What happened to Dele Alli, Pogba, Sancho and Sterling? Top 13 forgotten football superstars
Once, clubs paid tens and hundreds of millions of euros for them. They won the Champions League, played in World Cup finals and were considered the future of football. Today, some play in little-known leagues, others spend months without a club, while a few are simply trying to return to professional football. DailySports looks at what happened to 13 former superstars.
In football, the journey from universal admiration to obscurity can sometimes be remarkably short. One failed transfer, a clash with a coach, a series of injuries or personal problems can permanently change the career of even the most talented player.
Just a few years ago, these footballers regularly appeared on the covers of sports publications, while tens of thousands of fans chanted their names. Now, many of them are remembered mainly with nostalgia.
We have collected 13 former stars of world football whose careers took a completely different path from the one expected. And the closer we get to number one, the more dramatic the stories become.
13. Hakim Ziyech — from Ajax magic to a journey across three continents
In the 2018/19 season, Ajax became the Champions League's biggest sensation. The young Dutch side knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus, stopping just short of the final. One of the main architects of that fairytale was Hakim Ziyech.
The Moroccan had a phenomenal left foot, superb vision, could deliver passes over any distance and regularly scored spectacular goals. In the Netherlands, he earned a reputation as one of the league's best playmakers.
In 2020, Chelsea paid around €40 million for Ziyech. It seemed like the ideal next step. However, things proved far more complicated in London.
Injuries, inconsistency and competition for a place in the team prevented the Moroccan from becoming an undisputed leader. Although Ziyech won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, his English career never became a continuation of the magic he had shown in Amsterdam.
There were bright moments, too. At the 2022 World Cup, Ziyech helped Morocco sensationally reach the semi-finals. His club career, however, was moving in a different direction.
In 2023, he joined Galatasaray, later moved to Qatar's Al-Duhail and, in autumn 2025, signed for Moroccan club Wydad. Even his return to the country he represents internationally proved short-lived.
Where is he now? In September 2026, 33-year-old Ziyech unexpectedly moved to Brazilian side Botafogo, signing a contract through the end of 2028.
Once, all of Europe marvelled at his passing. Now the Moroccan is trying to revive his career on another continent. At least this time, he has been given the chance to prove that his left foot can still create magic.
12. James Rodríguez — the World Cup hero who could not find his club
At the 2014 World Cup, the entire world fell in love with James Rodríguez.
The 23-year-old Colombian scored six goals, finished as the tournament's top scorer and saw his incredible volley against Uruguay enter football history.
After that performance, Real Madrid paid approximately €75 million for him. In his first season in the Spanish capital, James lived up to expectations, becoming one of the brightest attacking midfielders in Carlo Ancelotti's team.
The problems came later. After Zinedine Zidane's appointment, the Colombian gradually lost his place in the starting XI. It became increasingly difficult for him to fit into a tactical model built around intensity and work without the ball.
A loan spell at Bayern Munich, a return to Madrid, Everton, Qatar's Al-Rayyan, Greek side Olympiacos, São Paulo, Rayo Vallecano and Mexican club León — James kept changing clubs but never stayed anywhere for long.
Paradoxically, he continued to produce a completely different level of football for his national team. At the 2024 Copa América, Rodríguez was named the tournament's best player and helped Colombia reach the final.
In 2026, he played in MLS for Minnesota United and took part in his third World Cup.
Where is he now? In September 2026, 35-year-old James returned to his homeland, signing for Atlético Nacional until the summer of 2027. Just a few days later, he announced his retirement from the Colombia national team.
There is something symbolic about it: the footballer discovered by the world thanks to his national team decided to spend the final stage of his career at home.
11. Timo Werner — the striker let down by his finishing
In the 2019/20 season, Timo Werner scored 28 Bundesliga goals for RB Leipzig. Only Robert Lewandowski scored more.
