7 Biggest Falls From Grace in Football Since 2017

From recent Everton signing Dele Alli to former Real Madrid star Isco, HITC Sevens takes a look at footballers who have suffered really steep and dramatic declines over the last five years.
My HITC Sevens socials:
Twitter - @HITCSevens
Instagram - @HITCSevens
Facebook - APHFootball
Other HITC football / soccer socials (not run by me):
Facebook - HITCfootball

[@rhysjackson2597]

Major respect and love to Nianggolan's wife for beating cancer and spending 2 years in remission. From a HITC Sevens fan who celebrates 18 months in remission himself today. 👌

[@joshspencer1523]

Congratulations brother

[@daithimcnally8212]

nice one mate, my mam is sick currently but is kicking cancers arse

[@rhysjackson2597]

@@daithimcnally8212 all the best to your mum, hope to see a comment in the future saying she's beaten it 😊

[@sandg507]

Happy 4 u bro

[@korukomi]

congrats :-) stay healthy!

[@kieranfogarty778]

2017 feels so recent yet so far away at the same time

[@ousmansano21]

Ikr

[@piccolo5346]

Because 2020 felt like 7 years.

[@elliotcoffman2643]

@@piccolo5346 tf you mean 2017 felt like yesterday

[@yourmum955]

@@piccolo5346 na 2020 flew by

[@JangoBlader]

Mate it hasn't even been 10 years yet

[@aryamanmani4025]

I know it’s Hazard and he was something truly special but I’d put Dele on top of this list. The g/a numbers he managed before turning 23 was genuinely off the charts. There was a general belief that when it’s all said and done, he would be amongst the better PL midfielders in history. Fast forward 3 years and he’s championship level, drastic drop off.

[@chlcrk]

I find it odd how inflexible he's become. At MK Dons he broke through in a different more deeper role than he was known for in his first few years at Spurs but when they turned him into what he was as almost a shadow striker, he was almost unstoppable. Yet his failure to gel with Mourinho or Nuno seems to have turned his development in reverse. Its crazy how he's gone from the cusp of superstardom to now when he can barely get a game at Everton and where Spurs so desperate to offload him that they essentially agreed to a buy now pay later arrangement

[@willb3486]

@@chlcrk it's because he can't be arsed

[@aryamanmani4025]

@@chlcrk It really is insane. I have two theories, the first is more practical. Spurs placed a self-imposed transfer ban on themselves and didn't replace Dembele, which meant Eriksen dropped deep. Eriksen directly contributed to pretty much all of Dele's goalscoring, so the chances dried up and Dele's role became null and void. The second is simply injuries and burnout.

[@007Fusiion]

I thought he was gearing up to be the new Lampard. But Hazard is weird though, it’s like he retired at 28. Forgetting that he’s just transferred for a high fee.

[@zerofox641]

As a Spurs fan, Dele’s decline has been especially sad to watch. When he came through from MK Dons, it felt like we found someone to lead the midfield for the next decade at least. His link up with Eriksen and Kane was amazing, the goals he scored at Stamford Bridge and the Bernabeu will always be some of my favorites. But whatever happened in 2019 has been irreversible. His hunger for the game is gone. I had really hoped he could recapture his best form at Everton but that doesn’t seem to be happening. His flame burned way too quickly.

[@12thMandalorian]

It hurts that Eden Hazard has gone from a Premier League icon to a complete injury prone disaster

[@kiriakoz]

Never an icon for me due to his inconsistency. Don’t get me wrong, during the good seasons, he was right up there but in the bad seasons, he was rubbish.

[@constablekennedy7705]

As a Chelsea Fan, I am Glad we Offloaded him for a Tidy Sum before he turned into Kieron Dyer 2.0 ….. ⚽️

[@constablekennedy7705]

@@kiriakoz Couldn’t Agree more Fella … 💯

[@rohithraman6488]

@@kiriakoz He only had one rubbish season

[@kiriakoz]

@@rohithraman6488 he only had one rubbish season but a couple okayish ones. Sorry but I have standards, you can’t just pick and choose when to perform if you want to be an icon.

[@peterk9126]

You could have added the entire Manchester United starting XI to the honorable mentions (Pogba, Maguire, Rashford et al)

[@jhaych]

It's from the last 5 years, not 12 months

[@dvdv8197]

Who's Al?

[@BigKendog]

@@dvdv8197 Et al = and others

[@constablekennedy7705]

Agreed Bro and well said ……. 💯

[@chlcrk]

Or indeed Manchester United as an entire club

[@Taalsman]

The only person who gained on the fact that Øzil stayed after Sanchez left was Gunnersaurus

[@CaptainKickAss01]

Are you Gunnersaurus? Like who remembers that!?🤣🤣🤣

[@alr68]

@@CaptainKickAss01 Gunners? It was only a couple of seasons ago that story about him being made redundant was a thing

[@cjewe1z]

Ozil was the biggest name Arse'nal Training Centre had. That gave them exposure that they would never have had. You mofos should be grateful.

