I can see the different points of view being discussed, but if you look at life and say that all talents in all the fields are given clear path/enough opportunities, then it's plain delusion. Life has never been like that. A lucky few get their chances to expose their talents. I'm not in the game like PoP is, but if you apply what you know about the world to football, then you'd think there'd be sufficient obstacles in front of you even if you've 'talent'.
Coaches maybe good in recognizing talents, but they're not Gods. To claim there are no lost talents at the top level in football is extremely reaching for me, and it's simplistic to conclude if you're talented enough, you'll make it. It works in some cases, it doesn't because there're plenty of obstacles to get to the top, there's going to be politics, there's going to be money - so there's going to be agents & clubs and negotiations, there's going to be influences, wrong advises, lack of opportunities and so on and on factors at play. Are these factors not in football? I don't know. I just see it to be a case by case individually. You got two talents, you'll have different coaches guessing who'd be the elite one at that age, but there's every chance that both of them will make it, or only one of them will make it, or neither will. Who knows? To say every coach will agree which of the two will make it or know to predict make it seem like they're Gods, and I know they are not. Apply that to 100s of players these coaches see and then someone claiming each & every one of the predictions that these coaches make are agreed between them and spot on about everybody at that age, just sounds insane and out of this world to me.
There're going to be lost talents in football and there have been plenty before. I'm very sure of it.