5 stars who peaked too early

Michael Owen
 

A small but technical striker blessed with blistering pace, Owen broke onto the world stage as an 18 year-old at the 1998 World Cup, scoring a memorable individual goal in England's round of 16 clash with Argentina. He went on to win the Balon d'Or in 2001 thanks to a hugely impressive season with Liverpool and a stunning hat-trick in England's famous 5-1 win over Germany. After sustained success in front of goal for Liverpool in following years, in which he regularly netted over 20 goals a season, Owen made a move to Real Madrid in 2004... and that's when his career began to go downhill.

He struggled to break into the first-team due to the indispensability of fellow strikers Raul and Ronaldo, and left for Newcastle at the end of his first season at the club. There he struggled with repeated hamstring injuries, and when he finally began playing regularly again in 2007, found his once rapid pace had all but gone. Manchester United offered an escape route in 2009, but again Owen struggled to break into the starting line-up. He ended his career on the Stoke bench, and understandably retired at the end of his first season with the club, aged 33.

Adriano
 

Once known as 'The Emperor', Adriano had everything to become one of the greatest players in history. He was strong, fast and had an incredibly powerful left foot. He moved to Inter Milan in 2001 aged just 19, and quickly began to make a name for himself. By the mid-noughties he was on his way to becoming one of the world's best, impressing for both Inter and his national side Brazil. But just as he was hitting peak form, he was rocked by news that his father had died. Javier Zanetti, Adriano's team-mate at Inter, said his fellow players "could not succeed in pulling him out of his depression."

Adriano quickly put on weight, and soon looked a shadow of his former self. His goals began to dry up for Inter - he scored just six in all competitions in 2006-07, and he moved back to Brazil aged just 26. He had stints at Sao Paulo, Flamego, Corinthians and Atletico Paranese before retiring, having never re-captured the form of his youth, and leaving the world wondering what could have been.

Anderson
 

Anderson was touted as a potential world-beater when he arrived at Manchester United from Brazil in 2007. The central-midfielder was known for his energy and speed, as well as his ability to both attack and defend. He made a bright start for United, winning the Premier League in both of his first two seasons and starting the Champions League final against Barcelona in 2009.

But his disregard for a healthy lifestyle soon began to hinder him, and his performances gradually worsened. He made just five appearances in all competitions over the course of his final two seasons for the club, and was soon offloaded to Internacional, where he continued to struggle. Now 30 years-old, he currently plays for Adana Demirspor in Turkey, with his professional career all but over.

Javier Saviola
 

Saviola made his debut for River Plate in Argentina aged just 16, and quickly established himself as one of the most-sought after strikers in the world, even being touted as the heir to legendary Argentine Diego Maradona. In 1999 he was named South American Footballer of the Year, and he was snapped up by Barcelona two years later. His fine form continued at the Catalan giants, and he finished his first season at the club as joint-fourth top scorer in La Liga.

After two more solid seasons, in which he averaged almost a goal every other game, in 2004 Saviola was deemed surplus to requirements by incoming manager Frank Rijkaard. He was shipped off to Monaco and Sevilla on successive loans, where he saw mixed success, before making a move to Real Madrid in 2007. Here he struggled, generally appearing only as a substitute, and he was soon sold.

His downturn in form coincided with his ommission from the Argentina national team, and he retired from international football in 2009 aged just 28, having not played for the national side for two years. Saviola finished his career with brief spells at Benfica, Malaga, Olympiacos and Verona, never returning to the heights he hit at the turn of the millenium.

Victor Valdes
 

A product of the Barcelona youth academy, goalkeeper Valdes made his debut for Barcelona in 2002 aged just 20. Despite not being the tallest, his quick reflexes and impressive diving ability made him one of Europe's top goalkeepers in the late noughties. Part of the club's wave of homegrown talent that included the likes of Pique, Xavi and Iniesta, Valdes won the Champions League in 2006, 2009 and 2011 and was part of the Spain squad that won the World Cup and Euros. 

But errors began to creep into his game, and towards the end of his time at Barca he had become a figure of fun. He made a calamitous error in the Supercopa de España in 2012 to gift Angel di Maria a crucial goal as Real Madrid went on to win the trophy, and towards the end of his final season with Barca injured his cruciate ligament, ruling him out of the 2014 World Cup. He was sold to Manchester United, where he rarely featured due to the form of fellow Spaniard David de Gea, and he retired in 2017 after being relegated in Middlesbrough.