[@saltmerchant749]

How about football redemption arcs? Moyes comes to mind.

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

Ranieri has to be the big one manager wise, from complete laughing stock to winning the title with 5000/1 outsiders.

[@justin8910]

Joelinton!

[@WKogut]

Benzema, many ppl said he was finished a couple of years back, but now he scores like crazy. Also Gabigol, he failed at Inter, but was amazing after he returned to Brazil.

[@ethandalton6480]

@@WKogut Benzema was still world class a few years ago, it's just that Ronaldo got all the plaudits and Benzema played a different role to the one he does now

[@Cynicayke]

Unai Emery.

[@ryanwilliams8750]

umtiti unfortunately had lots of injuries after the world cup. Very very unlucky that his knee gave out on him

[@gabsnandes7818]

There is actually a reason for that, he should have gone for a surgery, but unfortunately, he has a trauma from it

[@rossonerican97]

@@gabsnandes7818 I bet if you ask umtiti if he would do it again, the answer would be yes.

[@gabsnandes7818]

@@rossonerican97 what I am talking about is relating to the fact he has trauma from surgery, apparently he is afraid of it and refused to do surgery after the world cup

[@turc9808]

Also he is almost 45 years old in reality

[@khiemvothanh6]

Diego Costa should be up there too. The way he went from 20 goals/season to 5-7 within 6 months or a year is totally inexplicable

[@fpldirectory6753]

He was unfortunately positioned at the time the game moved on tho - if you transplant his peak into today's game (premier league especially) it would be 5 goals a season now too (imo)

[@patrickmcdonagh539]

@@fpldirectory6753 not a chance

[@feedapony]

Costa became a part bit player

[@arieldiaz9310]

@@fpldirectory6753 u dk ball and you should be banned from talking football

[@waymond1502]

Dele Alli never scored or assisted more than Rooney, Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard in the prem by the age of 23 he outscored and assisted them in their first 63 league appearnces in his first season and a half, maybe a little less. Wich is impressive in the top flight by number of apperances and also age he was 23 when he came to Tottenham from league one. But based on age and time spent in the premier league all four from Rooney to Gerrard did more than him by age 23 i dont understand why i should even point it out just do the math. I know it was a misread and miswritten sentence sorry. The internet stats says in the first 63 games not the age of the players or how long they have played in the premiere league until the age of 23

[@LuigiLuigi728]

I'm surprised Phil Coutinho wasn't even mentioned at all... I know he's been performing decently since joining Aston Villa on loan in January, but still you wouldn't be expecting him to be playing at this mid-table/relegation battling club five years ago when he joined Barcelona being the third most expensive player of all time...

[@sponish0]

i feel like his villa move saved him from the list

[@samwiseshanti]

I think everyone (rightly or wrongly) associates that drop-off with barca's failures, rather than his own. If he'd gone almost anywhere else, or stayed at Liverpool, even if he had dropped off a bit, it wouldn't be viewed in the same way.

[@winterbird4447]

He has performed good for Barca, Bayern and Villa. It is just that his salary was astronomical that made Barca want get rid and noone else buying him. He never should have been the third most expensive player in the world in the first place.

[@steevobarker581]

Villa are only 8 points out of the relegation zone!

[@8wayz2shine]

He still won the Bundesliga and Champions League while he was on loan at Bayern. Even if he had one good year since 2017, it was still a remarkable one. His form is also stable to this day, it was more of an issue with a disintegrating Barça side then him entering a decline.

[@ericreinhoz3175]

Here is a tip. In sweden there is a club that is named Brommapojkarna. They are known to be the biggest club in Europe on the youth side. However they are known to have no fans and have many controversies. The club is great on the youth side and produce so many players who makes it to the nationalteam or make it abroad.

[@canarycatchup]

Cheers mate. I will join them on a free.

[@lordbendtner6404]

You mean kenedy right

[@thegloriouspyrocheems2277]

One of my favorite FM saves was with Bromma

[@Spursinhoo]

Good tip, a video on them would be really great

[@KushQQ]

My sister's boyfriends was part of the training staff of Brommapojkarna. What a shit show it was XD

[@niharg2011]

Tbh Nainggolan's fall from grace seemed to have started from the 2018 WC, he had a falling out with Roberto Martinez over his lifestyle (smoking that is) and then was kicked out of the squad when he seemed like their best Midfielder alongside De Bruyne.

[@vankallahan59]

His decline also had something to do with his personal life. His wife had cancer and thats why he went to Cagliari.

[@elliotcoffman2643]

He sacrificed the later years of his career for his wife. What a man

[@JammyGit]

Aah, I doubt very much that he was kicked out purely because he smoked. There have been many footballers who have smoked, drank, taken all sorts of substances and all that.

