Biggest Post World Cup Signing Flops:

[robertmac43]

Who are some players that had an unreal tournament, signed for big money following the tournament, and completely flopped?

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[ecemleafs]

Was denilson signed after the 02 world cup?

 

[gary69]

Well, Maradona didn't have a great tournament, but he was a massive flop after signing for Barcelona for the then world record transfer fee.

 

[N o o d l e s]

Memphis Depay

 

[Live in the Now]

Was denilson signed after the 02 world cup?

98. Definitely him. Liverpool signed Diouf before the WC or I'd list him.

 

[cgf]

Whatever happened to that ecuadorian kid who went to the EPL after 2006?

 

[The Abusement Park]

Kleberson and Djemba Djemba.

 

[ViD]

Ochoa?

 

[Evilo]

Certainly not a flop, but Real signed James for twice his real price because of a good half WC.
Even though he's good, he ended up going for much less even though the market went way up.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Sissoko...

 

[Evilo]

That was after an EC

 

[Stray Wasp]

98. Definitely him. Liverpool signed Diouf before the WC or I'd list him.

Given that I was going to suggest Diouf until I read this, it's ironic that Denilson was another signing agreed before the World Cup. Indeed, it was as early as 1997 that Betis negotiated that transfer.

To my mind, Denilson to Betis is one of the all-time absurd trophy signings. It seemed as though since almost all the other top teams in La Liga possessed one high profile Brazilian or another, the ghastly imbecile who ran the Andalusians felt compelled to keep up with the Jones'.

The pity is Betis had just finished fourth in 96-97, as well as reaching the Copa del Rey final, and had the resources squandered on that deal been used to sign four or five players they might have been able to build a team strong enough to achieve what Deportivo La Coruna and Valencia managed for that handful of years around the end of the 90s / early 00s. As it was, in 2000 they were relegated.

 

[Stray Wasp]

Kleberson and Djemba Djemba.

Neither of them were massive fees at the time.

 

[Havre]

Arguably Dumitrescu was even more stupid than Sissoko. Classic example of a player doing well on a team that just “clicked” in a WC. Scouting at Spurs at that time was such a joke (seemingly the club hasn’t learned to completely avoid these kind of deals - ref Sisssoko).

Popescu was actually a good player. But clearly never fulfilled his potential at Spurs. I would blame the club more than the player on that one.

The WC is such an “artificial” tournament to evaluate individual players. Some have just ran out of gas after a long season. Some play on teams that just work (or don’t). Tournaments like that always have teams with gain some sort of momentum making ordinary players look World class for short spells. Just impossible to get good value for money after a WC if someone have impressed. Heard mentality among scouts, managers and football directors is just absurdly strong (hockey might even be worse).

 

[Stray Wasp]

Popescu seemed to have an unfortunate knack for attracting clubs at the wrong time- see his subsequent move to Barcelona for another example. He was good.

Lovely Ossie Ardiles' mad tactics didn't help.

 

[Stray Wasp]

Some other nominations for players who didn't strictly dominate a World Cup, but whose good performances led to transfers that didn't work out:

Marius Lacatus, 1990, who went to Fiorentina and lasted one season.
Daniel Amokachi, 1994, became the first black player to sign for Everton. His spell on Merseyside is remembered for little else.
Enner Valencia, 2014. The £12 million fee West Ham paid for him was big for a non-Champions League club.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

That was after an EC

Reminder to not post before my morning coffee.

 

[Theokritos]

98. Definitely him.

it's ironic that Denilson was another signing agreed before the World Cup. Indeed, it was as early as 1997 that Betis negotiated that transfer.

Right. Denilson signed in August 1997, not after the 98 WC.

All tools, no toolbox that guy. He wowed you with his dribbling technique and then he wowed you with his lack of brains. I remember him dribbling up half of the pitch with ease until he couldn't go on anymore and then he would turn around and dribble right back to where he started. And repeat. Completely pointless.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Neither of them were massive fees at the time.

I guess that’s fair. But they both had really good WC’s and flopped.

 

[Ceremony]

Divock Origi

 

[Timeless Winter]

Enner Valencia

 

[The Abusement Park]

James Rodriguez. No wait.

 

[IamNotADancer]

Not World Cup, but Zlatko Zahovic was the shit during and after the Euro only to bomb hard.

 

[Savant]

By far Diouf to Liverpool.

Not only was it a horrible signing but it cost them Anelka.

 

[S E P H]

Definitely Zlatko Zahovic or Fernando Torres.