This thread is dedicated to the talents we expected so much of, but didnot live up to the lofty expectations. Each season we can discuss about the ones that are disappointments and in the summer break we decide who's the season's Freddy Adu.
Preferably Dutch as we're familiar with them, but other ones can be inserted too. We're not xenophobic when it's about stinkers
We can start with the 1994-1995 born players. These by now are either up or down. Memphis is a contender (born 13-2-1994).
Depay would have won it in 2016 as well. I recommend there be no limits as to how many times one player can win it
Excellent choice; I was also thinking about him. One other possible candidate though he has not made it to any senior team yet is Terry Lartey Sanniez. I remember DRB300 was saying he was going to be the next great player coming out of the Ajax academy. He really never did much. I think he is still with Ajax but is not getting much playing time for Jong Ajax. Probably cannot count him as a candidate for the Adu Award.
Anass Achahbar and Marlon Salbbekoorn are the two names that come to mind. They were supposed to be future football stars according to many observers of Feyenoord. But the winner is Matsour, an Italian,who was presented as a new Maradona two years ago
But in Holland, there are players surrounded by a lot of hype and who have flopped: the New Rijkaard, Aissati (the new Zidane), Youssouf Hersi (the new Cruyff), Castaignos (the new Van Basten)
Our hero is still working out and wants to find a team to play for!!! https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...eturns-to-rfk-stadium/?utm_term=.527d53682365
I think Depay was harshly nominated to begin with.... all things considered, he's done a good job pivoting his career (and he still gets invitation to NT on regular basis). Maher and Bruma would be a more appropriate choice from recent memory. My personal choice would Arnold Bruggink... he won accolades as a youngster (and I believe he's still the most capped player for Jong Oranje), but he's never really lived up to his potential. Jordi Cruyff is the probably the most unlucky. I didn't think he was that talented, but unfortunately he had to bear the expectation of being a member the son of the Dutch Great.
The one thing I dont understand about this guy, he's loaned out Rizespor and scores 3 goals in 11 match and then he's loaned out later to KuFu and scored 2 goals in 3 matches. How are those bad numbers?? Must be something more going on with him. See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_Adu
^^I saw his very first match at DC United and followed him for about five years. he was a kid that was physically more mature than any of the others so he looked like the next super star within his age group. The problem is he never really advanced at all and did not have the necessary speed or quickness required even at the MLS level of play. He's decent at free kicks but of course under no pressure. He is the classic example of why you cannot reliably scout youth players. At the time he was coming into the side at DC United there were no academies or high level play in the US for U-16 players. If Adu were in Holland he would be in one of the academies and probably would have been a very good player until he got up to the U-19 team and was faced with player who had speed, quickness and technique.
He was in the Netherlands during the U21 World Cup. I went to see him play, because of all the hype in the Dutch papers about him. He wasnot as good as being hyped, but there was another kid that did impress me very much. His name was Messi. Wonder how he has fared career wise
Right now I'd go with Maher. Memphis is still young and has a decent career carved out for himself. I think there's still a chance he reaches his potential.
Brilliant Dutch mentioned Jordy Clasie on another thread as a candidate. He's on loan to Club Brugge right now and I don't think he's played in a match. I don't know if he is injured.
Failed wunderkids...there is so much to pick from though. here are the Eredivisie ones I can recall off the top of my head: Emanuelson, Narsingh, Assaidi, Bakkali, Assaiti, Bruma, Barazite, Ebecilio x 2(both the Ajax and Twente one), Ola John, Clasie, Cabral, Boetius, Kishna, Castaignos, Luuk De Jong, Van der Wiel, Van Rhijn, Veltman, Bazoer, Hoesen, Fer, Achahbar, Van Ginkel, Douglas and the list goes on.... There have also been some notable foreign flops beside Adu: Krikic, Alexander Merkel, Carrol, Cleverly, Hart, Januzaj, Denilson and probably soon to be followed by Renato Sanches, Odegaard and Zinchenko.