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

@@JammyGit He also showed up drunk on training

[@tdyerwestfield]

I remember Alexis Sanchez' first game for Man Utd, it was against my local team Yeovil Town in the FA Cup, and Sanchez was dreadful and got mocked by the Huish Park faithful. It was downhill for him even from then.

[@attackpatterndelta8949]

Couldn’t even hack it at Yeovil.

[@tdyerwestfield]

@@attackpatterndelta8949 Nor could Man Utd either. They're playing the same quality as Yeovil Town are except 4 divisions higher.

[@jbg48]

All things considered, especially how his signing went on the effect the team, the worst signing in United's history and arguably the worst signing in the EPL.

[@Lucky-sh1dm]

@@tdyerwestfield lmfaoooooo

[@Omnipotentmonkey]

nah, Alli is a far more grievous decline than Hazard, for one, Hazard maintained his quality up until he hit the precipice of his 30s, he maintained a high standard for 10+ years, and only fell off AFTER he moved past his physical peak, Dele Alli fell off before he even hit the age of 26, his peak was far, far shorter, and he actually fell off BEFORE Hazard did, his decline started earlier, and has already taken a larger proportion of his career than Hazard's by far. secondly Hazard was blighted by repeated injuries, missing 71 games through injury, in 2.5 years. for contrast, Dele Alli, in his entire time at Tottenham only missed 37 games through injury in 6.5 years. there's far more of a physical explanation and contribution for Hazard's decline. finally, their end destination, when fit, Hazard can still get gametime for Real Madrid battling in the CL knockouts and La Liga title-race. he's not made great contributions in that regard, but he's still up to the standard where he can be trusted to play in these levels of games, and he still plays regularly for the international side. Alli can barely get a minute on the pitch for a relegation threatened side despite having no current injury issues at the age of 26. and has been excised entirely from the international set-up, albeit understandably with the rise of an insane wave of talent in the 8/10 positions (Mount, Foden, Grealish, Saka, Maddison, Emile Smith Rowe etc,) by and large, Hazard's tale is one of a man getting past his physical peak after a long, successful career, and injuries (likely contingent on being so omnipresent at the top level of football for so long) dragging his incredibly high standards down to much lower ones, but still ones that keep him present near the top-level of football. Alli's tale is one of a man hitting his physical prime, mostly fit and unblighted by injury, and dropping off the face of the earth, if Hazard's current track continues, he might be playing for a midtable top-flight side soon, or a top side in the likes of the Netherlands or Portugal in the middle of his 30s. if Alli's current trajectory continues he'll be playing in the Championship in what should ostensibly be his golden years.

[@DJMavis]

In Dele's defence it's not wholly his fault that he might be playing in the championship next season, though he's done nothing to stop it

[@respectedlocalgentleman7108]

Comical that anyone would need such obviousness explained in detail, but you've definitely done a nice job of it. Minus the "insane wave of talent" comment. All the guys you've listed are marginal talents compared to their French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian, Argentine, etc...counterparts. Of the major footballing powers, only the Dutch currently suffer from a greater talent drought than the limeys.

[@Omnipotentmonkey]

@@respectedlocalgentleman7108 You're either intentionally, or unintentionally misunderstanding the point. in 2018, Alli was England's best option as an 8 or CAM. by 2022, only four years of a gap, there's perhaps a DOZEN if not more ahead of him. it's not just the numbers, but the speed with which they appeared, Alli was ousted by 2020. and secondly, you're grievously underestimating these players. Mason Mount and Phil Foden in particular have proved to be dominant performers even in heavy-weight CL matches. Saka, ESR and others are blatantly exceptional for their age, far ahead of their contemporaries in these positions from Germany, Portugal, Italy, Argentina or Brazil, though France and Spain do have similar or better options emerging.

[@respectedlocalgentleman7108]

@@Omnipotentmonkey Nonsense. "Best option" does not equal good, great, or even marginal. He had a few good games in the Prem and since English footballers are grossly overrated (the crux of this argument which YOU are avoiding) he fell to his proper place quickly. As for "dominant performers" what a crock! Yes. They perform well when there's a De Bruyne, Mahrez, Silva, Jorginho, Kante, Havertz, etc...to carry the load, provide the class, and make the difference. When has ANY ENGLISH PLAYER demonstrated true class on the world stage WITHOUT depending on hired hands? I'll give you a hint. It's been 25 years and counting. Saka and Rowe are comically inefficient against anything resembling top comp.

[@giovannicarbajal2200]

Brilliant

[@michaelay4900]

Isco deserves it over Meyer imo. Meyer was a great talent but never the "grace", unlike the other superstars in this seven. Isco was at the peak of his power at 2017, but... the rest is history.

