West Ham’s academy is so prestigious it’s often referred to as ‘The Academy of Football’, or even more eclectically, simply ‘The Academy’.
Indeed, it’s produced some of the finest talents to ever grace the England national team, ranging from 1966 World Cup-winning skipper Bobby Moore to the stunning cohort of the early 2000s, including the likes of Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand to name a few.
Unfortunately, however, not every budding youngster to grace the pitch at Upton Park has proved equally successful – in fact, quite the opposite.
So in homage to those who failed to make the grade in East London, This Is Futbol have searched the darkest corners of the internet to find the FIVE Hammers prodigies who flopped the most spectacularly – with a quick update on what they’re up to now.
Some are academy products, others are imports. But all failed to live up to their billing in rather emphatic – and often hilarious – fashion.