Reggie Strickland from the USA rightfully bears the title. Over 18 years of his sports career, he lost 276 out of 363 fights and earned the nickname Professional Loser.
Defeats did not stop him (probably because he had more than 60 victories), and there were days when he fought three fights. Caring US boxing commissions revoke the licenses of athletes who lose too often to simply protect their health. When this happened to Strickland, he used a life hack: he simply began to participate in battles under other names.
Even despite such effectiveness of the fights, Strickland was not left without pants, in the sense of boxing shorts: for each entry into the ring he received no less than $500. The Stricklands' complete lack of talent in boxing runs in the family: his brother and wife, who also wave their fists for some reason, have won only two fights in their careers.
Athlete Trevor Misipeka
American, ahem, 132-kilogram athlete Trevor Misipeka was preparing for the shot put at the World Championships athletics in 2001, planning to compete for Eastern Samoa. And the world would not have known about this amazing person if the championship rules had not changed literally on the eve of the start. Trevor was not allowed to push the cannonball, but was pushed onto it - there was no one else to put there.
Overcoming shortness of breath and bewilderment, Misipeka literally crawled to the finish line with the worst in history big sport the result is more than 14 seconds. Yes, we all ran better at school! For this anti-record, the athlete received the nickname Turtle.
It should be noted sports career he did not leave and retrained as a football player. Trevor Turtle, join our football team! You don’t have to be able to run here either!
Swimmer Eric Moussambani
Small and poor Equatorial Guinea really wanted to make a name for itself in the world of sports, but it approached this matter extremely irresponsibly. At the 2000 Olympics, swimmer Eric Moussambani was included in the national team of this country. How's the swimmer? This 22-year-old boy had only been able to swim for 8 months by that time, training exclusively in a 20-meter hotel pool.
He qualified for the 100-meter freestyle swim by accident: his opponents rushed into the water before the judge's signal and were removed from the competition. And Eric, who didn’t understand how everything worked here, didn’t even move. This was where his luck ended.
In a swim with more experienced athletes, the Guinean quickly became exhausted, almost drowned, but reached the finish line in 1 minute and almost 53 seconds - only a minute and 5 seconds longer than the winner. Then in Sydney everyone sympathized with Moussambani and patted him on the shoulder in a friendly manner, but in his homeland he was declared a disgrace to the nation and was deprived of access to that very swimming pool (ungrateful ones!). Somehow he found another place to train and even seriously prepared for the Games in Athens, but did not get there due to passport and visa problems. This is how the career of an African swimmer ended ingloriously.
Skier Philip Boit
Until the age of 25, Kenyan Philip Boit practiced running on short distances. And then he changed his mind and switched to a more exotic species for the Kenyan latitudes - . I even moved to Finland. At the 1998 Games in Nogano, Boyt came last to the finish line of the 10-kilometer ski race. The predictable shame turned into recognition: the winner of that race, the Norwegian Bjorn Deli (yes, we also thought that this was Bjoerndalen’s nickname, but no, this is a different person) waited until Boit finished to greet him.
A negative experience is also an experience, Boit decided and took part in the Winter Olympics in Turin in 2006. It must be said that in 8 years he has made impressive progress: he reached the finish line 91st out of 97 participants. Subsequent Winter Games Boyt missed.
In his rare interviews, he complains that he cannot find a sponsor at home: few people in Kenya understand the importance skiing. It probably has something to do with the lack of snow, but we're not sure.
Footballer Ali Dia
The last of this sad list is a real sports star - Ali Dia, whose lifelong fame was brought by 20 minutes of shame on the football field.
The Southampton selectors took the Senegalese boy into the team due to a misunderstanding. In 1996, Dia's agent showed them a video with fragments of the game allegedly of his client, but in fact - the titled player George Weah. No wonder: the Senegalese Ali and the Liberian Weah look like twin brothers.
According to other sources, agent Dia convinced the club that his client and Weah were related and football skills were in their blood. A personnel error was discovered in Dia's first (and last) game in a Premier League match. The would-be athlete, who had previously played in unimportant clubs such as the German Lübeck, demonstrated all his shortcomings - from ignorance of the rules to poor reaction and lack of physical fitness. In the second half, the coach sent the Senegalese off the field, and at the same time from big football. But Dia's name is forever inscribed in the history of the sport and appears annually on lists like this one.