[@djsilversun]

Isco was at the peak of his power when he was at Malaga and he still plays for Real Madrid after all. Leaving Schalke (who you just came second with) on a free thinking you’ll be picked up by Real Madrid or Liverpool, only to end up being loaned out to Denmark by fenerbahce, that’s arguably on par with Dele Allis decline

[@OlfimusPrime]

As a Schalke Fan I just remember Meyers Negotitator who said our Manager couldn't see how World class he is. Then he earned a fortune at Crystal Palace. Not particularly the Team he hoped for. And now he ain't even good enough in Denmark.

[@k.p.7966]

@@OlfimusPrime first thing that comes to mind when Mayer gets mentioned "I am talking about the world class player Mayer"

[@dazzaMusic]

what the hell happened to Julian Draxler was regarded as a wonder kid back when he signed for PSG now he’s 28 and he’s really not lived up to his potential.

[@sebastiancarbonel4362]

He never was given the chance to be unchangeable on startin XI. When they sign Neymar, Mbappé and Di María he lost his spot

[@kouetecabrel5571]

For real bro

[@Teddyisoffline]

He really should have moved on from psg years ago

[@respectedlocalgentleman7108]

The same thing that happens to 90% of German and British starlets. They're pumped full of pain killers as kids in order to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. By their mid-20s, they're hollowed out physical shells of their former selves. Rooney and Kane are great examples, but they're all over if you look hard enough.

[@clubtropicana5235]

Hugo Drax - Moonraker🤸⚡

[@parveskoyes9937]

I think the move to Man Utd absolutely destroyed Alexis Sanchez. We need to know what went on there

[@SKa-tt9nm]

A toxic club

[@alfiedunn6229]

I think Coretein Tolisso is a good shout. He was phenomenal at Lyon and started well at Bayern but injuries have ravaged his career. Shame because i still think they’re may be a player in their somewhere.

[@twold4this]

Pochettino was misquoted. He said Dele Alli "could win a Balloon" at the Spurs 'Family and Children Day Fete' and "should be shown the door".

[@croccroc4000]

I believe as an Everton fan, Dele is very talented with the ball at his feet, but provides very little of the ball. And although he's talented on the ball he isn't quite Messi/neymar/Jeremy 'swaz' lynch on the ball, so he doesn't really get away with it

[@neilm9523]

Can't believe how much you paid us for him......

[@croccroc4000]

@@neilm9523 we signed him for free 😂 the max we're going to pay probably will be £10 million after some appearances

[@DJMavis]

@@croccroc4000 I think the first payment is £20m after a certain number of appearances. My worry, because I'm fairly sure nobody is stupid enough to give him that game time, is his wages and contract length. I don't know what they are, but we're usually fine with paying absolute dross £100k a week. Over a few years that adds up!

[@Hiccup_-gz8nm]

Dele Ali is such a sad story. As a spurs fan, watching your only hope crumble apart right in front of you is something else.

[@yourmum955]

He was far from our only hope lmao

[@neilwhitaker6284]

as a Spurs fan to you have any insights into what happened to him? I'm not a Spurs fan so all I remember is him looking really threatening a few years ago and being frustrated Liverpool didn't sign him (there were rumours LFC would buy him before Spurs did) and then seeing him looking really bored, disinterested a few years later to not seeing him play. I was always curious.

[@shylo8590]

@@neilwhitaker6284 as a spurs fan i can only say that its down to his attitude? Mourinho got a lot of blame for some reason but dele wasnt playing well in pochettinos last year but poch kept picking him regardless. He cant even break into evertons current midfield so i fear he'll never reach the level he was at 5 years ago but ultimately thats surely down to dele and his approach to the game.

[@neilwhitaker6284]

@@shylo8590 thank you. He looks so disinterested but had been for some time. Perhaps too much success at an early age, too much money and has lost his motivation. Perhaps he has some issues like depression in which case I feel for him but its hard to feel for somebody who just lost interest. I agree if he can't get into the Everton side at his age it will be very hard for him to turn this around.

[@shylo8590]

@@neilwhitaker6284 sadly i think its downhill from here for him, shame as he was so good for us when he joined but he just hasnt seemed to find that form again. He started against liverpool for us in december and he was superb but ultimately its down to him to find that motivation again

[@dontmindme6995]

Nice that you managed to include Meyer. He was really looking to become an icon at Schalke, but decided that money is worth more than any kind of status amongst clubs, leagues and fans. Really sad, but Isco maybe would've deserved that spot even more than Meyer since he was absolutely outstanding in Real's 2016/17 season. Remember him ripping Atletico apart in the semis

[@mucktown]

Still watching the video of his smug of a father, driving with a sportscar through Schalke and pissing on the club, from time to time

[@Knightwolf__]

7 players who have turned their careers around, all time, the players who went for decent money, were shit for a while and then kicked on to be some of the best players in the world

[@lewissullivan7372]

Salah

[@Eibarwoman]

@Abdul Raheem Iago Aspas also has a similar trajectory although with smaller fees to Liverpool and they cannibalized national team appearances.