The German forward seemed like the perfect striker for modern football: lightning pace, constant runs in behind, intelligent movement and the ability to create chances out of almost nothing.
In the summer of 2020, Chelsea paid around €53 million for him.
In London, Werner worked hard, created space for his teammates and helped the team press. But his finishing became a constant source of jokes. The German regularly found himself in promising positions, yet failed to score even when missing seemed harder than finishing.
Still, Werner became a Champions League winner in 2021.
In 2022, he returned to Leipzig hoping to regain his confidence, but he could not rediscover his old scoring form. His next stop was Tottenham, where he also failed to establish himself.
By the end of 2025, he had effectively lost an important role even at Leipzig.
Where is he now? In January 2026, 30-year-old Werner moved to MLS club San Jose Earthquakes, signing a contract through 2028.
Unlike some of the other players in our ranking, he has shown signs of a revival in MLS. In spring, the German was named the league's player of the month for April, and by autumn he had scored six league goals.
Perhaps the move across the Atlantic was exactly the decision Werner needed after several difficult seasons in Europe.
10. Philippe Coutinho — the €135 million transfer that broke a career
Philippe Coutinho was once known as Liverpool's little magician.
The Brazilian could receive the ball between the lines, dribble past several opponents and bend it into the top corner. His long-range shooting became a trademark weapon, while his partnership with Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah looked extraordinarily promising.
In January 2018, Barcelona signed Coutinho for €135 million guaranteed, with additional bonuses potentially taking the fee higher. The transfer was supposed to make him one of the Catalan club's main faces.
Instead, he became one of the most famous examples of how choosing the wrong club can change a footballer's fate.
At Barcelona, the Brazilian failed to find his ideal position. Competition, tactical experiments, the pressure of a huge transfer fee and injuries gradually destroyed his confidence.
The most ironic moment came in 2020. Playing for Bayern Munich on loan, Coutinho scored twice and provided an assist in Barcelona's legendary 8-2 humiliation.
Then came Aston Villa, Qatar's Al-Duhail and a return to his boyhood club Vasco da Gama.
In February 2026, Coutinho left Vasco after a turbulent spell during which he was booed by his own supporters. The footballer spoke openly about psychological exhaustion and his desire to take a break.
Where is he now? In September 2026, 34-year-old Coutinho signed for Santos until the end of the year, making his debut in a victory over São Paulo in early October.
After almost eight months away from football, Coutinho was back on the pitch. But returning to the status of one of the world's best playmakers — the level he once reached at Liverpool — now seems incredibly distant.
9. Jesse Lingard — from Manchester United to a historic goal in South America
Lingard was never considered a player on Messi or Ronaldo's level. However, at his best, he was an important figure for Manchester United and England.
In 2016, his goal gave the Red Devils victory in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. Two years later, Lingard featured at the 2018 World Cup, where England reached the semi-finals.
The Englishman's most unexpected revival came in spring 2021. Joining West Ham on loan, he scored nine goals in 16 Premier League matches and once again looked like a top-level player.
It seemed Lingard could now relaunch his career.
But after returning to Manchester United, he once again found himself in a secondary role. His move to Nottingham Forest in 2022 also ended in failure — he scored no league goals.
In 2023, the footballer was left without a club, and it appeared his career was gradually coming to an end.
An unexpected opportunity arrived from South Korea. In 2024, Lingard signed for Seoul, where he regained playing time, scored goals and even became club captain.
Where is he now? In March 2026, 33-year-old Lingard joined Brazilian side Corinthians, reuniting with former Manchester United teammate Memphis Depay.
In April, the Englishman scored against Peñarol in the Copa Libertadores, becoming the first Englishman to find the net in the tournament.
His return to the Premier League elite never materialised, but Lingard has found an entirely new football story.
8. Mario Balotelli — Super Mario who never fully became a superstar
“Why always me?” — the message on Mario Balotelli's shirt after he scored against Manchester United in 2011 became one of football's most famous memes.
