Several Liverpool players have been named in FourFourTwo's 100 Youngest Players of 2001. The list hasn't aged well.
Liverpool's academy has produced some exceptional players during the Premier League era. Steven McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard all shone for the Reds after bursting onto the scene in the 90s
Fast forward to today and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley, and . Caoimhin Kelleher are a key part of the senior team after graduating from the academy.
The Reds' academy wasn't always the 'gold mine' it is today. Throughout the 2000s, it was regularly lamented that Gerrard was the last graduate to become a key first-team player.
Considering the successful period of the 1990s discussed alongside Manchester United's class of 1992, observers were shocked by Liverpool's inability to land the next Gerrard, Owen or Carragher. In the end, it took many breakthroughs, overseen by Rafa Benitez and Brendan Rodgers, before the Reds got back on track under Klopp.
But that hasn't stopped Liverpool from boasting some highly skilled young players who have ultimately failed to live up to expectations during their barren run. The list of the 100 best players in the world of football in 2001 created by FourFourTwo perfectly demonstrates this.
Six Reds players appear in lists, all ranked in the top 40 and two in the top 10. Meanwhile, three future Liverpool players are said to be in the top 5, with an incoming academy recruit taking their total contingent to 10. Guess, however, only one of them can claim to have been one of the best stars of his generation.
A number of the greatest players of the 21st century appear on this list. But when you consider that 2007 Ballon d'Or winner Kaka, who won the World Cup and the Champions League during his illustrious playing career, only finished 95th, you get an idea of the direction we're going.
Congratulations Kaka! In 2001, you were rated higher than Alexander Hleb, David Prutton, Erdal Kilicaslan, Daniyel Cimen and Benjamin Auer! Don't worry, we didn't remember those last three. Unfortunately, Shaun Maloney and Kieran Richardson were both ranked higher than the legendary Brazilian, in places 100 to 91.
At the dawn of the 1980s, we have our first future Liverpool player. Ramon Calliste. While at Manchester United, he won the FA Youth Cup with the club in 2003, but left the Red Devils for the Reds in 2005 and was the reserve team's top scorer in the 2005/06 season.
The Welshman joined Scunthorpe United after just one season on the advice of national team manager John Toshack but seriously dislocated his ankle during his first pre-season. This injury prevented him from realizing his full potential and forced him to retire from the game.
Looking at the list, you can see the familiar names of Dimitar Berbatov in 82nd place, Michael Essien in 78th place and Championship manager legend Cherno Samba in 71st place!
Liverpool were in talks to sign the Millwall striker, even submitting a £1.5million bid, but failed to secure a deal with the Lions. The transfer fell through and Samba never lived up to his potential, and this failed move to Anfield eventually sent him into a downward spiral.
Samba later joined the Spanish club Cadiz and then spent time with Malaga B, Plymouth Argyle, Wrexham, Haka, Panetolikos, and FK Tonsberg before injury forced him into early retirement at the age of 29 in July 2015.
From Juventus, he is next on the list, in 70th place. Another video game legend, he was surprisingly the highest-rated player in FIFA 2003 with an incredible rating of 97. Ronaldo (Brazilian, not Cristiano) is the only player in the history of the game who has never been rated higher than EA. Interestingly, not in 2002/03, although he only shone in the World Cup and won the Ballon d'Or that year.
It's true, Lionel Messi and Ronaldo (Cristiano, not the Brazilian) are "worse" than Brighi, from a certain virtual point of view. In any case, Juventus would sell the midfielder to Parma that same summer, as injuries prevented him from reaching his potential. Do you see a recurring theme here? In short, we lose.
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