Top TEN footballers who took a little time to blossom

We are all aware of Fernando Torres’ recent and rapid decline at Chelsea, but the 27 year-old still has plenty of time to prove he can reproduce the form that made him such a popular figure at Anfield and such a universally feared striker. The Spaniard isn’t the only player to have performed so impressively before trailing off towards the end of his twenties, and of course Michael Owen springs to mind.

However, what about the players who were shunned, neglected and left to queue at the job centre during their teens and early twenties, before forging outstanding careers later on? There are a number of players we admire today who were never really given an opportunity until extremely late on in to their careers, and here is a list of ten famous players who blossomed late…

If you can think of any I have missed out, please feel free to leave suggestions and comments below…

Click on Ian Wright below to see the top 10 players that took a while to blossom