Overrated Players

[General_Elegancia]

Paul Pogba- He's considered as a top talent for, sure, if we consider only someone talent. But the coin always has two sides, outside of his talent this guy is a pretty inconsistent performer. He can be world-class on some days but also can be considered unplayable in a lot of matches too. He also has a lot of problems due to his shitty attitude and sometimes not focusing enough on football. He has also struggled with injuries during the past 3 years. His career would be a lot better base on his potential and talent , if he focuses enough on football.

Adriano- Maybe a bit long time, since his peak was almost 20 years already, but yeah I think even when he hit his peak he should be mentioned on this thread. He may be a well-rounded and versatile striker with great technical skills and athleticism but he was a never-consistent performer even in his Parma and Inter Milan days. His work rate, fitness and mentality, and attitude were never top-notch for the footballers. And even considering his talent, I never quite rate him on the tier of Ronaldo R9. He was clearly inferior and not in the class of young R9 for sure.

Sergio Ramos- A controversial and weird case. Ramos could be considered overrated and underrated at the same time. He's undoubtedly one of the best defenders, if not the best defenders of the 2010s generation and I rate him and respect him pretty high too. But if someone says Ramos is the best defender in the history of football, then you could say that he's pretty overrated. Anyway, his longevity is exceptional and he's one of the important pieces of Real Madrid success in the last 10 years( no one doubt it).

 

[JSArsenal]

Another one for the pile that I don't think has been mentioned yet.

Mertesacker. Slow, pondering and because he could "read the game well" gets a pass from fans despite how long he held the team back. Put a proper defender next to Koscielny and that team may have achieved something. Per's one of many of the "good but not good enough" club that were beloved by fans but in reality were an albatross around the team's neck.

 

[abundance]

Can't agree on Ronaldinho but I am with you on Zlatan. Again, when did he ever play at the very highest level? There was that one season at Barcelona where he failed. Other than that, he played most his career in a relatively weak Serie A and Ligue 1. He never had a top performance in the latter decisive rounds of the CL and never been an essential part in a main contender. It feels unfair to count him in the same category as those who did.

Serie A was still a top notch league in his time there.
He played there from 2004 to 2012;
Juve, Milan and Inter together played 5 CL finals and 3 semis from 2003 to 2010.

 

[WeePat]

Scholes? I’d actually agree he’s a bit overrated on this forum.

Not just on this forum. In the media too.

 

[poleglass red]

There is another United player I think this applies to as well but I do not want to get in trouble with the locals

Just one, there are plenty I could rattle of....
I think people, myself included, look back on some players from the past and elevate them, due to the pure and utter crap, we've seen in recent seasons, human nature I guess.

 

[TheReligion]

Scholes overrated?

Bloody hell. If anything It’s quite the opposite

 

[thekman]

It's a weird one because lots of players can have their flaws minimised by being in the right system, Gerrard for example had world class impact next to Alonso, Pogba has world class impact if he has a reliable defensive midfielder covering his tracks. John Terry was a great leader and a very clever player but he also had his lack of mobility covered by both Ferdinand and Carvalho. He was not the same for club or country when he had to play without them.

True world class players however can be plugged into any system. You'd never have to worry about how Matthaus or Keane or Benzema would fit into your system. They'd read the game and adjust to how they needed to have impact.

 

[Tallis]

Agree with:

- Drogba (very good for few seasons but he seems to be remembered now as a Ronaldinho level impact player)

- Tevez (was good but nothing more - a little underwhelming as a goal scorer)

- Lampard - was great at shooting but don’t think all around play was as good as other top midfielders. Just scored so many that’s difficult to disregard him.

Disagree with:

1. Modric - insane player who is not flashy as some compatriots and tends to get overlooked.

2.Viera - ahead of his time. Would love to see him in our current midfield.

