13 footballers who had a trial you might not know about ft. Mbappe, Freddy Adu, Yaya Toure and Ronaldo | OneFootball

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GIVEMESPORT VIDEO OF THE DAY

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So much of the game these days seems to be focused on transfers. Often it feels as though supporters get more excited about the idea of dropping millions on a new signing than they do about actually watching games of football. Well, regardless of how the sport has changed in that sense, for many there is still nothing better than an academy graduate rising through the ranks to bust onto the scene with the senior side.

Of course, not every young talent arrives at the club as a local talent. Often players from near and far are given the opportunity to trial with new teams, but it seems that no matter how talented these individuals ever prove themselves to be, the potential isn't always noticed immediately. This is certainly proven in the list below as GIVEMESPORT names 13 stars to have had trials at major clubs, only to end up elsewhere.

1 Kylian Mbappé, Chelsea

Where better to start off than with one of the biggest talents in world football? It's well-known that Arsene Wenger personally went to the home of Mbappe to try and sign him for Arsenal on a free when his future at Monaco was momentarily up for grabs, but many won't have known Chelsea also had the opportunity to sign the World Cup winner. Indeed, in May 2011, aged just 12 at the time, the young Frenchman attended a four-day trial with the Premier League side.

Mbappe played one game for the Blues during his time in London, against Charlton. He told FourFourTwo magazine a few years ago (via The Athletic) that Chelsea won 6-0 or 7-0, adding: “I played up front, but I don’t think I scored. It was great — it was my first experience abroad and a chance for me to see what the game was like in England.”

2 Fede Valverde, Arsenal

Valverde recently let slip that he spent time in England briefly with Arsenal when recalling an anecdote about Alexis Sanchez. Speaking ahead of Uruguay’s World Cup qualifier against Chile, he told the press: "When I went to train at Arsenal, Alexis was there and he was one of the few who came up to help me. I will always be grateful to him because, being a nobody, I was well-received by him. He was there to help me when I was a kid. As a footballer, he is an incredible player."

Having ended up at Real Madrid, has reached the very top of the game, providing an assist for Vinicius Junior as Los Blancos beat Liverpool in the 2021/22 Champions League final. Still only 25, the midfielder already has over 200 appearances for the club under his belt, winning La Liga twice in this time.

3 Steven Gerrard, Manchester United

It's almost unfathomable to picture Gerrard playing for any other English club. After all, he joined Liverpool in 1989 aged nine and left in 2015 having played 710 times for the club. And yet, Man United nearly had the opportunity to completely change all that.

As a youngster, Gerrard was sought after by a number of clubs such as Everton, Crystal Palace, and West Ham, but he actually trialled with the Red Devils – even wearing their green and yellow kit away kit worn between 1992 to 1994 – but the Englishman has maintained that he only wanted to see what it was like elsewhere, and never planned on actually leaving the Reds.

4 Ivan Rakitić, Arsenal

While Luka Modrić rightly gets all the plaudits for being one of the finest footballers of his generation, we should not rush to get the quality of fellow Croatian midfielder Rakitić. After all, the 35-year-old won nearly every trophy on offer during his time at Barcelona, while also winning the Europa League twice with Sevilla, the Swiss Cup with Basel, and the DFB-Pokal in Germany with Schalke 04.

Perhaps Arsenal could have tasted some of that glory had they snapped him up sometime around 2004 when Rakitic was named in an Arsenal XI for a game against Ajax – Premier League players Nicklas Bendtner and Fabrice Muamba were also involved in the game for the Gunners.

5 Pedri, Real Madrid

Pedri has established himself as one of the game's most exciting midfielders over the past few seasons, winning the Golden Boy award in 2021, handed to Europe's best player aged under 21. He's enjoyed a rapid ascension to the top since joining Barcelona from Las Palmas in 2020, but he could have made a name for himself at a rival club.

Yes, Real Madrid had the opportunity to join Los Blancos but they said he just wasn't good enough. "I went to try out with Real Madrid but they told me I wasn't at the right level. I thank those who told me that I wouldn't make it, now I am in the team that I have always loved. Putting on a Madrid shirt was strange, I have always gone with Barcelona's," Pedri told El Larguero (via Marca).

6 Mario Balotelli, Barcelona

As a 16-year-old in June 2006, Balotelli played three matches with the Barca B Cadet team, scoring eight goals during his trial at Barcelona. Unsurprisingly his performances impressed the academy coaches and it looked as though the green light had been given to sign the Italian on a permanent basis. However, as things tended to be in the striker's career, thongs weren't that simple.

