Soccer's Lost Souls

Three years ago, Jose Antonio Reyes and Ricardo Quaresma were the talk of the football world. Both were talented offensive player that played with flair. Fast forward a couple of years and both have almost lost their ways.

Reyes dazzled as a young player at Sevilla and then Professor Wenger made a move to bring him to his football factory in London.

Things started well for the young Spaniard, but it soon turned sour after reports surfaced that Reyes was not happy in London and wanted to return the Spain. Arsenal loaned Reyes to Real Madrid for the 2006-2007 season, but he did not impress enough to earn a permit deal. Arsenal then decided to sell Reyes to Atletico Madrid where he spent a season before he was sent out on load to Benfica for the 2008-2009. While playing well at the Portuguese giants, a full time move was not agreed upon. So to start this season Reyes will again be with Atletico Madrid looking to settle with a club for more then one season. Despite being only 25, Reyes has played for five different clubs and is in the process of being an lost player on the world stage.

Quaresma is the Portuguese version of the Reyes, a ton of talent but has yet to settle at some of the worlds better clubs.

Quaresma started his career at Sporting and then moved to Barcelona, but things did not go well there and he high tailed it back to the place of his birth, this time with Porto. After a couple of impressive season at both club and national team levels, Quaresma found himself at Inter Milan, where people thought that he would flourish under Jose Mourinho, just like Ajen Robben did at Chelksi. But that has not happen, after failing to impress during the first half of last season, Mourinho sent Quaresma out on loan to Chelski. While at Chelski things did not go that well and at the end of the season he was returned to Inter. Things have gotten so bad that Turkish side Besiktas have asked about taking him on loan for this season. Just like Reyes, Quaresma has already been through give 5 teams and his only 25 years old.

Despite having great skills Reyes and Quaresma both have to establish themselves this year or their dreams of being a world class player will be dead for good.