The Italian had almost everything needed for a great career: a powerful shot, pace, physical strength, technique and incredible self-confidence.
By the age of 22, he had already won the Champions League with Inter, become an English champion with Manchester City and scored a legendary brace in the Euro 2012 semi-final against Germany.
In individual matches, Balotelli looked like one of the world's best strikers. The problem was that those performances alternated with conflicts, disciplinary incidents and long periods of inconsistency.
After Manchester City, he played for Milan, Liverpool, Nice and Marseille. His career then became a constant search for another opportunity: Brescia, Monza, Turkish club Adana Demirspor and Swiss side Sion.
In October 2024, Balotelli unexpectedly returned to Serie A, signing for Genoa. Even that comeback, however, ended in disappointment.
He made only six league appearances, never started a match and scored no goals.
Where is he now? In January 2026, Balotelli signed for Dubai-based Al-Ittifaq, who play in the UAE's second division.
There is an interesting detail: in summer 2026, his younger brother Enock Barwuah joined the team, giving them the chance to play for the same club for the first time.
At 36, Super Mario is still playing. Yet the story of the footballer once tipped to win the Ballon d'Or is now unfolding far from the world's biggest stadiums.
7. Donny van de Beek — the Ajax star whose move to Manchester broke him
Another representative of Ajax's legendary 2018/19 side.
Donny van de Beek was an exceptionally intelligent midfielder. He did not always attract attention with flashy tricks, but he read space brilliantly, timed his runs into the box perfectly and knew how to appear where opponents least expected him.
In the Champions League semi-final against Tottenham, van de Beek scored the winning goal in the first leg in London.
In 2020, Manchester United signed the Dutchman for approximately £35 million.
It seemed the club had acquired the ideal modern midfielder. Before long, however, it became clear that the coaching staff could not find him a regular place in the starting XI.
Van de Beek gradually became a substitute, while a lack of playing time damaged both his form and confidence.
Loan spells at Everton and Eintracht Frankfurt did not help. Injuries made the situation even worse.
In 2024, Manchester United allowed the Dutchman to join Girona for an initial fee of less than half a million pounds. The contrast with his purchase price was staggering.
Spain gave van de Beek fresh hope, but in September 2025 he ruptured his Achilles tendon and missed virtually the entire season.
During that time, Girona, who had only recently played in the Champions League, were relegated from La Liga.
Where is he now? In the 2026/27 season, 29-year-old van de Beek is playing for Girona in the Segunda División. After a lengthy recovery, he returned to the pitch and scored against Albacete in September.
Five years ago, he was considered one of Europe's most promising midfielders. Today, he is fighting for promotion back to La Liga with a team that only recently amazed the whole of Europe.
6. Wilfried Zaha — the Crystal Palace king who could not conquer Europe
Wilfried Zaha was one of the most dangerous dribblers in the English Premier League.
At Crystal Palace, practically the entire attacking game was built around him. Defenders knew the Ivorian would try to beat them, but they often still could not stop him.
Zaha could decide a match on his own, win a penalty or create a scoring chance out of nothing.
Manchester United noticed his talent as early as 2013. However, the move proved unsuccessful, and he never managed to establish himself at Old Trafford.
After returning to Crystal Palace, he revived his career and became a symbol of the London club for many years.
Zaha was repeatedly linked with Premier League giants, including Arsenal, but a major transfer never materialised.
In 2023, he finally decided to leave England and joined Galatasaray. He won the Turkish title but was not as indispensable as he had been at Palace.
Next came an unsuccessful loan spell at Lyon, after which Zaha moved to MLS club Charlotte.
Interestingly, he looked far more convincing in MLS. In a year and a half, the Ivorian registered 13 goals and 14 assists in league and playoff matches.
Where is he now? In summer 2026, 33-year-old Zaha left Charlotte after his loan ended and later became a free agent when his Galatasaray contract expired.
