8 World Class Footballers (Who Were Useless By 30)

Ukrainian striker Shevchenko was supposed to be the final piece of the Chelsea jigsaw when Roman Abrahmovich paid £30m to bring the 29-year-old to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2006. One season and just four league goals later, though, it was beginning to become apparent why Milan were prepared to let him go after seven years of service.

From time to time, you could still catch a glimpse of the world-class player Chelsea thought they were buying. But a meager return of 22 goals in the two full seasons he spent in West London was a far cry from the sort of form that saw him capture the Ballon d'Or, and a trophy cabinet the envy of his peers, back in Italy.

Many have hypothesised that it was the rough and tumble of the Premier League, as opposed to chess-like Serie A, to which Shevchenko struggled to adapt his game - but there are many others who made the same move sans the dramatic downturn in form. The simplest explanation, then - that his legs simply caught up with him - could in fact be the most likely one.