[@z5405]

Completely disagee that Özil's decline is nothing to do with age. Even in 2017-18 he was missing games through injury more frequently, played against medical advice in UEL knockouts that season. Injuries became more frequent, now he can't start 2 games in a week. A lot of players who were already first team regulars at 18/19 decline physically at quite a young age, eg Rooney, Kaka

[@reun1clus]

Ozil not only declined physically... his technical ability is also now non-existent... probably have to do with not having enough game time for a few years though

[@respectedlocalgentleman7108]

Yeah, he and Alexis don't belong on this list. Aging is not falling off. Hazard is debatable for the same reason.

[@brunobegic3841]

I wonder what happened to Andre Schurrle? He was a beast at the 2014 world cup, played for Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund, and then just disappeared and retired at age 29 for some reason.

[@reintaler6355]

The reason being that he felt he longer had enough left in the tank to support him playing at such high level, and that his well-being had become more important

[@SilliusSodus]

#1 hurts me. Hazard is a Premier league legend. The streets will never, ever forget how he turned Coquelin into a spinning top.

[@rottenappleofsociety]

He really let it rip

[@danwilliams256]

Well that intro escalated quickly

[@jeremypearson6852]

Some of these falls can be attributed to contracts. In the case of Sanchez, once he signed that contract at MU, he had a lot less incentive to play at a high level. The same issue happens in the NFL and NBA. Players impress in one or two seasons which enables them to sign huge guaranteed contracts either with their current team or a new one. When their environment changes they are not always as productive.

[@Blobby192]

Add in celebrity status

[@josephpotter7776]

Sanchez didn't leave Arsenal cuz of money. He wanted to win trophies. His salary was pretty much the same at both clubs

[@TylerAven10]

I am very surprised to see no mention of Danny Drinkwater throughout this entire list

[@LuigiLuigi728]

Tbh I think Drinkwater was never even that good, I never had any idea how tf Chelsea payed like 40 million for him 😂😂😂 All the other players in this list (maybe except Max Meyer) used to be world class players

[@toiletcomputer]

The most shocking thing about Drinkwater is he opened a restaurant and didn’t call it Eatfood. Good shout btw.

[@TylerAven10]

@@LuigiLuigi728 I’d agree, I can’t understand that pricetag either, guess they assumed that he’d become world class if paired with Kante again. He was an everyday starter on a premier league champion which has to be worth something.

[@GodofMMA23]

His decline started before 2017

[@KopnickerOberhaupt]

Here we see again how crazy bale was bale could’ve been one of the greatest for me he is the best welsh player ever better than giggs for sure(even if not mentioned)

[@finbarobruadair2761]

Giggsy was way more oppurtunistic.

[@mohammadabidrashid7482]

@Finbar Yeah, w/ his brother's wife maybe.

[@piccolo5346]

Bale’s career despite the injuries is still all time. He’s becoming more underrated these days.

[@KopnickerOberhaupt]

@@piccolo5346 fr bro he has 4 cls „thats class“ (pie‘s voice) but fr he was THE BEAST in those years

[@oggabob]

Bale is one of the best British footballers of all time no doubt

[@stilgar2007]

As a gooner, I really appreciated Sanchez's ManU implosion and can attest Ozil is the most frustrating player. Mesut had all the skill and vision, but refused to train his body in the slightest.

[@jackjude]

I think Ali should be top spot. As you say, injuries have disrupted Hazard at Madrid.

[@LeeTAZ-sl7de]

True Ali really hasnt had a major or even minor injury in his career, his fall from grace is exactly what I'm seeing from Rashford, a young player who was way overhyped and couldnt avoid believing his own hype.

[@daviddavies3637]

These guys are a lesson to any young player who thinks it's easy and that once they get into a team, all they have to do is turn up.

[@sidosh2229]

Day 14: Considering that the last player who played in the miracle of Bern died about 5 months ago, I would really like to see a video about the whole story between Germany and Hungary, especially because it meant so much to at least the German population

[@SKa-tt9nm]

Hungary’54: greatest team to not win the World Cup.

[@respectedlocalgentleman7108]

@@SKa-tt9nm Lol. What a casual. The 1974 and 1978 Holland teams are BY FAR the best two teams not to win the WC. They were favored in both finals and had the West Germans running circles in '74, yet still found a way to lose. The SECOND best team not to win the WC was the 1982 Brazil side, which scored 5 of the 8 most memorable WC goals in just that WC. The THIRD (well, really 4th since the Dutch occupy the first 2 spots) is the 1990 Yugoslavia team, which toyed with Maradona's Argentina while playing with 10 men AND didn't have all their best players available due to the internal politics which ultimately broke that country apart. Your comment gets an F. Do better next time, son.