In October, reports emerged of interest from Lazio and UAE club Al Ain, but there is still no confirmed new contract.
The footballer who once regularly terrorised the defenders of England's best teams is now having to search for a club despite several solid recent seasons in America.
5. Anthony Martial — the Golden Boy winner who lost his talent
September 2015. Manchester United are playing Liverpool.
Anthony Martial, 19, comes on after joining from Monaco for £36 million.
A few minutes later, the Frenchman receives the ball, glides past the opposition defence and scores a spectacular goal.
“What a debut!” — the commentators cry.
It seemed a new superstar had arrived at Old Trafford.
That same year, Martial won the prestigious Golden Boy award, presented to Europe's best young footballer.
He possessed enormous potential: pace, dribbling, composure in front of goal and the ability to play in several attacking positions.
Yet he never managed to become a consistent goalscorer.
During nine years at Manchester United, Martial went through numerous managerial changes, competition from new forwards and endless fitness problems. His best season came in 2019/20, when he scored 23 goals in all competitions.
After that, however, his scoring record began to decline again.
In 2024, Martial left Manchester and unexpectedly signed for Greek club AEK. He scored nine league goals there, but a year later moved to Mexican side Monterrey.
That proved to be another poor decision.
The Frenchman made only 20 appearances, scored one goal and was once again hampered by injuries, including a dislocated shoulder.
Where is he now? In June 2026, Martial terminated his contract with Monterrey ahead of schedule. As of October, the 30-year-old striker remains a free agent.
The media have reported interest from Everton, French clubs and Spanish side Málaga, but nothing has come of it so far.
Eleven years have passed since that fantastic goal against Liverpool. Martial is still relatively young, but it feels as though the best football of his career is now a distant memory.
4. Jadon Sancho — the €85 million transfer after which everything went wrong
In 2020, Jadon Sancho was one of the most popular young footballers on the planet.
Playing for Borussia Dortmund, the Englishman regularly produced phenomenal numbers. In the 2019/20 season, he scored 17 goals and provided 16 assists in the Bundesliga alone.
Alongside Erling Haaland, Sancho formed one of Europe's most dangerous attacks.
He was technical, fast, creative and, above all, extremely effective. He was considered one of the players capable of challenging for the Ballon d'Or in the future.
In 2021, Manchester United finally agreed a deal for the Englishman, paying around €85 million.
That was the moment Sancho's career began to go sharply downhill.
In England, he could not reproduce the output he had shown in Dortmund. The huge transfer fee weighed on him, while repeated managerial changes only made his adaptation more difficult.
In 2023, the situation escalated after a public dispute with Erik ten Hag. Following disagreements over training, Sancho was effectively exiled from the first team.
In January 2024, he returned to Borussia Dortmund on loan and helped the club reach the Champions League final.
It seemed the story had found a happy continuation.
However, Dortmund did not buy him outright. Next came a loan spell at Chelsea. With the London club, Sancho won the 2025 Conference League and even scored in the final against Real Betis.
But Chelsea also decided against keeping him permanently.
In the 2025/26 season, Jadon played on loan for Aston Villa, but failed to convince the club to sign him permanently.
Where is he now? In summer 2026, Sancho finally left Manchester United when his contract expired.
As of October, the 26-year-old remains without a club. Teams from several leagues showed interest, but none of the options resulted in a contract.
According to British media reports, he is even prepared to wait until January 2027 to find the right project.
That is perhaps the saddest part of Sancho's story: at 26, when most footballers are only reaching their peak, the former Bundesliga superstar cannot find a team.
3. Paul Pogba — the World Cup winner stopped by injuries and suspension
In 2016, Manchester United paid Juventus a then-record €105 million for Paul Pogba.
The Frenchman returned to Old Trafford as one of the best central midfielders on the planet.
