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Take a look at the tragic star players in the world football world

9:12pm, 4 July 2025Football

The galaxy of world football is shining with countless geniuses, but the light of some superstars is always accompanied by the lingering shadow of sadness. They may pass by supreme honor, or be ruthlessly destroyed by injuries, or fail at critical moments of fate. Here are some tragic football star players:

Robert Baggio:

Talent and Peak: "Prince of Melancholy", one of the symbols of Italian football, the Golden Globe winner with elegant technology, extraordinary creativity and superb shooting skills. The 1994 World Cup almost brought Italy to the finals alone.

The sadness lies: In the 1994 World Cup final, in the penalty shootout against Brazil, he shot the decisive fifth penalty kick, and the lonely figure standing with his head down became one of the most famous tragic scenes in football history. Although he played for many giants throughout his career, there were few league championships (two were deprived of due to phone calls during Juventus) and he never got involved in the Champions League. Injuries and illnesses are often accompanied by their bodies.

Michel Barack:

Talent and Peak: Germany's "Iron-blooded Captain", a model of an all-round midfielder, excellent offense and defense, extremely tenacious willpower, and great power of heading and long-range shots.

The tragedy lies: the curse of the "Four Asian Kings". In the 2001/02 season, he won the runner-up with Leverkusen, the German Cup and the Champions League, and the runner-up with the German team in the World Cup. He won a total of 13 runner-ups in his career (including the Champions League, World Cup, European Cup, League Cup, etc.). The 2002 World Cup final was absent due to suspension, and the last league injury before the 2010 Champions League final was missed. Fate always seems to tease the fighter at the last moment.

Gareth Bale:

Talent and Peak: With terrifying explosive power, speed and long-range shooting ability, "The Great Sage" has left countless classic goals in Tottenham and Real Madrid (such as the King's Cup of Rey overtaking Barcelona and the Champions League final barb).

The sadness lies: In the later stage of Real Madrid, he suffered repeated tortures such as soleus muscles, and his condition and attendance rate dropped sharply. He had a tense relationship with the club and fans, and was even ridiculed by the media as a "golfer". Its amazing talent failed to fully realize its longer and more harmonious peak period, gradually fading out of the top stage amid boos.

Marco Van Basten:

Talent and Peak: One of the "Three Musketeers" in the Netherlands, one of the most perfect centers in history, with his skills, consciousness, shooting skills and elegance reaching the realm of transformation, and he won the Golden Globe Award three times.

The tragedy lies: Injuries and illness ruthlessly destroy the peak. Ankle injuries (especially malicious shoveling) recurred and experienced multiple painful surgeries. He was forced to retire at his peak at the age of 28, causing the world football to lose an art master who could have created more glory. It is also a pity that his failure to lead the talented Dutch team to win the tournament (Euro 1988 was its only national team honor).

Harry Kane:

Talent and Peak: The scorer king in England's history, the scorer king in Tottenham's history, the world's top all-round center, superb shooting skills, broad passing vision, and excellent back-to-body ability.

The tragedy lies: the contemporary representative of the "Crownless Curse". The personal data is extremely dazzling, but he has not won any important team championship trophy in his career so far. He has failed many times with Tottenham approaching the championship (Champions League final and League Cup final). At the national team level, he won the Golden Boot in the 2018 World Cup but stopped in the semi-finals and lost at home in the 2021 European Cup final. Its outstanding personal abilities form a huge contrast with the lack of team honors.

Michael Irving:

Talent and Peak: Become famous at a young age, amazed the World Cup at the age of 18 (a classic goal against Argentina), one of the youngest winners of the Golden Globes (2001). At its peak, he was the perfect striker who combines speed and technology.

The sadness lies: Injuries kill the peak speed. Frequent hamstring injuries greatly affected his explosive power, and the speed advantage he relied on to become famous was weakened. After leaving Liverpool, his career trajectory declined. He failed to hold the main player in Real Madrid. He was troubled by injuries during Newcastle and Manchester United. He later moved to many teams and failed to regain his glory when he was young.

Ronaldo (Roman):

Talent and Peak: "Alien", one of the most terrifying strikers in history, a perfect combination of speed, strength, technology and sense of smell, two World Cup champions and three World Football Masters.