[@SKa-tt9nm]

@@respectedlocalgentleman7108 imagine thinking a difference of opinion makes me a casual. A couple of things: 1) you are right about holland in ‘74 bring excellent and I rate them as the SECOND greatest team not to win the World Cup. 2) the ‘78 team - minus Cruyff - wasn’t nearly as dominant and it’s silly for you to put them in the same category. 3) thinking that the brazil team of ‘82 belongs on this list is just embarrassing. The ‘82 World Cup in general was one of the most overrated world cups in modern times and that Brazil team was full of underachievers and bottlers. Go read up on the great Magyar ‘54 team. That’s your homework. And since for some reason you felt compelled to rate my post, I’m compelled to give yours three full cretins and two enthusiastic thumbs down. Started off strong and quickly tailed off. Sounded like a Wikipedia cut and paste - and not a particularly good one at that. Anyway, enjoy mediocrity. Bye forever.

[@danpreston564]

It’s so sad for Dele. I live in MK, and the rise of Dele was such a big thing here. He seemed able to do anything. He scored amazing goals on a consistent basis, he ran the show from midfield when MK Dons beat Man Utd 4-0 in the league cup and he always seemed such a nice, shy young lad. The manager, when asked how good Dele could become, said 'as good as he wants'. When he went to Spurs we were so excited about how well he started. I was at Wembley when he made his England debut and we we all so proud. The fall has been so sudden, and so complete. It’s heartbreaking, really. I don’t think he’ll ever come back from it.

[@Shushh920]

Yeah now he plays in turkish league but atleast makes 100k a week

[@imadeyoureadthis.9743]

Man Nainggolan's case is truly saddening. He was in a mid Roma side but still carried them to the top spots of the table and still earned himself a spot among the best midfielders in the world. At one point he was without a doubt Serie A's top midfielder. If he would had played for any "Big Team" he would had been World XI material by far, sadly he never reached such heights, but he absolutely had the potential.

[@jacobmcdermott55]

That Roma side was excellent, not totally convinced you're remembering them correctly, incredibly strong from back to front with a world class manager like Spalletti in charge. Definitely not mid

[@Uzair_Of_Babylon465]

Fantastic video keep it up your doing amazing job .

[@papapabs175]

I noticed that everyone has forgotten Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, I only remembered him because I noticed him at the FA cup final amongst the subs.

[@selfiedee1016]

With the World Cup coming later this year, it made me think about all the transfers that occur after a major tournament. If only someone would make a video on that subject🤔

[@DJMavis]

I think Paborsky was after a euros, but I think half of Senegal were signed to the prem after one world Cup. There could be some good stuff there

[@AdarshKumar-nj7rp]

I remember the transfer of Eden Hazard. He was arguably the best PL at that time. It was considered a major statement by Real Madrid that it's the beginning of a new era and they are over Cristiano Ronaldo's departure. Many Barca fan were angry that their club bought Griezmann over Hazard. He was definitely amongst the elite back then, now his market value is €18m.

[@SBFPodcast]

From the moment he signed with Real Madrid I knew he would flop bad, Eden is an example of what NOT to do when you have one of the best seasons of your career and then decide to go to a different team, different league, and different tactics.

[@danischannel]

@@SBFPodcast how could you predict that

[@Shushh920]

Like dele alli, hazard is lazy

[@bricktop.]

I remember chat about Dele Alli being a £100 million pound player a couple of years ago, now spurs have given him to Everton like a weed lay-on from your dealer.

[@UncledadBFD]

Alright bro…yeah yeah I’m sound…yeah just wondering pal, can I tick a Dele Alli til August please….yeah…yeah…no it’ll 100% be August, maybe even end of May, August absolute latest…top man…yeah, that’s sound, see you in 10 mins…cheers bro, lifesaver

[@constablekennedy7705]

Well said Fella ……… 💀

[@jameskiely8703]

Saw Nainggolan at the World Cup in 2018 and against Liverpool in the Champions League and he was one of the best

[@cobii5174]

ur jokes are getting funnier and funnier every video fr i’m loving yhis

[@samuelbowen6825]

Hope you can do a video explaining how much you don’t know about the insides of football. Keep up the great fan work

[@dvdv8197]

Wowwww, very surprised to see Naingolan here, but you're kinda right! I would've COMPLETELY overlooked that guy! 🤷‍♀️

[@nielschristianrodthomsen6797]

This video could almost be remade entirely with Real Madrid players. Isco, Asensio, Hazard, Bale, Marcelo, etc.

[@seandelap6268]

I always wondered what happened to Adriano it's as if he just dropped off the face off the earth in fact he think he did literally disappear for a while when he supposedly went AWOL in Brazil and no one knew where he was until he showed up a while later.

