World class players and legends are defined by a number of factors, one of them being longevity. To be considered a legend of any game, one first has to have been playing at a very high standard for a lengthy period of time. When you look at Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, they both turn in high class performances almost every week and they’ve been doing so for many years now.
There are those however who have been good for just one season and they’re the people that we’re celebrating here.
We’ve picked out 10 players who had one very productive year, but failed to replicate their performance for a longer period of time.
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Marouane Chamakh
Chamakh arrived at Arsenal having scored 16 goals in two consecutive seasons at Bordeaux and he went and scored 11 in his first season at the Emirates. However, he scored just three times in the following two seasons and rarely found the back of the net at West Ham, Crystal Palace or Cardiff.
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Adel Taarabt
Adel Taarabt was QPR’s key player in their successful promotion campaign in 2010/11, scoring 19 goals. He won the Championship’s Player of the Year award that season and hopes were high when he arrived in the Premier League. He couldn’t replicate his heroics in the top-flight and was sent out on loan to AC Milan. His career then took a nose dive as he ended up stuck in Benfica’s B team.
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Charlie Adam
Charlie Adam was Blackpool’s best player in their only season in the top-flight and the Scot earned himself a move to Liverpool the following summer, as Kenny Dalglish looked to rebuild his squad. He made 28 league appearances in his first season at Anfield, but didn’t make one in his second season and he’s since moved to Stoke, where he has established himself in their first team.
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Michael Bridges
Bridges was expected to be the next big thing as he scored 19 Premiership goals in the 1999/2000 season, helping Leeds to qualify for the Champions League. However, he was blighted by injuries for the next four seasons, making just 10 appearances for the Whites. His career never recovered.
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Amr Zaki
Amr Zaki was a curious signing for Wigan in 2008 as he arrived after not playing a game for Lokomotiv Moscow. He was, however, joint-top goalscorer at one point in the league, before slipping to third behind Nicolas Anelka and Robinho. He fell out of favour though after returning late from international duty, in an incident where manager Steve Bruce labelled him “highly unprofessional”.
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Roque Santa Cruz
Roque Santa Cruz was a coup for Blackburn manager Mark Hughes when he signed the Paraguayan from Bayern Munich in 2007. He scored 23 goals in his first season at Ewood Park, but struggled in his second. When Hughes left for Manchester City in 2009, he bought Santa Cruz with him, but he struggled again and was eventually loaned back to Blackburn, where he didn’t score in nine appearances.
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Daniel Guiza
Daniel Guiza made his name in the 2007/08 season, scoring 27 goals for Mallorca in La Liga. He was rewarded with an international call-up and he went on to score three times in Euro 2008. This was the crowning achievement of his career though, as moves to Fenerbahce and Getafe proved to be unsuccessful.
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Mido
Mido signed for Spurs in 2004, but couldn’t break into the team until his second season at White Hart Lane. He went on to score 11 league goals in the 2005/06 season, but that was as good as it got, and he was sold to Middlesbrough a year later.
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Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy’s meteoric rise from non-league footballer to Premier League winner and England international is a great story, but it covers up the fact that he’s only been good for one season. He scored 24 goals in Leicester’s title win, but hasn’t done a lot since. He turned down a £30 million move to Arsenal, in what looks now to be the wrong decision for him.
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Michu
Michu is the definition of the one-season-wonder. He arrived to little fanfare at Swansea, but scored 18 goals in his first season at the club, including four in his first three games. He was rewarded midway through the season with a new four-year deal, but after just one year in south Wales, he was sent out on loan to Napoli. He made just six appearances for the Italian club before returning to Spain with Real Oviedo.
