A football debut is supposed to be the start of something special. But for some of the game’s biggest names, their first appearances were memorable for all the wrong reasons.

🇳🇬 Here's What Happened

From red cards and costly mistakes to humiliating substitutions, here are 14 of the most disastrous debuts in football history as reported by Planet Football on Monday.

It is difficult to associate Lionel Messi with failure, but his Argentina debut was anything but perfect.

Messi came off the bench against Hungary in August 2005, only to be sent off just two minutes later after an altercation with defender, Vilmos Vanczak.

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The teenage forward was reportedly left in tears in the dressing room. Thankfully, it was hardly a sign of things to come. Messi would go on to become Argentina’s all-time great and eventually captain them to World Cup glory.

Rio Ferdinand arrived at Leeds United in 2000 as the world’s most expensive defender, so expectations were enormous.

His debut against Leicester City could hardly have been worse. Leeds conceded three goals in the opening 28 minutes, with Robbie Savage, Ade Akinbiyi and Gerry Taggart all finding the net.

Ferdinand’s career would eventually take him to Manchester United, where he became one of the greatest defenders of his generation. But his Leeds debut was a painful introduction.

Jonathan Woodgate’s Real Madrid debut remains one of football’s most infamous.

After a lengthy injury absence, the English defender finally made his first appearance for the Spanish giants against Athletic Bilbao. He scored an own goal before being sent off later in the match.

📰 Source: Punch Nigeria