In the end, the deal collapsed as the youngster's agent demanded more money than the Spanish side were willing to pay – reportedly "far from the average figure for a player of his age" – so they ended up passing and Inter Milan eventually stepped in to land the talented forward's demands.

7 Gabriel Martinelli, Manchester United

On one flank, the Gunners have Bukayo Saka oozing class and unlocking defences. And on the other side, they have Martinelli terrorising fullbacks and delivering game-winning moments. Despite their young age, the wingers have already established themselves as one of the most formidable attacking pairs in world football.

Well, Arsenal's gain is Man United's loss. Indeed, the Red Devils had the opportunity to sign the Brazilian on multiple occasions but decided against signing Martinelli. He even met stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra during four different trials with the Manchester club as a teenager.

8 Christian Eriksen, Manchester United

Eriksen burst onto the scene in England with Tottenham Hotspur, later becoming a key cog during Mauricio Pochettino's tenure in North London. However, before he arrived in the Premier League, the Dane was starring for Ajax as an exciting young talent.

And while his career has eventually taken him to Old Trafford – via Spurs, Inter Milan and Brentford – he did have the opportunity to join Man United much sooner. In fact, as a youngster still at boyhood club Odense, Eriksen had trials with United as well as Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid but ended up in Amsterdam.

9 Emile Smith Rowe, Chelsea

While he may have struggled with fitness issues and regular minutes of late, Smith Rowe remains one of the most exciting talents to have emerged from Arsenal's Hale End academy in recent years. But he could have been a Chelsea player, had his small frame not prevented him from a move back in the day – which is ironic as he now stands at 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m).

He told the Daily Mailin 2021: "I trialled at Chelsea and didn't get in. Something about me not being big enough, I've heard. But Arsenal found out and picked me up. They were flexible, too. They knew I lived far away and told me to come in when I could. Tottenham showed interest but I stood by Arsenal. They're my club."

10 John Terry, Manchester United

Reuters

Although Smith Rowe may have slipped through the club's fingers, Chelsea fans will be far more relieved that legend and former captain Terry made his name in West London when he had the opportunity to shine elsewhere. Indeed, as a 14-year-old, he very nearly ended up at Manchester United.

The defender's father actually urged him to join the Red Devils after undergoing a trial but a last-ditch offer from the Blues was enough to turn his head. In the end, Terry played 717 times for the Blues, winning the Champions League, Premier League, Europa League FA Cup, and the League Cup. So it's safe to say he made the right call.

11 Yaya Toure, Arsenal

Toure nearly joining Arsenal is one of the better-known stories from this list. With his brother Kolo already are star under Wenger, it's no shock that the Gunners had their eyes on the Ivorian midfielder as well. But a move just never came to pass.

Having just turned 20, Toure even featured in a pre-season friendly away to Conference side Barnet. However, he missed a sitter during the game – a close-range header – and Wenger went on to describe his overall display as “completely average". Any deal was actually scuppered by non-footballing matters, though, with the player initially not able to get a work permit, consequently signing for Ukrainian club Metalurh Donetsk instead.

12 Freddy Adu, Manchester United

For many, Adu is the ultimate wunderkind who never came good. He broke through with D.C. United in America aged just 14 and was immediately dubbed "the Next Pele". The hype was enough for United to hand him a trial all the way back in 2003 but, evidently, the attacker didn't impress Sir Alex enough to land a contract.

Adu told NJ bet (via Goal) earlier this year: "I was getting ready to go back to my place when Cristiano Ronaldo pulled up in his car next to me, and was just really, really nice and said 'Hey man! If you need anything let me know!' He offered to take me out to dinner, to show me around and just so that I knew I wasn't alone over there - that blew my mind! I had no idea that Cristiano was such a nice person and I became an instant Ronaldo fan in that moment - he couldn't have been any nicer."

13 Ronaldo, Flamengo

While so many names on this list are about club's not recognising the quality they had on their hands, Ronaldo's story of disappointment as a youngster is far more cruel than that. Even as a 13-year-old his talent was there to spot from a mile away, but it wasn't enough to seal a move to Flamengo.

As per the Washington Post, the Brazilian wanted to join the Rio de Janeiro club as his idol Zico had shone there in the 1980s, and was offered a trial with the junior team. He played enough to be invited back, but he could not afford the fare for the hour-long bus ride to the next day's practice and so this opportunity sadly slipped through his fingers. Ronaldo, of course, would not be derailed on his path to glory, as he later joined Cruzeiro before heading to Europe to star with the likes of PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and AC Milan while also winning the World Cup with Brazil.