The question is actually very difficult. Determining the best is somehow easier. The worst football player in the world can be determined by what parameters? But the parameters are unknown... Let's try to understand this tricky issue.
Charity lists
Of course, lists of the worst football players are created almost every year. However, candidates for inclusion in them are determined, as a rule, not by objective indicators. It’s just that someone didn’t live up to huge expectations, the public just didn’t like him (in appearance, statements, behavior). That is why football stars are sometimes among the worst. We will not list all these ratings. For example, let us mention the Italian “Golden Urn”.
Worst among the best?
Since 2003, one of the programs of the state Italian radio company (RAI) took the initiative to determine the worst football player of the year in the Italian Serie A. On a special website, anyone could “put” their vote on one of the fifty candidates. The one who received a simple majority of votes received the title of not very happy winner of the “Golden Urn”. A list of all those who were selected can be found below. It’s easy to make sure that there is practically no incompetence in him. Even a couple of Golden Ball winners got into it (if anyone doesn’t remember, it’s a prize for yourself best football player world), which confirms the protest nature of the vote. The same names sometimes appeared on the list year after year. And they represented entirely strong clubs, which in itself is nonsense. You probably still have to look for the worst football player in outsider clubs.
Laureates of the Golden Urn
| Year | 2nd place | 3rd place | |
| 2003 | Rivaldo (Brazil, Milan) | Saadi Gaddafi (Libya, "Perugia") | Carsten Janker (Germany, Udinese) |
| 2004 | Nicola Legrottaglie (Italy, Juventus) | (Italy, Inter) | Alessandro (Italy, Juventus) |
| 2005 | (Italy, Inter/Milan) | Santiago Solari (Argentina, Inter) | Antonio Cassano (Italy, Roma) |
| 2006 | Adriano (Brazil, Inter) | Alberto Gilardino (Italy, Milan) | Ricardo Oliveira (Brazil, Milan) |
| 2007 | Adriano (Brazil, Inter) | Dida (Brazil, Milan) | Ronaldo (Brazil, Milan) |
| 2008 | Christian Vieri (Italy, Fiorentina/Atalanta) | Adriano (Brazil, Inter) | |
| 2009 | Felipe Melo (Brazil, Fiorentina/Juventus) | Ricardo Quaresma (Portugal, Inter) | Tiago (Portugal, Juventus) |
| 2010 | Adriano (Brazil, Roma) | Amauri (Italy, Juventus) | Ronaldinho (Brazil, Milan) |
| 2011 | (Argentina, Inter) | Amauri (Italy, Juventus) | (Serbia, Juventus) |
| 2012 | Alexandre Pato (Brazil, Milan) | Nicklas Bentner (Denmark, Juventus) | Lucio (Brazil, Inter/Juventus) |
We are looking for the worst football player in the world
Let's start from the message of looking for the worst among the worst. The Italian Serie A, the German Bundesliga, the Spanish Primera, the English Premier League, even the Dutch Eredivisie are not the places where the worst play. Quite the contrary. Yes, and there is still a problem with the selection parameters.
Let's take the FIFA rating as a basis! It is calculated according to a certain system, and therefore you can’t find fault with the numbers. We are interested in the weakest teams. As of July 7, 2018, there are six such teams, with zero points (more than one and a half thousand points (!) behind the leader), proudly sharing the conditionally last 206th place. That's where we'll look for the worst football player in the world. By the way, perhaps many readers will learn for the first time that there are such countries in the world. To the world football arena they don’t play, and the national team doesn’t play official matches, or even friendlies, every year. Therefore, for orientation, we will tell you where these countries are located.
Turks and Caicos Islands Team
Turks and Caicos are not two islands, but two groups of 40 islands. Located north of Haiti and southeast of the Bahamas. A self-governing British overseas territory. The population is predominantly black (descendants former slaves), English speaking.
