and talented footballer had a promising future ahead of him at Manchester United.

But unfortunately, his journey took a tragic turn when he faced serious allegations of rape and assault, along with accusations of controlling behavior in January 2022. Although the charges against him have been dropped recently, Greenwood's actions led to his suspension by Manchester United until further notice, following his arrest last year.

It's a real shame because he had a great career waiting for him, but he made some bad choices that messed it all up.

        Ronaldinho

A player who’s liked by everyone and has probably zero haters and could have been more than Messi if he had been more consistent on the top level.

He won many important awards, like the Champions League, the World Cup, and even the FIFA Best Player award not just once, but twice!

But sadly, Ronaldinho had a problem off the field. He loved to party too much and didn't have enough discipline. This caused him trouble in his career with Barcelona and even in Brazil. Well, he scored approximately 200 goals for various clubs, showcasing his exceptional talent on the field.

However, it's worth mentioning that Ronaldinho's goal tally could have been even higher if he hadn't thrown away his career.

      Balotelli

when Balotelli arrived in the Premier League, it wasn't just an ordinary announcement. It was a grand entrance. He made a splash with his "Why Always Me?" t-shirt, especially when he scored against Manchester United. But here's something interesting: that celebration, asking why he was always in the spotlight, showed a glimpse of his non-serious attitude.

Do you know why? Because the night before that game, he actually set off firecrackers in his own bathroom! It's moments like these that highlight how Balotelli's lack of seriousness and questionable decisions contributed to him throwing away his career.

Some might even say he deserves an Oscar for playing the role of a villain in his own football journey.

    Oscar

Oscar is another player who failed to do justice to his talent. Many people saw Oscar's incredible movements, skills, and talent on the football field and believed he had a very bright future ahead of him. But then, in 2017, something unexpected happened.

 Oscar decided to leave Chelsea and move to the Chinese Super League. He was offered a lot of money—67 million pounds! People thought he did it for the fancy lifestyle, but the truth is, he did it to support his poor family. He made a big sacrifice and took a risk with his football career. Well, it's quite sad to think about how things turned out differently for him. Given Oscar's talent, he deserved to play for big clubs in Europe, like Real Madrid.

      Eden Hazard

Hazard got that chance to play at the prestigious Santiago Bernabeu stadium but unfortunately wasted it, leading to throwing away his own career. He didn’t live up to the expectations.

Unfortunately, he's been struggling with injuries because he doesn't keep his body fit off the field, particularly when it comes to his diet. That's why people in Madrid think he looks a bit overweight compared to his time at Chelsea.

In contrast, during his time at Chelsea, Hazard was a force to be reckoned with. He was part of an incredible trio alongside Fabregas and Diego Costa that took the football world by storm.

    Ricardo Quaresma

Quaresma, a promising talent, wasted his career due to his bad temper and ego, failing to play longer for big clubs like Barcelona and Inter Milan.

Finding a balance between patience, passion, and ego is crucial for a footballer to achieve optimal success, especially in the early stages of their career.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Quaresma's former teammate, serves as a good example of this. For instance, it's interesting to note that the two Portugal players were together at Sporting from 1997, when Ronaldo joined the club, until 2002. But their careers took different turns due to their choices and attitudes.

       Robinho

Robinhos ego, love for parties, women, money, and inconsistency caused his once bright career to take a dark turn. He started as a promising player at Real Madrid, then moved to Manchester City for a big money deal, and had some moderate success in Milan. But things took a terrible turn when he got involved in a gang rape case, which led to his imprisonment.

After a brief stint in Turkey, his return to Santos was cut short because the club ended his contract once he was officially convicted in that criminal case.

     Adrian Mutu

Adrian Mutu was once hailed as the next big thing in Romanian football, following in the footsteps of legends like George Hagi. He started off well, playing for Verona and then Parma, before being signed by Chelsea in 2003. However, his troubles began when he failed a drug test for using cocaine. As a result, he faced a 7-month ban from the Football Association and had to pay a staggering 15.2 million Pounds to Chelsea.

This penalty remains the largest financial penalty ever imposed on a player by a club. Despite the setback, Mutu managed to resurrect his career at Fiorentina and even helped Romania qualify for EURO 2008.

However, he later had stints with lower-level teams and eventually retired from professional football in 2016.

But, it's really sad to see these last two Brazilian players on the list. Just imagine what they could have achieved if they had played up to their full potential.

First, Anderson, the former Manchester United player seems to have thrown away his career because he didn't work hard enough, had a poor mindset, sometimes gained too much weight, and struggled to adapt to new positions or roles on the field, despite being considered a talented player.

He was a decent player under Sir Alex Ferguson, but he didn’t build on the guidance provided by his former manager.

Secondly, once thought to be the next Pele, Alexander Pato couldn't live up to that expectation due to injuries, living an extravagant lifestyle, partying, being distracted by women, having a weak mentality to compete at the highest levels, and failing to handle the pressure that comes with playing for big clubs.

In short, each player on this list had something special about them when they were first identified by agents or when they were just starting out. There was a glimpse of greatness in each of them. However, fate had other plans, and their careers took a different path.

The distractions they faced, whether it was through their own choices or external factors, played a significant role in derailing their promising futures.

It's a reminder that talent alone is not enough to ensure success in football. It takes dedication, discipline, and the ability to navigate the challenges that come along the way.