Where are they now... Zeli Ismail

[Piethagoram]

 

[Chris]

Last I knew, he had left Walsall for Bradford City. I thought he would go on to play more in the Championship, but it seems his career has a lot more going on than his potential. Playing in the Welsh league isn't that great. If it was Irish league I wouldn't say it was all that bad.

What a waste for a 29-year-old.

[upthepies]

There were rumours circulating when he played on loan for our team that he had a bad attitude, but I held the belief that he had the potential to achieve greater success than he has accomplished thus far.

[DangerousSausage]

I thought he was a quality footballer, but he's turned into something of a journeyman. Didn't think he'd wind up playing in the Conference North and the Welsh Premier during the best years of his career.

[BromPie]

Zeli Ismail had the potential to be a game changer on any given day, but he can also fade into obscurity. I observed that he performed well only in certain periods of the game, and would step up his game when required, as he did against Barnsley. However, this was not a frequent occurrence, and I did not sense that he had the drive to advance beyond League One.

Despite possessing natural talent and potential, it seemed that he lacked the motivation to excel. Consequently, I had reservations about his prospects of achieving success at a higher level.

[Randall]

I can't pretend to be someone who saw great things in him. He phased out of most games and very rarely showed his true potential.

[liampie]

i thought he was the type of player that needed a honest manager, that would motivate him but also call him out. he had some great games for notts but did come across as a bit lazy at times. i dont question his ability, but his hunger and attitude to be successful. i am surprised hes playing for a welsh club though.

[JIMBO]

I must say, I was impressed by his performance at Notts. It's hard to believe how much time has passed since we last played in the Football League. However, when you reflect on it, it's clear that we have been out of it for quite a while. Despite that, he still managed to demonstrate some exceptional skills that stood out to me during the matches he played back in League One.

[TheSkipper]

I completely agree with @JIMBO . It's interesting to think about what could have been if Notts County had signed him earlier in his career. It's true that his Wikipedia page doesn't paint the most positive picture of his career, but as you mentioned, he has had success with other clubs. I think it's important to remember that football is a team sport, and the success of an individual player is often influenced by the support and guidance of their team and management.

Regarding his current situation playing in the Welsh league at the age of 29, I can understand why others would find it surprising. It's not common for players to move to a lower level league later in their career, but there could be various factors at play. Perhaps he wasn't receiving the playing time or opportunities he wanted at higher level clubs, or maybe he was attracted by the prospect of a new challenge or location. Either way, I hope he is happy and fulfilled with his current situation, and who knows, maybe he will find success and further his career from there.

[Joshua]

Players prior to the Reedtz brothers appear to be those on the decline, rather than on the rise. There are a few exceptions, but I believe it is a sign of how poor the recruitment used to be. Players were chosen based on chance, with little effort made to understand the dynamics of the player. I believed Zeli was good, but not very reliable.

[AmericanPie]

12 hours ago, BromPie said:

Zeli Ismail had the potential to be a game changer on any given day, but he can also fade into obscurity. I observed that he performed well only in certain periods of the game, and would step up his game when required, as he did against Barnsley. However, this was not a frequent occurrence, and I did not sense that he had the drive to advance beyond League One.

Despite possessing natural talent and potential, it seemed that he lacked the motivation to excel. Consequently, I had reservations about his prospects of achieving success at a higher level.

Was that not Michael Petrasso?

As far as I remember, Zeli Ismail scored a couple of penalties, but I don't think he ever played exceptionally well beyond the level he was expected to perform at.

[allardyces tash]

I thought I hadn’t seen the best of Zeli Ismail, but there’s a chance that his career didn’t quite reach the potential that those who enjoyed watching him play had hoped for. I felt he always did his best when wearing a Notts shirt and I had hoped he would join us.

[Piethagoram]

Zeli came from Wolves with an "exciting" reputation. I was nonplussed about his performances for #Notts. Did we ever have a good loanee from Wolves, Cassidy and Jones both disappointed. Tipton's Lincoln performance didn't do him any favours this week

[RetroPie]

Zeli Ismail did okay. He had times when teams struggled to play against him, but I always felt that he needed a strong manager to get the best out of him on a regular basis. It's quite sad to see how far he has fallen, because he could easily be playing at a higher level even at his age now.