In the virtual world of Football Manager they were stars, but on the pitch they never came close to stardom. FM has correctly predicted the future success of many stars over the years, but not every player reached the expected potential. In this series we talk about young players who were Wonderkids from FM05 onwards and didn't live up to expectations.
Silviu Lung JR.
FM 08
Club: U. Craiova
Age: 20
CA: 115
PA: -9
Silviu Lung Jr, in FM 08, had huge potential and was ridiculously cheap, which made him a must buy. In real life, he never reached great heights. He spent almost his whole career in Romania (always a starter), where he played for U. Craiova and Astra. Now 30, he plays for Kayserispor in Turkey. He won 5 caps for the national team and was at Euro 2016, though as third choice goalkeeper.
Gabriel Obertan
FM 09
Club: Bordeaux
Age: 19
CA: 133
PA: 185
If we wanted a player with above average pace, we had him in Obertan In FM 09 he didn't go unnoticed at all, as he had a PA of 185, which could make him one of the best in the game. He signed for Manchester United in 2009, where he stayed for two seasons. Then he moved to Newcastle, where he had two good seasons, but from then on his career took a brutal dive that nobody would have expected. He spent three more seasons at Newcastle, playing less and less. In 2016 he left for Anzhi, where he stayed only half a season, before returning to England to play for Wigan. In 2017 he signed for Levski in Bulgaria, where he played until moving to Erzurumspor in Turkey, where he currently plays.
Francisco Guillermo Ochoa
FM 05
Club: América
Age: 18
CA: 130
PA: -9
In FM 05 and 06, Ochoa was a goalkeeper who reached high PAs, -9 and -10 respectively. He was one of those players we couldn't do without in any save. You can't say Ochoa had a bad career, he didn't, but much more was expected of him. He left América in 2011 to join Ajaccio, where he stayed three seasons. Then came Málaga in 2014, and Granada in 2016. In 2017 he arrived at St. Liège, where he stayed until the summer of 2019, when he returned to "his" América. For the national team, Ochoa passed a hundred caps.
Kerlon
FM 06
Club: Cruzeiro
Age: 17
CA: 121
PA: -10
One of the players who left the biggest mark on FM lovers, Kerlon, a Foquinha. With a PA of -10, he regularly became the best player in the world in every save. Early on he went from big world prospect to big disappointment. He left Cruzeiro in 2008 for Inter Milan, but was then loaned to Chievo, where he played only 4 games. In 2009 came a loan to Ajax, without completing a game. In 2010 he returned to Brazil, on loan once again, to play for Paraná and then Nacional de Patos. In 2012 he left Inter and went to play in Japan for two seasons. Then came a string of clubs and countries: Barbados, USA, Malta, Brazil, Slovakia. It was in Slovakia that he ended his career, at Spartak Trnava in 2017, aged 29.