Last five matches: Aruba - 0:1 (05/31/2014, Oranjestad, CONCACAF Cup Olympic Games); British Virgin Islands - 2:0 (06/04/2014, Oranjestad, CONCACAF Cup Olympic Games); St. Kitts and Nevis - 2:6 (03/24/2015, Basseter, World Championship Olympics), 2:6 (03/27/2015, Cockburn Town, World Championship Olympics); Dominican Republic - 0:4 (23.03.2018, Santo Domingo, friendly match).
| № | Player | Role | Date of birth |
| 28 | Ian Jones | Goalkeeper | 11.07.1980 |
| 2 | James Rene | - | 2.02.1986 |
| 4 | Alex Bryan | - | 12.05.1994 |
| 5 | Wildens Delva | - | 15.10.1991 |
| 7 | Billy Forbes | - | 13.12.1990 |
| 8 | Herbie Magny | - | 28.12.1987 |
| 11 | Marco Fenelus | - | 22.08.1992 |
| 15 | Evens Alcide | - | 25.07.1992 |
| 17 | Dady Aristide | - | 6.06.1970 |
| 21 | Widlin Calixte | - | 21.04.1990 |
| 25 | Mark Donald Fenelus | - | 9.07.1991 |
| 9 | Syed Hassan | - | 21.06.1976 |
| 20 | Fred Dorvil | - | 10.12.1995 |
| 22 | Stevens Derillen | - | 16.02.1992 |
| 23 | Keli Louima | - | 22.08.1987 |
| 27 | Lenford Singh | - | 8.08.1985 |
| 22 | Raymondson Azemard | Goalkeeper | 19.08.1992 |
| 1 | Gilbert Gilles | Goalkeeper | 28.10.1998 |
| 10 | Paul Collis | - | 25.09.1982 |
| 14 | Ras Diamond | - | 1.10.1998 |
Anguilla national team
Anguilla is an island. Northern neighbor of Turks and Caicos. The rest is the same as the neighbors.
Last five matches: Dominican Republic - 0:10 (09/07/2014, Valley, CONCACAF Cup Olympic Games); Nicaragua - 0:5 (03/24/2015, Managua, World Championship Olympics), 0:3 (03/30/2015, Valli, World Championship Olympics); Guyana - 0:7 (03/23/2016, Georgetown, CONCACAF Cup Olympic Games); Puerto Rico - 0:4 (03/27/2016, Valley, CONCACAF Cup Olympic Games).
Lineup in the last official matches.
| № | Player | Role | Date of birth |
| 1 | Ryan Liddy | Goalkeeper | 15.10.1981 |
| 2 | Jirdon Connor | - | 26.01.1979 |
| 3 | Jermaine Hughes | - | 15.11.1996 |
| 4 | Vershaw Hodge | - | 2.08.1994 |
| 5 | Stephen Austin | - | 27.12.1990 |
| 6 | Halloni Richardson | - | 3.12.1983 |
| 9 | Khalid Brooks | - | 9.02.1985 |
| 10 | Kapil Battis | - | 26.10.1982 |
| 11 | Adonijah Richardson | - | 6.04.1990 |
| 15 | Tariq Prentice | - | 15.06.1984 |
| 16 | Glenville Rogers | - | 8.09.1984 |
| 7 | Elric Rogers | - | 23.01.1996 |
| 8 | Desroy Findlay | - | 3.10.1989 |
| 12 | Jonathan Guichard | - | 2.07.1996 |
| 17 | Ravin Richardson | - | 23.09.1993 |
| 18 | Jahil Herbert | - | 16.10.1996 |
| 21 | Irvin Reid | - | 20.02.1985 |
Bahamas national team
Western neighbors of Anguilla and Turks and Caicos. In fact, it is an independent state, but for some reason it maintains a British governor.
Last five matches: Jamaica - 0:6 (06/19/2008, Nassau, World Championship Olympics); Turks and Caicos - 4:0 (07/3/2011, Cockburn Town, World Championship Olympics), 6:0 (07/10/2011, Nassau, World Championship Olympics); Bermuda - 0:7 (03/26/2015, Nassau, World Championship Olympics), 0:3 (03/29/2015, Hamilton, World Championship Olympics).
