From Stars to Subs: World-class football talents relegated to the bench

Football's competitive nature demands players to perform consistently throughout the season, leaving players with a thin margin of error. Many world-class players struggle despite their talents, often relegating them to the bench.

This competitive nature is accentuated in top-flight teams, such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain, as these clubs have access to vast amounts of talent to fill their starting line-ups.

Mariano Diaz joined Real Madrid back in 2012 as a youngster, where he developed as a target forward. The Dominican striker gained a starting position at Real Madrid Castilla, where he began to show his "killer 9" DNA, scoring 62 goals in two seasons.

The Real Madrid youngster got promoted to the first team in 2016 and started versus Paris Saint-Germain during a preseason match. His La Liga debut was that same year versus Celta de Vigo.

Mariano Diaz scored his first goal with Real Madrid during the knockout stages of the 'Copa del Rey', scoring a hat-trick and one assist. A couple of weeks later he would go to on score a decisive goal during the Clasico to draw the game 1-1.

Nevertheless, the young striker was struggling to maintain a competitive rhythm in comparison to his teammates and was often benched. Real Madrid secured a buy-back transfer deal with Olympic de Lyon for $10mn. During his season at Lyon, Diaz would score 21 goals and 7 assists, ending the 4th highest goal score in Ligue 1.

His excellent form re-sparked Real Madrid's interest and eventually returned to the Bernabeu in the 2018-2019 season for $23mn. His re-debut was an absolute bang, scoring a goal versus Roma. He would also score another decisive goal at the Clasico, ending in a Real Madrid victory over long-time rivals FC Barcelona.

During the Covid-19 break, Mariano Diaz experienced a drop in form and was eventually relegated to the bench for long periods of time. Since 2020, he has only played in 37 games and scored two goals. Nevertheless, during his time in Madrid, he won two Champions Leagues, two European Cups, the league titles, and two Spanish Cups.

The Danish forward enjoyed three successful years in Bayern Munich and Fiorentina during 1990-1993, scoring a total of 24 goals and 19 assists. Brian Laudrup caught AC Milan's attention after his performances at Fiorentina, ending in $9mn loan deal in 1993.

The stage was set for success, however recurring injuries saw the Danish forward sit out for long periods of the season. Laudrup played a total of 705 minutes. Milan would go on to conquer the Scudetto alongside the Champions League and the Italian Cup.

After Laudrup's uneventful season with Milan in Italy, a free-agent transfer was arranged with Rangers FC for the following season where he would play until 1999.

The Brazilian defensive right back secured a move to FC Barcelona in 2014 from Sao Paulo for $5.5mn, signing a long-term contract. This a promising move for Douglas, an opportunity to shine amongst Europe's elites.

Upon his arrival to Spain, the local media began praising his talents, comparing him to Dani Alves. Nevertheless, Douglas was competing against Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto for a place in the starting eleven.

Douglas struggled for playing time in his new club but demanded more. Barcelona secured a loan with Real Sporting to further develop, however, Douglas was failing to meet expectations.

The Brazilian right-back played a total of 24 games in La Liga, scoring three goals. He won two La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, one Champions League title, and one European Supercup.

Barcelona loaned him out to Benfica and Sivasspor in hopes of regaining his form but failed to shine. Barcelona would finalize a deal with Besiktas in 2020, letting the player go as a free agent.

Brahim Diaz is considered to be one of Spain's top future talents. The young midfielder is enjoying a great spell of football at AC Milan while on loan from Real Madrid. He developed at Manchester City but was transferred to Real Madrid in 2018 for $20mn where he enjoyed very little football his first year.

The young Spanish midfielder was competing against Luka Modric and Toni Kross for a spot in the starting eleven, so Real Madrid secured a transfer with AC Milan with a buy-back option.

During the 2022 season at Milan, Brahim Diaz proved crucial for the team and contributed with goals and assists in big games to secure the Scudetto.

Brahim Diaz has won the Premier League, the Community Shield, La Liga, Spanish Supercup, and a Scudetto in Serie A. He has played a total of 34 games, scoring six goals and three assists.

Many believe he will return to Madrid for the 2023-24 season and earn his starting position now that Toni Kross and Luka Modric are entering the later stages of their careers.