My Top 3 Wasted Football Talents

Here is Michael Johnson a footballer who had the world at his feet, breaking into the Man City team, with even the England Camp buzzing his name around, like a group of gossiping girls in the school hallway. But he like many players who tipped to take on the world never did himself justice. With personal problems and a new influx of foreign talents of the new spending era at City began a few years back, his career panned away, now he's overweight and despite gaining a 6 million pay out from his contract, he's just another talent that went down the football drain. Where such players as Adriano, Quaresma, Veron, Nugent, Ireland and many more are clear examples of this. I'll be giving my top 3 wasted talents of all time.

3. Javier Saviola 
They tipped him to be the next "Maradona" After ripping the 2001 FIFA World Cup to shreds LITERALLY , he made his big money move to Barca but never couldn't cut it there. He even went to Real Madrid but his career was stop and start even though he did enjoy some success at  Portuguese Giants Benfica. Saviola will always one of those names that stuck out on lips on a potential world beater that never hit 5th gear. 

2. Alvero Recoba 
He may have been a top player on football game Pro Evolution back in the day when the Konami game was hitting the heights in the last decade. But in reality he was just another South American talent that frizzled out in the tough and demanding nature of European football. Blessed with vision, skill and a deadly left foot, his inconsistency and laziness to train, made his career to ponder like many Argentinians who were tipped for greatness before him.

1. Freddy Adu 
Out of all the talents I've seen wasted and never fulfilling their potential and I've seen many to last me a life time. Freddy Adu has to be the one that hits me all the time. Signed his first professional contract at 13 made his debut at 14  and by 15 he had all the big boys watching him and even had a trail at United. But the Ghanaian born American who was dubbed the "Ghanian Wayne Rooney" back in 2004, failed to make a name for himself in Europe and America then eventually disappeared into football no man's land. I watched Adu and followed this guy, he truly had the potential to make a name for himself  in the game with his raw ability, with pace, power and fantastic dribbling technique. He's one that himself and many will look on and maybe even himself and ask "Where did it all go wrong?"

As the game keeps moving, many shine, many careers go into disaster, which is a sad sight to see, but doesn't it make you wonder not only in football but in all walks of life how one can have potential, talent and ability and become yesterdays man?