Ex-French international striker Nicholas Anelkawas a hot prospect during his teenage years and big things were expected of him but he rarely lived up to that promise later in his career though it must be said that he played for some of the biggest clubs on the European football stage.
Arsenal fans would be forgiven if they penciled Nicholas Anelka as a future Ballon d'Or winner when he burst onto the Premier League scene as a teenager during the 1997/98 season. He had signed for the Gunners in 1997 shortly after he made his professional debut for French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint Germain (PSG) a year earlier. Arsenal paid £500,000 to sign him from PSG in February 1997, some months after the appointment of legendary manager Arsene Wenger. He didn't break into the first team at Arsenal until the next season.