You might not remember, but nearly each of our favourite teams have been blinded by a "star" in a big competition. As a United fan, I think of Manucho (roughly around the AFCON of 2008) and Kleberson (after the 2002 World Cup). Although these are quite funny, today's focus is on the Euro's and the bad signings immediately after a Euro competition.
Zlatko Zahovic - what a fantastic name that is! He's bloody Slovenian! Slovenia is a town outside of Egypt we think. What a fantastic Euro 2000 he had also! Slovenia (a suburb of Russia) only scored 4 goals, and Zlatko got 3 of them in 3 games! They crashed out during the Group Stage but Zlatko was quickly snapped up by Valencia, where the Slovenian (a boat from Paris) also managed to score 3 goals.......in 20 games. Zlatko, bought for £5.5 million, helped Valencia lose the Champions League final by missing a penalty. You'd think this would be the highlight of his rubbishness, but no...the Slovenian (somewhere in Asia) spent one single year at Valencia. Bought after Euro 2000, sold 1 year later...one, uno, singular. To end off, in 2002, Zlatko told the Slovenian (a type of yoghurt) manager: "you're a dickhead of a coach & were a dick of a player. I could buy you, your house & your family". Stay classy Zlatko.
Team: Valencia
Duration: 1 season
Cost: £5.5 million
Karel Poborsky - One of the best goals of Euro 1996 was scored by the man from Czech - watch it here please!! After seeing that goal, even I would have bought him, but then I would have been as wrong as Sir Alex was. You see the problem is that Karel made the UEFA Team of the Tournament, so he's obviously amazing right? Amazing hair yes, amazing talent, no. He ran around a lot but his hair simply couldn't compete with Beckham. Perhaps the highlight of his United career was scoring the 7th in a 7-0 pounding of Barnsley. Man United wasted £3.5 million pounds but great hair though....
Team: Man United
Duration: 1.5 seasons
Cost: £3.5 million
Savo Milosevic - Top scorer in Euro 2000 with 5 goals, Savo also made the Team of the Tournament and is from Serbia & Montenegro at the same time! "Brilliant" said Parma, who snapped him up immediately for a bargain €25 million. He paid them back with 31 beautiful appearances over 4 years. His 2nd season with Parma was epic when he went on to score 1 single goal in half a season. He was then loaned out to 3 different clubs & kindly helped 2 of those clubs get relegated.
Team: Parma
Duration: 1.5 seasons (loaned out from there)
Cost: €25 million
Andrey Arshavin - Andrey/Andrei/Andrew/Betty is it too soon to call him a flop? No of course not, he's rubbish now! Euro 2008 belonged to this man who was sought after by Madrid, Spurs & whoever else had a tv 4 years ago. Arsenal were the lucky ones he chose. It took a little longer than an immediate transfer, but he eventually came for a tidy £17.5 million. Once again, Team of the Tournament in 2008 blinded a sensible man into spending a lot of money. Yes, I do hear you mention his outstanding 4 goals against Liverpool, but he just didn't fit Arsenal at all. You don't believe me? Remember when Arsenal supporters booed him & Wenger when Wenger wanted to BRING HIM ON! Yes, they booed his arrival! Unless of course his 1 league goal (due to a Vorm mistake rather than talent) impressed any of you, Arshavin is now realised as a post-Euro flop.
Team: Arsenal
Duration: 3 seasons
Cost: £17.5 million
Basically the entire Greek 2004 team - Greece were the shock winners in Euro 2004. They were shock winners because they weren't that good. But hang a gold medal around a man's neck & he looks like Pele to some. Ever wonder what happened to them? I'll start with the 2004 Player of the Tournament - Theodoros Zagorakis. The Greek captain was signed by Bologna about 10 days after winning the Euro's. The intelligent Italians gave him a massive salary and he repaid them by helping them get relegated. They then let him go since they couldn't afford his salary...a Greek causing financial mayhem? Get out of here! He then went to PAOK who also had financial problems...he's probably Greece's Minister of Finance nowadays.
Angelos Charisteas is the tall guy that scored the winner in 2004 & Europe went mad! It came a year later, but Ajax snapped the magician up as a replacement for Zlatan....and sold him 1 year later to Feyenoord....who sold him 1 year later to Nuremberg...who he helped relegate.
Georgios Seitaridis was wanted by Real Madrid after Euro 2004. However, the right-back moved to Porto for a bargain £3 million and spent a wonderful 1 seasons there......before being sold to Dynamo Moscow, where he enjoyed 8 fantastic games in his total of 1 seasons at the club, before being sold to Athletico Madrid. He spent more than 1 year at Madrid, but eventually they tore up his contract 1 year before its end & he was without a club for a while. It took 4 months for anybody to snap him up for £0.00, but his old club Panathinaikos decided he was worth the transfer fee. 2011-12 was a bad season for him as he only played 45 minutes of 1 game before being substituted due to a "poor performance".
Can we say the Greek 2004 team was truly a Trojan horse? Yes, I just did.
