Every yr, followers latch onto a brand new younger expertise who’s billed as “the future”, however what ever occurred to these gamers everybody was speaking about in the beginning of the twenty first century
10:00, 6 JAN 2024
Wayne Rooney’s burst onto the scene is likely one of the most well-known in soccer historical past (Image: Getty Images)
Plenty of younger gamers billed as the following huge factor have come and gone through the years.
However, the previous Brum supervisor was one in every of dozens of younger abilities tipped to succeed in the celebs by followers and different members of the attractive sport. Daily Star Sport takes a take a look at Match Magazine’s ’20 purple scorching wonderkids’ of 20 years in the past to see the place they ended up.
After turning into the youngest ever goalscorer in European Championship historical past at Euro 2004, Baros was snapped up by the Merseysiders. After successful the Champions League with the Reds, he went on to play for Aston Villa, Lyon, Portsmouth and Galatasaray, earlier than he ended his profession by floating across the divisions within the Czech Republic.
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Stefan Moore – Aston Villa
Moore was a physically imposing striker who was billed to become one of the top forwards in English football. Over the course of four seasons at Villa, he contributed two goals, before leaving for QPR. He struggled to crack the code in the EFL and found himself jumping from one club to another in non-league football.
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John O’Shea – Man Utd
Even if he did not make another appearance, John O’Shea would have been enshrined in Manchester United folklore from the day he nutmegged Luis Figo in 2003. After spending 11 years at Old Trafford, he finished his career by playing for Sunderland and Reading. He is now the assistant manager at Birmingham City and has been touted as their next boss.
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Hugo Viana – Newcastle United
Viana arrived as one of the most promising young stars in world football, but Newcastle just did not agree with him. He is now overseeing transfer strategy and the development of new young players at his former club Sporting Lisbon.
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Filipe Oliveira – Chelsea
Considering he joined the club alongside the best part of a dozen new players, many Chelsea fans will not remember Filipe Oliveira. However, after only managing six appearances for the west Londoners, he returned to Portugal to play to rejuvenate his career. He is now a football scout for Portuguese side Famalicao.
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Kieran Richardson – Man Utd
When you’re competing with Cristiano Ronaldo for a place on the wing, it’s safe to say your luck will always be down. However, Richardson did find success playing for Sunderland, where he went on to earn eight international caps for England, scoring one goal.
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Vincente Vuoso – Man City
Vuoso was billed as another one to watch, but he did not even make a single Premier League appearance for the Citizens. Instead, he returned to his native Mexico to appear for clubs such as Cruz Azul and Club America. It may not have been the initial heights he was tipped to reach, but he still earned 15 caps for Mexico.
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Carlton Cole – Chelsea
Everybody loved big Carlton, except for Chelsea, who already had Didier Drogba and Andriy Shevchenko in situ at the time. However, he did become a cult hero at West Ham United, where he is still popular today. Nowadays, he is a popular pundit on TNT Sports, where he usually analyses the Europa League and Europa Conference League matches.
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Darren Carter – Birmingham City
Carter made 50 appearances for Birmingham City before he moved to Sunderland. After finishing his career with non-league side Solihull Moors, he went on to become the manager of Birmingham City women, where he is still in post today.
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Chris Shuker – Man City
It seems City was not the best place for young talent, as Shuker struggled to star on the sky blue side of Manchester. He did find a home at Barnsley and Tranmere, making more than 100 appearances over the course of spells with both sides. Nowadays, his social media profile says he is now aspiring to become a jockey.
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Jeremie Aliadiere – Arsenal
One of the most successful players in the list, Aliadiere was part of the Arsenal Invincibles side of 2003/04. He went on to play for Celtic, West Ham United and Middlesbrough, before his career petered out in France and Qatar. Nowadays, he is a media personality who loves commenting on the latest developments in football
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Jermaine Pennant – Arsenal
He was bought for £2m at the age of 15, yet Pennant’s career is best remembered for his antics off the pitch. In the space of three years, he went from becoming the first Premier League player to wear a police ankle tag on the pitch and then competed in the Champions League final with Liverpool. Nowadays, Pennant is active in the media, opening up about the difficulties he endured during his life on and off the pitch.
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Grant Leadbitter – Sunderland
Leadbitter will rarely have to buy a pint in Sunderland, due to the many years of service he gave to the club. After making 100 appearances, he also played for Ipswich and Middlesbrough before he returned to the Black Cats to retire in 2021 – a proper, old-fashioned club servant.
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Adam Chambers – West Brom
Opportunities were few and far between for Chambers when the Baggies gained promotion to the Premier League. After a bad injury at Kidderminster Harriers, he went on to make 500 appearances across spells with the Harriers, Leyton Orient and Walsall.
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Kolo Toure – Arsenal
As well as being known for earning an Arsenal contract by scything down Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Arsene Wenger on his trial, Toure is a Premier League legend. He has since tried his hand at management, working as an assistant manager for the Ivory Coast and Leicester City, before becoming the No.1 at Wigan Athletic. Unfortunately his spell at the latter only lasted nine matches before he was sacked by the club.
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Luke Wilkshire – Middlesbrough
The Australian enjoyed a fascinating career. He went from playing for Bristol City to turning out for FC Twente and Dynamo Moscow – he has also competed in two World Cups. He is now guiding Australia’s U20 side, nurturing the next generation of Aussie stars.
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Thomas Butler – Sunderland
Butler came close to retiring aged 24 after struggling to really nail down a place at Sunderland. However, he changed his mind by joining Swansea City and helping them get promoted to the Premier League in 2011.
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Michael Chopra – Newcastle United
He scored one goal in 21 league appearances for the Magpies, but Chopra did go on to be a huge success at Cardiff City and Sunderland. Chopra’s professional career ended in India with the Kerala Blasters.
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Liam Ridgewell – Aston Villa
Liam Ridgewell may not have too many friends in the Midlands, as he came through the ranks at Aston Villa, moved to fiercest rivals Birmingham City and then turned out for both club’s neighbourly rivals West Bromwich Albion. He also played for Portland Timbers, Wigan Athletic, Brighton, Hull City and Southend United.
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Wayne Rooney – Everton
Wayne Rooney was the 16-year-old boy wonder who went on to become one of the best players in English football history. Nowadays, he is trying his hand at management. After impressing with Derby County, he made no real impact at DC United, before enduring a painful 13 weeks as manager of Birmingham City.