Lineup in the last official matches.
| № | Player | Role | Date of birth |
| 1 | Dwayne Willey | Goalkeeper | 26.11.1986 |
| 2 | Justin Seely | - | 19.11.1991 |
| 4 | Embry Moss | - | 2.11.1990 |
| 5 | Happy Hall | - | 15.10.1987 |
| 6 | Connor Sheehan | - | 7.07.1987 |
| 8 | Dylan Pritchard | - | 1.11.1993 |
| 9 | Leslie St. Fleur | - | 21.03.1989 |
| 11 | Cameron Hepple | - | 19.05.1988 |
| 16 | Kristoff Wood | - | 12.08.1992 |
| 18 | Dwayne Beneby | - | 7.06.1993 |
| 20 | Ian Winder | - | 20.12.1995 |
| 3 | Eric Carroll | Goalkeeper | 20.08.1996 |
| 12 | Valin Body | Goalkeeper | 9.05.1995 |
| 7 | Christopher Larson | - | 1.10.1991 |
| 10 | Carried Jean | - | 16.03.1984 |
| 13 | Isaiah Colley | - | 22.04.1997 |
| 14 | Terry Delancey | - | 28.02.1994 |
| 15 | Denair Mitchell | - | 23.08.1989 |
| 17 | Dylan Lightbourne | - | 7.11.1996 |
| 19 | Perry Brooks | - | 17.01.1993 |
| 21 | Richard Monroe | - | 14.10.1995 |
| 22 | Ryan Jones | - | 27.05.1997 |
| 23 | Christopher Gaudet | - | 30.04.1998 |
| 5 | Devo Williamson | - | 22.12.1997 |
Eritrea national team
Eritrea is a young African (since 1993) state. In fact, the separated coast of Ethiopia, in fact, deprived this country of access to the Red Sea. The long-lasting War of Independence hampered the development of football.
Last five matches: Sudan - 0:3 (29.11.2013, Machakos, friendly match); Uganda - 0:3 (2.12.2013, Nairobi, friendly match); Rwanda - 0:1 (12/5/2013, Machakos, friendly match); Botswana - 0:2 (10/10/2015, Asmara, World Championship Olympics), 1:3 (10/14/2015, Francistown, World Championship Olympics).
Lineup in the last official matches.
| № | Player | Role | Date of birth |
| 1 | Isias Hailegiorgis | Goalkeeper | 26.09.1990 |
| 2 | Samson Arifaine | - | 26.08.1989 |
| 3 | Jonathan Berhe | - | 26.08.1986 |
| 4 | Alexander Russom | - | 14.12.1990 |
| 5 | Senai Berhane | - | 18.04.1989 |
| 6 | Bilal Tum | - | 1.01.1991 |
| 7 | Jons Solomon | - | 21.06.1996 |
| 8 | Samyuma Alexander | - | 1.01.1989 |
| 10 | Henok Goytom | - | 22.09.1984 |
| 19 | Mussi Negassi | - | 1.01.1994 |
| 21 | Robel Kidane | - | 18.12.1994 |
| 12 | Minasi Solomon | Goalkeeper | 28.05.1982 |
| 9 | Johannes Hadish | - | 18.01.1990 |
| 11 | Sirak Beyene | - | 30.10.1996 |
| 13 | Henok Abraham | - | 13.08.1989 |
| 14 | Jonathan Solomon | - | 1.01.1989 |
| 15 | Temesgen Kubrom | - | 10.03.1988 |
| 16 | Abeysolm Beyene | - | 1.12.1990 |
| 17 | Filmon Abraham | - | 18.10.1991 |
| 18 | Fitsum Hailemikael | - | 27.07.1990 |
| 20 | Henok Semere | - | 14.10.1991 |
| 23 | Temesgen Abrakha | - | 1.01.1991 |
Somalia national team
Perhaps the most famous country on our list. The truth is notorious. However, the “country without a government” finds time not only for civil war and unrest, but also for football.
Last five matches: Zambia - 0:4 (12/4/2013, Nakuru, friendly match); Niger - 0:2 (10/9/2015, Addis Ababa, World Championship Olympics), 0:4 (10/13/2015, Niamey, World Championship Olympics); South Sudan - 1:2 (04/22/2017, Djibouti, friendly match), 0:2 (04/30/2017, Juba, friendly match).
List of football players about whom there is at least some information other than the name.
Tongan national team
The island Kingdom of Tonga in Pacific Polynesia, despite its modest size, is quite significant in world rugby, but not in football.
Last five matches: Samoa - 0:3 (4.09.2015, Atele, World Championship Olympics); Solomon Islands - 0:8 (12/2/2017, Port Vila, friendly match); Vanuatu - 0:5 (12/6/2017, Port Vila, friendly match); New Caledonia - 2:4 (12/9/2017, Port Vila, friendly match); Fiji - 0:4 (12/12/2017, Port Vila, friendly match).
