CHRIS DUNLAVY contemplates the star wars that resulted in players with silky skills crashing off the international radars

WE all remember the players who got the glory. There was Marco van Basten in 1988, demolishing England before scoring the volley that has become a gold standard.
There was Thomas Brolin in 1992, the cherubic assassin who dazzled in his native Sweden before an overdose of pasties put paid to his pace.
There was David Trezeguet’s golden goal for France in 2000, Michel Platini’s nine-goal haul in 1984 and the blossoming of David Villa in 2008.
All left with...