[@willb3486]

Great sentence

[@LordOfTheBored]

Adriano started to drink heavily when in Roma due to the death of his father. He then went back to Flamengo where he was given complete freedom to do what he wanted. E.g. once he missed training due to alleged "diarrhea" but was spotted the same day on the beach eating sandwiches. Instead of being disciplined he was in the starting line-up vs. Ceará a few days later and scored three goals and enjoyed a very successful campaign in that season. After that seson however he returned to Italy and had again huge problems with the European discipline.

[@heidetermeg427]

Hahahahah, what an intro, Alfie. Had me chuckle so hard it turned out in full blown laughter lol

[@reightgoodbikes]

You make some great content :)

[@dvdv8197]

To be fair to Hazard, him not playing much THIS SEASON is intirely Ancelotti's doing. He simply doesn't like the little magician. 🤷‍♀️

[@shannonk9827]

Lol that started rather darkly humerous thanx alfie made my night

[@therealboywonder6832]

I have nothing but support for players who hit poor form, lack confidence or perhaps need a new challenge. Players should always have the fan support. But what fans have an issue with is players who demand the biggest wages and contracts while consistently underperforming season after season especially after signing huge new contracts

[@dinodino9469]

Dele Alli is showing some signs of life. Hes at least making more key passes

[@thabanakabo4370]

This aged well..what a sad decline for him

[@bigsmoothv2]

omg THANK YOU FOR ADDING MUSIC

[@maximilianfruhwirth5991]

I think including Nainggolan is a bit to harsh, because he just did the transfer for his wife and also played sensational at Cagliari, so it might just be his age!

[@thelifeofbasiltheblackcat5618]

Incredible to think that Sanchez and hazard used to run the premier league

[@gentleken7864]

A Swansea ballboy is laughing his head off....and then lying on his head to stop the doctors from helping....the doctor then kicked his head, but maintains he didn't....

[@bostonbrum5288]

Deli Ali is a shell of his former self, and still young. Lost his drive trotting around now. Sad with the talent he had...

[@thabanakabo4370]

Alli now plays in Turkey in September 2022..damn that's sad.

[@bue228]

Greatest intro of all time.

[@cadian122]

Naggolian was a true force for Roma and Belgium ... True box to box hustle

[@nottrexmorgan1209]

Watching this video after the deli alli interview changes a lot

[@user-dx1qf7qg8y]

It must be Jack Wilshere, although he was already declining in 2017. And then you can add Ramsey, Ozil, Alexis to it.

[@jonnstewart2023]

Max Meyer was supposed to become a superstar , he was honestly amazing for his age and he was a beast on fifa 16 and 17 so the way his career has panned out has honestly made me sad

[@glennb6020]

FIFA is bollocks

[@respectedlocalgentleman7108]

Jose Baxter becomes the best striker on earth at age 21 if you play career mode on FIFA 2008. Sotiris Ninis is the world's best winger. Davide Santon the world's best fullback. Stop using video games to rationalize reality. Meyer was a flash in the pan. So was Draxler (with a little longer success window). So, most likely, will be the case with Florian Wirtz. It's impossible to know what a player will be until he passes his early 20s. Too much room for things to go wrong for the young boys at that stage and with the money being what it is, it's becoming tougher to produce functional footballing adults.

[@ss-lz4me]

I really love the intro its way to short...next time i will try to stay awake so i can watch the rest of it never got to this part "7 Biggest Falls From Grace in Football Since 2017"

[@ryanwilliams8750]

as an arsenal fan for my entire life, Ozil was not cast aside because of his speaking out against china's treatment of uyghur muslims. That simply is a media talking point and that is it. He declined heavily which is why you've included him in this video. That being said he was a revelation during his time in London and most hated the fact that he got frozen out of the team due to him being 'lax' as you call it. Mikel hates that style of play and wants every player to pressure when necessary thats why he loves Odegaard so much.

[@adityasunil6565]

Exactly

[@seandelap6268]

How about players who had the potential to become world class but didn't quite reach those heights.

[@archipiratta]

You sometimes wonder if a biggish club like Arsenal or Spurs should take a chance on someone like Isco or Hazard. There's still a footballer in there somewhere and maybe a change in scenery is all that's required

[@Krishnakumar-wl7ih]

I really respect Kane for this reason. He was hyped like the next big thing, but the hype didn't get into his head. He worked tirelessly and is on course to topple Rooney to become England's highest goal scorer.

[@respectedlocalgentleman7108]

Yeah, but he's still MASSIVELY overrated. His numbers can be largely attributed to Spurs refusing to have another striker on the roster for the past five years (LOL). I can't recall a big international (or Champions League) game where he showed well against a worthy adversary. Same as Roon.

[@adamstephenson6278]

What’s gone right at Brentford would be a good video idea I reckon - the story goes back well before the arrival of Benham and the money ball era

[@francescganau7679]

Asensio and Marcelo are two prime Real Madrid examples. Asensio went from one of the most hyped youngsters ever with a goal in the European Super Cup and at Camp Nou aged 21, to being a boring part-time player aged 26. Marcelo went from the world's most dangerous left backs, to a complete defensive liability. Two complete falls from grace.