Line-up in the last official match.
| № | Player | Role | Date of birth |
| 20 | Sinilau Taufa | Goalkeeper | 10.02.1995 |
| 2 | Sione Uhatahi | - | 19.09.1988 |
| 4 | Lotima Taufou | - | 24.08.1984 |
| 5 | Folio Moeaki | - | 9.05.1982 |
| 6 | Oliveti Vai | - | 5.10.1994 |
| 12 | Kilifi Uele | - | 14.11.1974 |
| 15 | Phineasi Paley | - | 20.05.1989 |
| 16 | Niuvalu Fifita | - | 23.05.1990 |
| 17 | Samisoni Maasi | - | 14.10.1986 |
| 19 | Anthony Likilicki | - | 19.12.1999 |
| 23 | Samisoni Mafi | - | 20.08.1990 |
| 1 | Heneli Saafi | Goalkeeper | 24.07.1982 |
| 7 | Sione Teu | - | 9.11.1986 |
| 8 | Sipoloni Strength | - | 28.10.1993 |
| 9 | Lisala Tuipulotu | - | 7.04.1991 |
| 10 | Kent Lave | - | 17.03.1997 |
| 11 | Sione Lilenga | - | 7.10.1990 |
| 14 | Hemoloto Fished | - | 26.07.1997 |
| 18 | Soakai Wea | - | 19.07.1988 |
| 21 | Sione Keith | - | 7.07.1997 |
| 22 | Lafaele Moala | - | 22.07.1982 |
Which football player is the worst?
One of the players listed above. Among them are probably the worst goalkeepers in the world. Choose any of those you like, because there is no other way to evaluate their level of skill: few have seen them in the game. Yes, and consider one more fact. For example, in so to speak major league Turks and Caicos has eight clubs. Each has at least 11 players. In total, there are, again, at least 88 people in the league, and we have only 20 in the national team. If the best are called up to the national team, then who are the ones who remain in it? The most worst football players in the world? Of course, everything is relative here too...
Although the obvious contender for the title of the worst goalkeeper in the world is the goalkeeper of the American Samoa national team Niki Salapu, who conceded 31 (!) goals from the Australians on 04/11/2001 qualifying game World Championship 2002.
And if he is, is it you?
But, by the way, why do we wander around the outskirts of the world and not look at ourselves. Dear readers, if 99% of you are put on the field in the championship final, we are afraid that you will look no better (if not worse) than another Anguillian, Eritrean, Somali or Tongan footballer. I think it’s better to close this topic at this point.
After being brought into the match against the Croats, the goalkeeper's family was threatened by fans of the Argentina national team. Because of her, Messi's team almost missed the playoffs, but in the third match, Caballero's place in goal was taken by another goalkeeper - Armani.
Igor Smolnikov, Russia
The right-back was supposed to replace Mario Fernandez, who was rested before the 1/8 finals. Smolnikov lasted 37 minutes - he was driven by Diego Laxalt, which was a shame even for Uruguay fans. The result is that Igor was sent off in the first half and our entire team was 0:3 in the minority.
Alexander Mysyakin, Sport24
Jerome Boateng, Germany
This guy played disgustingly against Mexico, and even got a red card against the Swedes. And so Boateng missed not only the third round, but also the entire World Cup along with his team.
Tiago Czoniek, Poland
This list could include every Polish national team player. But this defender of Brazilian origin could not do anything with the Senegalese attackers and scored the first own goal. He did not appear in the lineup again, but even without him the Poles lost to Colombia without a chance - 0:3.
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Mohamed El-Nenny, Egypt
Before the start of the World Cup, Russia’s main competitor was the Egyptian team. And not only because of Salah - the Africans have a lot of players who could light things up. The Arsenal midfielder was one of them, but did not show himself at all - the Egyptians even lost to Saudi Arabia.
Carlos Sanchez, Colombia
The Colombian became the second fastest penalty at the World Championships: he played volleyball in his own penalty area and brought a penalty after 2 minutes 56 seconds of the match with Japan. It was lucky that his team was still able to qualify from the group.
Sami Khedira, Germany
In the first match, the defensive midfielder was terrible and logically missed the second, victorious match against the Swedes. But for some reason Joachim Löw decided to start Khedira South Korea. You know the result yourself.
Mesut Ozil, Germany
Müller, Werner, Draxler - substitute any Bundestim football player in this place. They are all to blame for Germany's exit from the World Cup.
