He was the next Zinedine Zidane and played a World Cup, and now he is a real estate agent

Many years ago, there was a player who emerged into first team and was very talented. He was an attacking midfielder and his passing, vision and technique made him a regular in France youth teams. He was predicted to be better than Zinedine Zidane, but his career stagnated and retired at only 32 years.

The highlight of his career when he got his first transfer to a top European side when he turned 20 and showed great performances in Ligue 1 at Rennes. He joined AC Milan, a team full of stars like Andrea Pirlo, Paolo Maldini, Gennaro Gattuso or Kaka, but he never settled and the injuries that ruined him appeared,

This player is Yoann Gourcuff. After two years in Milan, He got decent stints in Bordeaux and Lyon, playing the forgettable World Cup 2010 where France got out in the group stage. He returned to Rennes, but with the injuries he averaged just 16 matches a year. Then he was transferred to Dijon and in January 2019, after just six months, he finished his contract and career, to become a real estate agent.

There have been some rumours about a come back of Gourcuff, but that does not seem likely. His desire was to be a world class player but his dream and the expectations hit the bricks. His boyhood club, Rennes, is going through the best times of its history but he never could do anything to be there.