Team: Many
Duration: Short
Cost: Too much
Special mentions:
Zlatko Zahovic - what a fantastic name that is! He's bloody Slovenian! Slovenia is a town outside of Egypt we think. What a fantastic Euro 2000 he had also! Slovenia (a suburb of Russia) only scored 4 goals, and Zlatko got 3 of them in 3 games! They crashed out during the Group Stage but Zlatko was quickly snapped up by Valencia, where the Slovenian (a boat from Paris) also managed to score 3 goals.......in 20 games. Zlatko, bought for £5.5 million, helped Valencia lose the Champions League final by missing a penalty. You'd think this would be the highlight of his rubbishness, but no...the Slovenian (somewhere in Asia) spent one single year at Valencia. Bought after Euro 2000, sold 1 year later...one, uno, singular. To end off, in 2002, Zlatko told the Slovenian (a type of yoghurt) manager: "you're a dickhead of a coach & were a dick of a player. I could buy you, your house & your family". Stay classy Zlatko.
Duration: 1 season
Cost: £5.5 million
Karel Poborsky - One of the best goals of Euro 1996 was scored by the man from Czech - watch it here please!! After seeing that goal, even I would have bought him, but then I would have been as wrong as Sir Alex was. You see the problem is that Karel made the UEFA Team of the Tournament, so he's obviously amazing right? Amazing hair yes, amazing talent, no. He ran around a lot but his hair simply couldn't compete with Beckham. Perhaps the highlight of his United career was scoring the 7th in a 7-0 pounding of Barnsley. Man United wasted £3.5 million pounds but great hair though....
Duration: 1.5 seasons
Cost: £3.5 million
Savo Milosevic - Top scorer in Euro 2000 with 5 goals, Savo also made the Team of the Tournament and is from Serbia & Montenegro at the same time! "Brilliant" said Parma, who snapped him up immediately for a bargain €25 million. He paid them back with 31 beautiful appearances over 4 years. His 2nd season with Parma was epic when he went on to score 1 single goal in half a season. He was then loaned out to 3 different clubs & kindly helped 2 of those clubs get relegated.
Duration: 1.5 seasons (loaned out from there)
Cost: €25 million
Andrey Arshavin - Andrey/Andrei/Andrew/Betty is it too soon to call him a flop? No of course not, he's rubbish now! Euro 2008 belonged to this man who was sought after by Madrid, Spurs & whoever else had a tv 4 years ago. Arsenal were the lucky ones he chose. It took a little longer than an immediate transfer, but he eventually came for a tidy £17.5 million. Once again, Team of the Tournament in 2008 blinded a sensible man into spending a lot of money. Yes, I do hear you mention his outstanding 4 goals against Liverpool, but he just didn't fit Arsenal at all. You don't believe me? Remember when Arsenal supporters booed him & Wenger when Wenger wanted to BRING HIM ON! Yes, they booed his arrival! Unless of course his 1 league goal (due to a Vorm mistake rather than talent) impressed any of you, Arshavin is now realised as a post-Euro flop.
Duration: 3 seasons
Cost: £17.5 million
Basically the entire Greek 2004 team - Greece were the shock winners in Euro 2004. They were shock winners because they weren't that good. But hang a gold medal around a man's neck & he looks like Pele to some. Ever wonder what happened to them? I'll start with the 2004 Player of the Tournament - Theodoros Zagorakis. The Greek captain was signed by Bologna about 10 days after winning the Euro's. The intelligent Italians gave him a massive salary and he repaid them by helping them get relegated. They then let him go since they couldn't afford his salary...a Greek causing financial mayhem? Get out of here! He then went to PAOK who also had financial problems...he's probably Greece's Minister of Finance nowadays.
Angelos Charisteas is the tall guy that scored the winner in 2004 & Europe went mad! It came a year later, but Ajax snapped the magician up as a replacement for Zlatan....and sold him 1 year later to Feyenoord....who sold him 1 year later to Nuremberg...who he helped relegate.
Georgios Seitaridis was wanted by Real Madrid after Euro 2004. However, the right-back moved to Porto for a bargain £3 million and spent a wonderful 1 seasons there......before being sold to Dynamo Moscow, where he enjoyed 8 fantastic games in his total of 1 seasons at the club, before being sold to Athletico Madrid. He spent more than 1 year at Madrid, but eventually they tore up his contract 1 year before its end & he was without a club for a while. It took 4 months for anybody to snap him up for £0.00, but his old club Panathinaikos decided he was worth the transfer fee. 2011-12 was a bad season for him as he only played 45 minutes of 1 game before being substituted due to a "poor performance".
Can we say the Greek 2004 team was truly a Trojan horse? Yes, I just did.
Duration: Short
Cost: Too much
Special mentions:
- Luc Nilis - the Belgian was bought after Euro 2000 by Aston Villa. He played 3 games, faced one 50/50 challenge, broke his leg & never played again.
- John Jensen - won Euro 1992 with Denmark & was bought for Arsenal. A centre mid who scored his only goal for Arsenal after 98 matches....that's 1 goal every 98 games on average or 1/98 or 0.01020 goals per game.
- Jordi Cruyff - bought by Man United after Euro 1996. Everybody knew this was a bad idea, but what a legendary surname, right?
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