Getty Images
Angel Di Maria, Argentina
After the match with Iceland, journalists from Argentina were surprised: why did Di Maria, who did not come up with anything in 75 minutes, start, and not Dybala or Pavon? So, the PSG footballer played even worse against the Nigerians.
Serdar Azmoun, Iran
Yes, the “Persian Messi” included Portugal and Spain in the group. But Iran's most popular footballer didn't even score against Morocco. And after relegation, 23-year-old Azmun ended his career in the national team! I can’t believe that it’s just a matter of family problems - the young Iranian will regret his decision more than once.
While 32 teams compete for the title of the best football team in the world, I will tell you about the worst teams in the world. After all, everywhere and always they try to highlight the best 10, 20, and sometimes 30 national teams, and many know who is in what place. But few people know about the fate of football dwarfs. When you are suddenly asked to name the names of football dwarfs, then probably the following countries will immediately come to mind: Faroe Islands(117), Liechtenstein (140th place) or Malta (151).
If the Russian national team stumbles again now in the qualifying matches for Euro 2012 then it (in given time 15th place) risks losing more places than, for example? Georgia (110) or Kazakhstan (126).
In 2002, on the day that Brazil and Germany met in Tokyo at the World Cup, FIFA agreed to hold a match between the worst (at that time) teams in the world. The game took place high in the Himalayas. Bhutan (202) and Montserrat (202) met. Since the home team were the Bhutanese, they were recognized as the favorites of this match long before the game. In addition, they even managed to field one professional player who played a couple of matches in the Indian Championship. The team from Montserrat, where only 5 thousand people live, was unable to perform adequately. Among other things, the team lost eight players by the day of the game due to altitude sickness and a viral infection. The match ended in victory for the Bhutanese with a score of 4:0. Thus, Montserrat was awarded the title “The worst national team in the world.”
More than eight years have passed since then. Montserrat is still hanging at the tail of the table (202), while Bhutan (198) is already rising gradually and is trying to reach such “giants” as Macau and the Cook Islands.
Let's look at the "last ten" FIFA rankings:
Don’t let the fact that there are 6 teams in the last 202nd place confuse you. There they are arranged alphabetically. You may ask, what difference does it really make who is in last place with zero points? You are partly right. But not 100%. What do I mean?
Despite the same number of points (what is the number here) - “0” points the difference between these teams is very, very large. Like an abyss. Like the distance from the Earth to the Moon. Compare for yourself. Four years ago, in qualifying match The 2006 World Cup team of American Samoa lost to the team of Papua New Guinea with a score of 0:10. Based on the results qualifying matches In 2009, the new “Worst Team in the World” was American Samoa. So AC lost to the Solomon Islands (1:12), Samoa (0:7). Vanuatu (0:15) and Tonga (0:4). Latest result is the most best result AC team over the past eight years. The only victory of the AC team was recorded in 1983, when the AC team defeated the Wallis and Futuna team with a score of 3:0 at the South Pacific Games tournament. However, at that time both of these countries were not members of FIFA (by the way, Wallis and Futuna were still not included in FIFA).
25
At the end of the 2000s, Bakkal earned an invitation to the Dutch national team and was soon bitten by Luis Suarez. The latter circumstance - although it is hardly the only one - divided the midfielder's career into two unequal parts. Dynamo were not embarrassed that before signing the contract, Bakkal spent two unclear seasons at PSV, one of which he missed almost completely due to injury. Othman played a handful of matches for the Muscovites and went to the reserve team. And soon he completely lost interest in football: a year after Dynamo, he ended his career at Feyenoord. At 29 years old.
24
Obinna started promisingly at Chievo and ended up at Jose Mourinho's Inter. He couldn’t stand the competition and started renting. He was not remembered anywhere or for anything, but for some reason Lokomotiv liked him. “I have a contract with Lokomotiv, which will be valid for another year. But in Italy it’s more comfortable than in Russia,” said the Nigerian in May 2014. Obinna actually spent that year as a Lokomotiv player. Without the slightest benefit for himself and the club - after all, he did not go on the field.
23
The German became the discovery of the 2012/13 season in Spain. In the modest Valladolid he suddenly blossomed, like Mollo in Wings. Ebert distributed passes and scored himself, he was the god of the right sideline, believed in himself and broke his contract with the Spaniards for the sake of a club with intergalactic ambitions. But his football performance in front of the demanding Moscow public was so-so: zero goals plus four assists in 25 matches.