He had everything: outstanding technique, a powerful shot, extraordinary long passing and remarkable physical ability. On the pitch, Pogba could do things most footballers would never even imagine.
In 2018, he became a world champion with France and scored in the final against Croatia.
His club career, however, gradually became an endless series of disappointments.
Pogba was regularly criticised for inconsistency. His clashes with José Mourinho made front-page news, while injuries increasingly kept the Frenchman out of action.
In 2022, Paul returned to Juventus on a free transfer, hoping to rediscover himself in Turin.
Instead, the most difficult period of his career began.
A knee problem ruled him out of the 2022 World Cup, and he barely played the following season.
In 2023, the footballer failed a doping test for the banned substance DHEA. He was initially suspended for four years, which could effectively have meant the end of his professional career.
Pogba appealed. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the violation had not been intentional and reduced the suspension to 18 months.
In spring 2025, the Frenchman was cleared to return to football.
That June, he signed for Monaco. The transfer generated enormous interest: it seemed the former world champion was finally coming back.
However, his body was not ready for the demands of top-level football.
Across the entire 2025/26 season, Pogba made only six appearances and played approximately 115 minutes in total. Persistent physical problems prevented him from regaining his fitness and securing a place in the team.
Where is he now? In August 2026, Monaco officially announced the early termination of Pogba's contract after he suffered an injury in training.
The 33-year-old world champion became a free agent once again. His future remains uncertain.
Pogba's story is especially painful because he did not simply lose his place at a top club. A footballer who once dominated midfield at the World Cup has barely played at a professional level in recent years.
2. Raheem Sterling — the four-time English champion left without a club and awaiting a court verdict
At his best, Raheem Sterling was one of the most dangerous wingers in world football.
After a bright start to his career at Liverpool, he joined Manchester City in 2015 and reached an entirely new level under Pep Guardiola.
Sterling became far more effective in the penalty area, learned to choose his positions better and began scoring regularly.
In the 2019/20 season, the Englishman scored 20 Premier League goals and won four league titles with Manchester City overall.
At Euro 2020, he was one of England's most important players as they reached the final.
In summer 2022, Chelsea paid approximately £47.5 million for Sterling.
He was only 27 at the time. Nobody could have imagined how quickly his career would change.
In London, Sterling faced constant managerial changes and an overhaul of the squad. He gradually lost his status as an indispensable player, while his output fell far short of the numbers he had produced under Guardiola.
The Englishman spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Arsenal, but again failed to convince Mikel Arteta.
After returning to Chelsea, Sterling found himself outside the club's main plans.
In January 2026, the parties agreed to terminate his contract, and the following month the footballer unexpectedly joined Dutch club Feyenoord, managed by Robin van Persie.
It seemed that a less intense league could help the 31-year-old winger revive his career.
Even in the Netherlands, however, he could not rediscover his old form. Sterling received limited playing time, failed to deliver the expected numbers and left the club after his short-term deal ended.
In September 2026, Sterling admitted guilt to several offences connected with a car accident in May. They included dangerous driving, possession of nitrous oxide and refusing to provide a blood sample.
The court banned the footballer from driving and scheduled sentencing for November 25. According to British media reports, the case could even result in a prison sentence.
Where is he now? As of October 2026, Sterling remains without a club and is awaiting the final court decision.
It is hard to believe this is the same footballer who, only a few years ago, regularly scored for Manchester City and was one of the leaders of the England team.
Sterling's former manager Thomas Tuchel publicly offered him support, saying he hoped the situation could still be changed.
The Englishman's story has long gone beyond a footballing failure. The main question now is not only whether he can play at a high level again, but also what his life away from the pitch will look like.
1. Dele Alli — from a Champions League final to the eighth tier
Perhaps none of the stories in our ranking raises as many questions as Dele Alli's career.
In 2015, the 19-year-old Englishman broke into Tottenham's first team and almost immediately became one of the most exciting young players in the Premier League.