The sadness lies: the great destruction of repeated serious injuries on the body. He suffered several devastating knee injuries in his career (especially the time from 1999 to 2000), which not only left him missing for almost two years, but also permanently deprived him of some of his unparalleled speed and explosiveness. If not, his peak height and length might be even more astonishing. The return of the 2002 World Cup is a great redemption, but the shadow of injury is always a huge regret behind the legend.

Steven Gerrard:

Talent and Peak: Liverpool's eternal captain, "Soul of the Red Army", an all-round midfielder, with extraordinary leadership temperament, long-range shooting, passing and fighting spirit, leading Liverpool to perform an epic reversal like "Miracle of Istanbul".

The sadness lies: I failed to win the Premier League championship in my life. In the 2013/14 season, Liverpool was infinitely close to the Premier League championship. Gerrard accidentally slipped and lost the ball in a critical battle against Chelsea, and the team eventually lost a good game. This moment became the heartbreaking footnote of his career. Despite having honors such as the Champions League and the FA Cup, as a Liverpool legend, it is the biggest regret that it has failed to win the Premier League trophy.

Bastian Schweinsteiger:

Talent and Peak: "Pigles", the centerpiece of the German team and Bayern, the meritorious captain of the 2014 World Cup championship, with comprehensive skills, active running and strong spiritual attributes.

The sadness lies: the increase in injuries in the later stages of the career. The most tragic thing is that in the 2012 Champions League final, as the core of Bayern, he missed a penalty in the final at the Allianz Stadium (the first appearance in the penalty shootout), and the team lost to Chelsea and missed the championship.. In the semi-finals of the European Cup in the same year, he missed another key penalty, causing the German team to be eliminated by Italy. The loss of key penalty kicks in successive competitions was a huge shadow of his career, although he later won the triple crown with Bayern in 2013 and won the World Cup to complete redemption.

Ennesri (actively, but the story is tragic - 2022 World Cup final):

Talents and characteristics: The main center of the Moroccan national team, strong in body and excellent heading ability, is one of the key contributors to the team's historic entry into the semi-finals in the 2022 World Cup.

The sadness lies: In the 2022 World Cup final (Argentina vs France), at the last moment of the game (the final countdown stage of overtime), he got the closest chance to win in World Cup history - a header on the small penalty area line, but was saved by Argentine goalkeeper Damian Martinez with his fingertips. If this ball is scored, it will be a winning goal that will be recorded in history, directly bringing the World Cup championship to Morocco. The missed moment is filled with dramatic tragic colors.

Alfredo di Stefano:

Talent and Peak: The legend of Real Madrid is considered the greatest player before Pele and Maradona, leading Real Madrid to achieve five consecutive Champions League championships.

The sadness lies: Although the club is honored, he has never participated in the World Cup due to nationality change (born in Argentina and later represented Spain)! This legendary superstar’s inability to show his talents on the world’s highest stage is a huge regret in football history.

John Cruyff:

Talent and Peak: The soul of the Netherlands' "all offense and all defense" football, Barcelona's godfather, three-time Golden Globe winner, and the player era is known for its unparalleled technology, vision and innovation.

The tragedy lies: the representative of the "King Uncrowned". As the core of the Dutch team, in the 1974 World Cup final, the gorgeous Orange Army led by him lost to West Germany and finished second. The 1978 World Cup failed to participate due to personal reasons, and the Netherlands won the runner-up again. As an epoch-making superstar, failure to win the Hercules Cup is the biggest shortcoming of his national team career.

Summary:

The tragic stories in football are equally diverse: there are regrets that are far away (Baggio's penalty, Kane's final, Ennesri's header, Gerald's slip); there are the fate of the runner-up (Barak's "Four Asian Kings"); there are the peak being brutally cut by injuries (Van Basten, Da Ronaldo, Irving); there are lifelong missed with the highest honor (Kane's club, Cruyff's national team); there are also missed the stage because of the times or choice (Die Stefano's World Cup). The stories of these superstars are full of the cruelty of fate, the unyielding struggle and the regret of dreams. Their tears, lonely backs and unwillingness, like their brilliant achievements, together constitute the moving charm of the sport of football - it is not only a carnival of victory, but also a profound and magnificent regret.

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