22
The Pogatec spent critically little time at Spartak to be able to talk about the benefits. For six months he was remembered only broken leg young midfielder of "Shinnik" Yaroslav Kharitonsky. We say “Pogatec” - we hear “executioner” and “butcher”.
21
An electric train without rails and a locomotive, distinguishable from Alexander Danishevsky only by its tinting. Image transfer - bought from Arsenal itself! - did not bring anything to Spartak sports plan. We can only thank the management of Spartak for the “put on your shoes and get dressed” and other funny memes, ripened with delight at the performance of the Dutch Ghanaian.
20
You probably won't remember him. It will be fair. The guy from Uruguay was found in the Portuguese Championship, where for several years in a row he tried to realize the advances issued by the agent. At Dynamo, he was seen almost as a frontman, a hero who would outshine Danny in terms of playing and leadership qualities. But of the Kokorin-Aguiar combination, only one went down in the history of Russian football. The second, at the age of 31, left to conquer the Peruvian championship.
19
A man who played for Spartak with a “get me out of here and quickly” expression on his face. The red and whites were looking for a cheap replacement for Dmitry Torbinsky, who had left for Loko, and chose the Argentine youth team player. Experts agreed that Maidana was not a mediocrity at all, but a delicate nature that required a special approach. Fortunately, there is a proven detector for such cases: according to legend, all football players who leave Spartak become champions - of England, Belarus, or, at worst, farmers in the vast Voronezh region. Maidana became neither one nor the other.
18
A terrible transfer failure regarding the purchase of a defender throughout Eastern Europe. When seven million euros are given for a person, when a person is torn from his hands, it is assumed that he will play. But Lukovich mostly sat on the bench. Appearing on the field, the Serb suggested that it would be better for him to continue to sit. After a strange misalliance with Zenit, Aleksandar could not find a job for six months and returned to Crvena Zvezda.
17
The potential allowed the fiery Argentine-Paraguayan forward to become a superstar in Russia. The former Borussia Dortmund striker was rescued from Guangzhou Evergrande but never emerged from hibernation after China. The most offensive thing is that while on loan at Montpellier, Barrios came to his senses, but never put on the red and white jersey again. They sold it to the Brazilian Palmeiras for 2.9 million euros - about the same money that they bought.
16
Alberto Zapater, apparently, accepted the challenge from Russian pensioners and tried to survive on a thousand euros a month, which is ridiculous for Moscow. No one forced him to do this - the Spanish survivalist fought on principle with Lokomotiv over paying for home Internet and went to supermarkets with a calculator. Somehow Loko managed to cope with his ineradicable desire to “work out” the contract to the end. Offended, Alberto filed a lawsuit against the club. Oh, yes - over the past three years, Zapater has never played for the main team of Lokomotiv.
15
Successful performances for BATE made Bressan a Belarusian. Having survived this unusual metamorphosis, Renan Bardzini appeared in the personnel department of Alania and signed a contract; 3.5 million euros were sent to Borisov - an amount that would be enough for the micro-revival of the Vladikavkaz club. It didn’t matter with finances at Alania; Bressan’s attitude to work was appropriate. In 18 matches he did not score a single goal and unilaterally terminated his contract.
14
"Ibričić is one of best players Europe, one of the ten best midfield players,” Olga Smorodskaya joked when signing the contract. “Somewhere between Xavi and Iniesta,” site experts. In one season in Russia, the Bosnian proved everything to everyone, having achieved an invitation to such top championships as Macedonian, Iranian and Slovenian.
13
Lokomotiv donated 6 million euros to Cruzeiro for the attacking midfielder. For that kind of money, I would like more than two dozen matches with seven effective actions over the course of a year and a half. Fake Wagner spent the rest of his time on treatment and recovery. It ended with Olga Smorodskaya, the standard of tolerance, almost forcing the Brazilian out of the club.
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The Argentine arrived in Moscow as a world youth champion and cost five million euros. Each of his matches cost the club about a million, because Maxi was on the field in only six meetings. With a height of 159 centimeters, he would be trampled even in the section for gymnasts, so Morales was returned to Argentina, where he began to play as if nothing had happened. It turned out that “Moscow” turned out to be the only club in which nothing worked out for him.
