Galatatasaray vs Arsenal: Wesley Sneijder has enjoyed a great career, but it could have been so much more

The midfielder had a €20m release clause that no club chose to activate over the summer

Jack Pitt-Brooke
Tuesday 09 December 2014 17:30 GMT
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Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder

It has been a fairly miserable campaign for Galatasaray so far. They have taken one point from their five games, scored three goals and dispensed with their second expensive Italian manager in a year.

Cesare Prandelli is gone - replaced by Hamza Hamzaoglu - and much of the lustre and prestige associated with one of Europe's biggest clubs has gone with him. Except in one man.

Wesley Sneijder is still here, pulling on that red and gold shirt every week. He was, just a few years ago, widely thought to be one of the finest midfielders in the world. He inspired Internazionale to their historic treble in 2010, and nearly drove the Netherlands to the World Cup that summer.

Yet since then Sneijder has done very little, wasting time at Inter - nearly joining Manchester United - and heading to Turkey nearly two years ago. Had any Premier League teams wanted him over the summer, he had a €20million release clause that no-one chose to activate.

Sneijder may cause Arsenal some problems tonight, but how much would it matter if he does? He is only 30, and has never relied on pace, and yet he already seems to be on the fringes of the top-level game. It has been a great career, but it could have been even more.

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