[@stevezakuani5289]

Marcelo falls under the he got old exemption

[@francescganau7679]

@@stevezakuani5289 Not at all... the way he dropped off after Zidane left in 2018 is staggering

[@Sam-si4ip]

@@francescganau7679 Marcelo was never defensively sound though he always played more as a second LW with Ronaldo, just he had varane and ramos to cover him but as they aged and got more injury prone Marcelo got more exposed

[@ernestodeh1409]

@@Sam-si4ipEven before Ramos and Varane left he was terrible, he's lost his pace which made him more prone to his defensive errors

[@Sam-si4ip]

@@ernestodeh1409 yes that’s what I’m saying, both their last seasons at real they weren’t consistently played together due to injuries and with marcelo still playing high without recovery pace he was being exposed more and more

[@garya.s3610]

With Dele alli is breaks my heart seeing you like this. I feel his fall from grace is something deeply seated with spurs I feel like losing dembele and eriksen made him lose his freedom especially the rise of son in the second striker role and the amount of manager turn overs in spurs in recent years

[@Itchyknee88]

I love when you are 3 mins into a video after nearly 2 mins of exposition and then you get hit with Ad’s 👍

[@bernhardsonn8996]

5:41 this Team 😭😭😭 i want that back😭. I wish i saw a game when i was in Barcelona...

[@ocher8931]

Please do pt 2

[@l.f.9981]

Dele practically kept us up tonight he came on and changed the game. He's still got it 100 percent

[@CharlesEros1]

That intro is hilarious!

[@mtandazomoyo7840]

Good intro!

[@wickedbandz3718]

Out of all Hitc he’s gotta be the best commentator

[@WERTYUIO821]

0:22 Someone can correct me if I am wrong but I believe in most cases race horses are kept for breeding rather than put down after they are too old to race. Well, apart from the cases that a horse can no longer stand up because of injuries and they put it out of its misery.

[@juanortiz2252]

after he introduces Samuel Umtiti, HITC puts a picture of Freddy Adu in a US kit 🤣💀

[@troyfowles7192]

Alfie cud u possible do a video on the 7 best refs in Europe's top 7 leagues?

[@TheSixYardBox]

Alli would have made number 1 if you did the video today...I heard he's going to the Turkish league. Crazy at such a young age

[@chuckmeat87]

Dan Sturridge for me. The man couldn’t even get a game here in Australia

[@AdarshKumar-nj7rp]

Technically, the sale of Alli was a profit for Spurs as they could get €10m on a €5m investment but there was a point they could've fleeced a PL club for €70m.

[@z3nm38]

Hazard is very harsh ... His decline started 18 months ago... Unlike Bale or Ali

[@DR3ADER1]

19:15 Yes, that's both Nianggolan and Hazard in the same image. Both players are on this list.

[@depekthegreat359]

Sad though to watch the declines of these respectivel players but I hope to see them bouncing as soon as possible good friends!!!🙏

[@chris_m986]

Adriano was special, his strength pace and left foot was unreal. He surpassed R9 in his Inter days and was the best striker in the world mid 00's, shame of his downfall.

[@gznao]

You should definitely do this for football clubs(but obviously clubs that haven’t had financial troubles)

[@steevobarker581]

Like Stoke? 🤣

[@blvckemo_]

7 Best Supersubs of all time

[@dantheman2415]

should've included barcelona, the whole club in this list, not the individual players, just the club itself because it is probably the greatest fall from grace to ever happen in the history of this game.

[@brycewilson1909]

a video on Detroit City FC? might be fun!

[@luciiidnights]

6:30 why does this same scenario scream of Fernando Torres 2010 when he got injured before the world cup, cut his recovery time short in order to feature in South Africa, won the world cup but was never the same player & so began his fall from grace

[@MatoBateman]

You could make a case for Daniel Sturridge. He signed for Perth Glory in Australia for the 2021/22 season. The guy is only 32, and he hardly played due to fitness and injuries. He played 6 games, mainly off the bench and did nothing. One of the worst signings in A-League history.

[@just_pevert1958]

Eden hazard 💙 what player fro me he was the best player in Chelsea history 👏

[@lucasyates1893]

Dele's still quite good. Just would play well as a less defensive 10 alongside an overly active and defensive 9

[@elegachi]

Alexis Sanchez was arguably the player of the season in Ligue 1 now...

[@qwertyuiop123453993]

7:09 that is very interesting they stretched out umtiti's contract to create money to sign other players because that has become a very common occurence in the other football. Always interesting to see what ideas leagues steal from one another to fix issues

[@stepheng8779]

Money + burnout = can't be arsed.