10. Ricardo Quaresma
FC Porto, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Real Madrid - just a few of the clubs that Quaresma has had spells for. Impressive, right? Not when you look at what he could have achieved. At one stage, Quaresma was dubbed as not only the next Cristiano Ronaldo, but a player that could succeed the ability of the Real Madrid star. Ricardo started his career with great success at Sporting Lisbon, which led to his move to Barcelona in 2003, but he never really found his feet at the Spanish side. After 21 appearances (11 as a sub) and just one goal, Quaresma announced that he would refuse to play under then-manager Frank Rijkaard, leading to the Portuguese startlet being shipped back to the Primeira Liga, this time with FC Porto. Quaresma was used as bait in Barcelona's signing of Deco, but that led to him becoming a star for Porto. After a first season facing heavy criticism for being selfish, Ricardo went on to become a true fan favourite in his four season spell. Lifting the Primeira Liga three times, Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira twice, and Taça de Portugal and Intercontinental Cup once, Quaresma also received success on a personal level by being named the Player of the Year in Primeira Liga 2006. RQ then signed for Inter Milan in 2008 for a reported fee of up to £20m (
according to SkySports) along with young midfielder Pelé in a cash + player exchange. He shared a similar experience to his spell at FC Barcelona, with then-boss José Mourinho stating:
"He is a great talent, but the joy I have at seeing the way Ibra works for and with the team I do not yet have with Quaresma."
Quaresma went on to receive the Bidone d'oro award for worst footballer in the Serie A in 2008, and was soon sent on loan to English title challengers Chelsea. At Chelsea, Quaresma found limited first team opportunities with the likes of Malouda and Ballack being preferred. He went on to spend under 3 months at the club, making just four league appearances and making little impact before returning to parent club Inter Milan. Inter made attempts to offload Quaresma but received no interest, and remained at the Italian side for the 2009-10 season making 11 league appearances without scoring. Quaresma later joined Turkish side Besiktas in 2010 and enjoyed regular football for his first two seasons. However, in March 2012 he had an dispute with boss Carlos Carvalhal which led to a suspension. After this incident, he spent 6 months without making a single appearance and was released in late-December of the same year. You can now see Ricardo play for Qatari side Al-Ahli, hardly the cream of the crop of world football. After opportunities to find his feet, Quaresma lacked the drive and consistency to become a world great which is the sole reason he is featured on this list. His many accomplishments are impressive, but on an individual level he could have been one of the best.
Current Status: First team player for Qatari side Al-Ahli.
What He Could Have Been: Key player for one of Europe's finest and Portugal - better than Cristiano Ronaldo.