Cult heroes

The Frenchman impressed at some of the world’s biggest clubs – yet was never a star for any of them and often had to make way for bigger names

The defensive midfielder was tipped for the top during his time in the Blues' academy, but he most recently was turning out in the English third tier

While his impact on the field for the Citizens was limited, the midfielder does represent part of an important period in the club’s modern history

He was tipped for stardom and had the ability, but as he told the MLS website in August 2019: “Soccer is not as straight forward as you think."

The former Spain goalkeeper had as close to a perfect career as one could imagine, but his move to Old Trafford proved a disaster

The Premier American Soccer League, an amateur competition for clubs in Florida, is not where you would expect to find a former Bayern Munich player

The Italian's status as one of Liverpool’s worst-ever signings is unquestionable, but also unfortunate for a player who was genuinely talented

The Brazilian right-back, now 30 and with Besiktas, is best known for his strange stint with the Blaugrana

The winger was tipped for the top after scoring on his Gunners debut but his body was unable to deal with the rigours of lower-league football

Turning 28 on March 1, many expected the midfielder to be a Stamford Bridge legend, but instead he is a free agent

The midfielder moved to north London after starring for his country at under-age level but administrative issues prevented him from playing

The Dutchman once touted by Alex Ferguson as "one of the best young left-backs in Europe" has just been released by Apollon Limassol

The former Spain Under-21 international was considered one of La Liga's most exciting young wingers but he was ostracised by the Portuguese

The Spaniard's move to the Eithad was an ideal transfer in theory but, in practice, it proved a disaster, with the forward leaving a year later

Of all the talents unable to take the next step at the Bridge, none was hyped up more than the ex-France youth over whom Chelsea risked a transfer ban

Picking the worst signing from the Arsene Wenger era at Arsenal is tough but few send a shiver down the spines of Gunners fans like the Brazilian

The Brazilian defender moved to Camp Nou in 2008 at the start of the club's greatest era, but he never made a senior appearance for the Blaugrana

The Reds were in flux 10 years ago, far from the European force of present and few players sum up this low point more than the Serbian forward

When the Ghana international signed for Chelsea in a hefty £23m move from Augsburg in 2015, he appeared to be spearheading a major revamp of the Blues

Handed the No.9 shirt upon his arrival in north London in 2011, the South Korea international will go down as one of the Gunners' biggest flops

While fans will point fingers at the modern hierarchy, a questionable transfer record has been an Old Trafford feature for most of the 21st century

Big things were expected of the Ukrainian centre-half after his arrival in the summer of 2009 but he returned to Shakhtar Donetsk after just one year

The Brazilian attacker enjoyed a fairytale start to his career but its closing stages have been considerably less successful

The Brazilian attacker starred in his homeland as a teenager, but is currently club-less at the age of just 31

The Brazilian has hung up the boots at the age of just 31 after a career that never managed to live up to its enormous early promise