10 Liverpool Heroes Whose Careers Have Nosedived Since Leaving Anfield

9. Luis Garcia

A crowd favourite at Anfield, the inventive midfielder was as much of a surprise to the audience as he was to himself. He would flit through games without offering so much as a meaningful contribution before unleashing a 25 yard strike to take the roof of the stadium. Any man who manages to bag the strikes that help the club progress in the Champions League, as well as a screamer in the Merseyside derby will be remembered as a cult hero for years. After 122 appearances and 31 goals during his three seasons in England, the 29 year old re-signed for former club Athletico Madrid. It proved to be a difficult couple of years for Garcia, as his homecoming saw him marginalised for the most part, serving as a back-up to Portuguese winger Simao Sabrosa. In 2009, he signed for La Liga strugglers Racing Santander where he made just 15 appearances before signing for Greek side Panathinaikos after a season. The Greek league failed to provide him with the necessary platform to recapture his old form, and he spent the next three seasons in Mexico, first at Puebla FC and then Pumas UNAM. Now a 36 year old man, the ageing winger has been coerced out of retirement to join newly-formed Indian Super League side Athletico de Kolkata and has been marketed as their €˜marquee€™ player. A former Champions League winner taking part in this Indian league is a bit like Al Pacino phoning in yet another PG-13 slapstick comedy for the extra bucks.