In Football Manager they were stars. On the pitch, they never came close to stardom. The game has nailed the future of many stars over the years, but not every prodigy reached the potential he was given. In this series we look back at FM wonderkids (since FM05) who fell short of expectations.
In this second part we continue with four more players who passed through Portugal. In the third, we widen the list to players from all over the world.
Celsinho
FM 07 | Club: Lokomotiv Moscow | Age: 18 | CA: 122 | PA: -9
Celso Júnior, better known as Celsinho, was almost a must-buy in FM 07. He started at Portuguesa, in Brazil, and moved to Lokomotiv at a very young age. At 18 he had huge potential, and Sporting took a chance on him in summer 2007.
In his first year he played 12 games without impressing, and loans in Portugal, Brazil and Romania followed. He left Sporting for good in 2012 and returned to Brazil, always at mid-sized clubs.
Rodrigo Tiuí
FM 06 | Club: Fluminense | Age: 20 | CA: 123 | PA: 174
Rodrigo Tiuí arrived in Portugal in January 2008, for Sporting. He played 24 games, scored 3 goals and left in August 2009 labeled a flop, heading for Atlético Paranaense. Before that, he had played for Fluminense (where he came through the ranks) and Santos.
He never lived up to what FM 06 gave him. After Paranaense he played in Russia, Brazil, Japan and Brazil again, always at small clubs. In total, around 300 games and 51 goals: very little for a striker who promised so much.
Freddy Adu
FM 06 | Club: DC United | Age: 16 | CA: 115 | PA: -10
One of the greatest prodigies in FM history: Freddy Adu, the signing 99% of players made. The hype was so big that he ended up as one of the biggest disappointments in the series.
A DC United product, he joined Benfica in 2007. In his first year he played 21 games and scored 5 goals. From there, the story is well known: a decline nobody expected, with loans to Monaco, Belenenses, Aris and Rizespor. He left Benfica and returned to the USA in 2011, and also played in Brazil, Serbia and Finland, before going back to the USA again, where in 2018 he was playing for Las Vegas Lights.
Keirrison
FM 09 | Club: Coritiba | Age: 20 | CA: 143 | PA: 167
After a very strong start to his career at Coritiba (60 games and 45 goals), Keirrison fell far short of the glory he promised. He moved to Palmeiras and, in half a season, played 35 games and scored 24 goals. Numbers like that brought in Barcelona, who paid 15 million in summer 2009, but did not even put him in the squad.
He came to Benfica on loan and stayed half a season. Then came Fiorentina (another half season), Santos and Cruzeiro, always on loan. He left Barcelona in 2012 and returned to Coritiba, with a brief spell at Arouca (two games) in between. Up to the age of 21, before Barcelona, he had 69 career goals. In the years that followed he scored only 28.
Which of these hurt the most to see fail?
If you missed the first part: Parte I
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