Footballers are like the actors in a play. They have a script to follow and stage directions to obey, but sometimes their performance goes wrong. Sometimes it goes disastrously wrong, and other times it’s just mildly disappointing.
Along with the lows often come many highs. Few players experience a sustained level of success throughout their careers. Below, we’ve taken a look at some footballers who experienced both major highs and lows during their careers.
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane is a legend of the game. He was one of the best players in the world and won the World Cup with France in 1998, before retiring from international football shortly after.
However, he also had a bad moment that has defined his legacy ever since: he headbutted Marco Materazzi during extra time in their 2006 World Cup final against Italy, which France went on to lose. This led to him being sent off, which meant he missed out on lifting the trophy for his country when they won on penalties.
Zidane is not the first to do this, but it was a controversial moment. In fact, even in today’s games, fights and sneaky hits are still common. If you’ve been keeping up with today’s top teams, you’ve no doubt seen some aggression and fouls. For some fans, that’s all part of the entertainment.
These fouls also provide advantages and disadvantages that gamblers need to keep in mind. If a particular team or player is playing in a rivalry game and things could get ugly, this should to be factored in when considering who is the best bet and what kind of odds you’re getting from your sportsbooks. That way, you can ensure you’re on top of your bets and that you’re accounting for all factors in the game.
David Beckham
David Beckham’s career has been a rollercoaster ride, while mostly filled with high points, there were definitely some lows. At the beginning of his career, he was known as a hard-working midfielder who had a knack for finding the back of the net. He built up a reputation as a team player and won several league titles with Manchester United and Real Madrid before becoming captain of the English national team in 2006.
Beckham’s career took an unexpected turn when he decided to leave Real Madrid for Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007. He struggled to find his form in American soccer, especially after his injuries started mounting up. He’s now the president of Inter Miami CF.
Michael Owen
Michael Owen is one of the most successful players in English football history. He was the youngest player ever to represent England at 18 years old and scored 40 goals in 89 games for his country. However, his career has been plagued by injuries and ups-and-downs that have prevented him from reaching his full potential as a footballer.
Owen began his professional career with Liverpool at the age of 17 and won two FA Cups with them before moving to Real Madrid in 2004 where he scored 23 goals in just over two seasons before returning home again for Newcastle United on loan until 2007. He then signed permanently with Manchester United until 2010 when he moved to Stoke City until 2012. There, he made only 11 appearances before retiring from professional football altogether after suffering yet another injury during pre-season training which led to him losing his place with their squad permanently.
Pierluigi Casiraghi
Pierluigi Casiraghi is an Italian football player who played for the Italian national team in the 1994 world cup. He started his career playing for Torino and then he moved to Sampdoria.
He later joined Chelsea and in a terrible collision with goalkeeper Shaka Hislop of West Ham, he broke a knee ligament and would never have the same abilities in his leg. This prompted him to be dropped from his contract in 2002.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can see that there are many examples of football players who experienced major highs and lows. Even greats like Messi and Pele struggled at times.
However, the most interesting thing about them is that they all have one thing in common: their passion for the game. Their love of the game is what makes great players great in the first place and this is what helps them bounce back from any adversity they face in life and continue to have productive lives and careers.
The truth is, you can point to highs and lows in any player’s career, but the love for the game is what sets those who persevere apart from the rest.