He possessed a unique footballing instinct: he found pockets of space superbly, timed his runs into the box perfectly, scored difficult goals and developed an incredible understanding with Harry Kane.
In the 2015/16 season, Dele scored ten Premier League goals, then followed that with 18 the next year.
He was named the Premier League's best young player twice in a row, in 2016 and 2017.
It seemed England had found a midfielder around whom they could build their national team for the next decade.
In 2018, Alli played in the World Cup semi-finals, and in 2019 he reached the Champions League final with Tottenham.
He was only 23. Then everything began to fall apart.
After Mauricio Pochettino left Tottenham, Dele gradually lost his place in the starting XI. Under José Mourinho, he was increasingly criticised for inconsistency and a lack of intensity.
In February 2022, the midfielder joined Everton hoping to relaunch his career. However, he could not establish himself at his new club.
His next opportunity came at Turkish side Beşiktaş, where he moved on loan. But the Englishman failed to rediscover his former level there either.
Constant injuries only made the situation worse.
In 2023, however, the world learned that Dele's problems ran much deeper than poor sporting form.
In an emotional interview with Gary Neville, the footballer spoke publicly for the first time about his difficult childhood. According to Alli, he suffered sexual abuse at the age of six and later faced other traumatic experiences.
Dele also admitted that he had developed an addiction to sleeping pills as an adult and had completed a six-week rehabilitation programme.
He said that during one of the most difficult periods of his life, when he was only 24, he had even considered ending his career.
The interview made many fans look at the footballer in a completely different way. Previously, he had often been accused of lacking motivation.
In 2024, Dele was still dreaming of returning to the highest level. He even set a daily reminder on his phone counting down to the 2026 World Cup — such was his determination to return to the England squad.
At the end of 2024, a new opportunity emerged. Italian club Como, managed by Cesc Fàbregas, allowed Alli to train with the team and later offered him a contract.
In March 2025, the Englishman finally returned to the pitch in a Serie A match against Milan.
But the comeback turned into a genuine nightmare.
Dele came on as a substitute late in the game, and approximately nine minutes later received a red card for a reckless foul.
That match remained his only official appearance for Como.
In September 2025, the club terminated the footballer's contract.
What is happening in 2026?
At the moment, the situation looks particularly unusual.
Dele Alli has been without a club for more than a year. To maintain his fitness, he has used Tottenham's training facilities, as well as those of Barnet, who play in England's fourth tier.
At the beginning of October 2026, photographs emerged of the 30-year-old midfielder training at Windsor & Eton.
The team plays in the eighth tier of English football.
That's right: the footballer who played in a Champions League final seven years ago is now training at the facilities of an amateur club whose home ground holds around 3,500 spectators.
It is important to note that Alli has not signed a contract with Windsor & Eton. The club has merely allowed him to use its pitch to maintain his fitness.
At the same time, Dele has started regularly hosting live streams on Twitch.
Recently, during one of his streams, he even called his former teammate Harry Kane. The moment quickly caught fans' attention.
The contrast was striking: Kane continues to perform at the highest level, while his former Tottenham teammate has been unable to find a new club for a long time.
Despite this, 30-year-old Dele has not announced his retirement and continues to work towards a comeback.
Although his footballing future remains uncertain, Alli's story is not only about wasted talent.
It is a reminder that behind the results, statistics and million-pound contracts are ordinary people whose personal struggles are not always visible from the stands.
In 2017, Dele Alli looked like a footballer capable of becoming a generational player. In 2026, he is simply looking for a chance to play football again.
And that is perhaps why his story is the saddest in this ranking.
The stories of these 13 footballers prove how unpredictable a sporting career can be. Some fell victim to a failed transfer, others were stopped by injuries, while some had to battle problems far more serious than football.
Although most of them are unlikely to return to their former level, their careers are not necessarily over.
Because sometimes, a genuine comeback takes just one right opportunity.
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