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The scorer from the Belgian Lokeren, in a paragraph about which you can safely insert the word “Niger” (this is his homeland), began studying Russian with the terms “red” and “catastrophe”. It was a bad omen - after a few months at CSKA, the forward began to dream of renting somewhere. Being under contract with Russian club, Maazu called life in Russia. It is clear that he was not given a second chance at CSKA, and his six loan spells in three years claim a world record. Five million euros were invested into nothing: in the summer of 2012, Moussa was sold to Tunisia.
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A great talent from Hamburg, who went through the Chelsea academy, became a Rubin player in the summer of 2012. Unfortunately, it is difficult to remember what Tere did in seven games for the Kazan club. He is much more remembered for the detective story, according to which “Rubin” took the money from his agent, and Gokhan himself went to Turkey out of harm’s way.
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It is still not clear what the Lokomotiv management were looking at and thinking when they sent 5 million euros to the Slovenian Ljubljana for the miracle forward. The more expensive version of Bayeux Jibi Fall surprised many experts - everyone thought that foreign players of this class had stopped being invited to Russia back in the mid-90s. In 19 matches for Loko, Henty managed to score only from a penalty kick against Krasnodar. With the same success, you can return Sychev, Obiora and Janashia. The Nigerian was recently sent on loan to the UAE.
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For the Belgian national team player, Terek paid Anderlecht 4.5 million euros, and two and a half years later gave it to Mechelen for free. Club President Magomed Daudov spoke colorfully about the reasons why Lezhar did not play in Grozny. 22 games and 1 goal is too sluggish a performance for an attacking midfielder. “In Russia, I realized that money can’t buy happiness. In Belgium I was famous, but in Russia I fell as a person. It would be better if I stayed at Anderlecht,” Lezhar honestly admitted after leaving Terek.
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Recently, David Yanchik became a free agent for the third time in his life. The Pole’s treatment for alcoholism has taken a little longer; he will turn thirty in the fall—an entire career has flown by with the clink of glasses. CSKA bought him from Legia for 4.2 million euros. Perhaps he worked them out in one blow in September 2007. But still, Yanchik seemed created for such ratings.
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The army team kept Kalouda for almost six months and forked out five million euros. Injuries and high competition left the Czech out of the game. Lubos traveled to Astrakhan and Ukrainian Alexandria to practice, but he did not become an important football player even in mid-level clubs in the Czech Republic. Kalouda will turn thirty before Yanchik. Novy Nedved's career is nearing its end.
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Another wild talent that threatened to surpass Ronaldinho himself. Lokomotiv did not spare 5 million euros for the 17-year-old boy and, due to legislative subtleties, hired his mother into the club system. Celsinho reigned in training, but was almost useless in official matches. Renting to the Portuguese Sporting, where football tuning experts work, didn’t help either. New season The midfielder will start in the middle peasant of the second Brazilian league - Londrina.
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When transferring 5 million euros to the account of the Brazilian Atlético Mineiro, Anzhi did not think about the fact that Diego Tardelli was simply contraindicated in Europe. Before that, he managed to fail at Betis and PSV, but upon returning to his homeland he again discovered his gift as a scorer. In 14 matches for Makhachkala, Tardelli did not make a single effective action and soon gave way to Samuel Eto'o.
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The Brazilian, who famously scored for Malaga and Celta and played for the Spanish national team, became one of the most intriguing transfers of the winter of 2004. Alas, even the assists of Tikhonov and Karyaka did not help Katanya to play in Samara. One penalty goal in six months from a player with that name is one of the main disappointments of my youth.
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Second on this list - and not the last at all - is a CSKA football player whose career was ruined by substances. Ramon came to CSKA at 18, showed himself cheerfully at the Channel One Cup, but became bitter when work life began. The Brazilian did not play due to injuries. Evgeny Giner believes that “such people end up at the beer stall.” Every year it becomes more and more difficult to find information about new clubs in Ramon. Although it is reliably known that after CSKA he already played in the fourth Brazilian league.
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A terrible transfer embarrassment that cost Rubin 20 million euros. With the same success, one could push this money into the water from the Kazanka embankment. Due to injuries, illness and dismal form, Carlos Eduardo missed more than half of Rubin's matches. Last April, the Brazilian’s Kazan suffering ended – he was released free of charge to Atlético Mineiro.