3. Scholes - if anything he is a little under appreciated outside England.

4. Bale - as good as Ronaldo in his prime years.

 

[Welbeckham]

United edition:

Patrice Evra and David De Gea are the most overrated United players.

I already hoped in 2015 that De Gea’s Real move would have gone through. I don’t think they’d have won half of those trophies the following years if they signed De Gea in 2015, he’s always been limited, and mentally and physically soft.

Evra was good for three seasons and still not the best in his position in the league. He had good technique but he was never as good as top FBs defensively or offensively. He was a liability between 2011-2014, always carelessly jogging out of position and incapable of putting in a decent cross. I was disappointed that we only signed Alex Büttner instead of some serious competition for Evra. Evra’s fitness and superior team-mates are the only things he has over Luke Shaw.


Others:

Memphis

One of those players who has much bigger ego than ability. Pales miserably in comparison with all the Dutch attackers of previous generation.

Zlatan

Great player, but his peak was not close to Henry or Suarez, let alone Messi or Ronaldo. His god complex media persona has boosted his reputation.

Victor Valdes

Barcelona could have won even more with a better goalkeeper.

Berbatov

Very cool footballer, but our attack was never as fluid and dynamic after him, his signing was a big mistake that kind of started the decline of our football with many other things (especially lack of young, ambitious signings).

 

[Blackwidow]

He was by no means a bad player or anything like this. But his peak was relatively short and throughout huge parts of his career, he simply wasn't that great. I think he gets overrated due to his physical style. But I also admit that he was played out of position for many years.

Personally, I rate Lahm as the best full back I have ever seen. He is generally very highly regarded, even though I guess I rate him a bit higher than most people would. One of my all time favorite players.

He had a real great balance between offensive and defensive play - and a very good tactical understanding and passing range. (But he was lucky not to play anymore in the recent 5 seasons as the most important attribute right now for full backs seems to be pace - and seeing Davies I understand.) The shiny fullbacks are more the type that were a defensive liability but had a very good offensive contribution.

 

[tjb]

Agree with:

- Drogba (very good for few seasons but he seems to be remembered now as a Ronaldinho level impact player)

- Tevez (was good but nothing more - a little underwhelming as a goal scorer)

- Lampard - was great at shooting but don’t think all around play was as good as other top midfielders. Just scored so many that’s difficult to disregard him.

Disagree with:

1. Modric - insane player who is not flashy as some compatriots and tends to get overlooked.

2.Viera - ahead of his time. Would love to see him in our current midfield.

3. Scholes - if anything he is a little under appreciated outside England.

4. Bale - as good as Ronaldo in his prime years.

I actually think Bale is very overrated. I don't think he was anywhere near Ronaldo during his prime years and was pretty much covered by him. People always assumed Benzema was the weakest of the three, but when actually watching the game, it was obviously Bale.
I do think that Madrid did not use him appropriately, I always felt that his best position was on the left flank. I think coming in from the right did not really suit his game which heavily depended on pace and power.
People were comparing him to Neymar when he arrived and due to many not really watching La Liga regularly, they assumed he was a much better performer for Madrid than he was.
He was benched for the likes of Isco and Asensio for a reason. It wasn't simply as a result of an aging Ronaldo, but the fact that Bale was not effective enough on his flank to deserve a consistent place in the first xi.

His time at Spurs was even more overrated. Modric was always the better player, yet it was Bale who won the 2011 PFA award as a result of him outrunning an aging Maicon in the Champions League. Nani, Vidic, Tevez and even Scot Parker were more deserving of the award in 2011.
He was also a beneficiary of a Spurs side that did not yet have the quality that they would have in later years. Like Grealish at Villa, it meant the whole team was centered around him. Yet even with that, I don't believe he had a better season in 12/13 than either RVP or Suarez. But again, heavy British bias mixed with a strong dislike of Suarez led to him winning it the second time.

For me, Kane is actually a better player than Bale. I always felt that it was a case of the press seeing how strong his physical attributes are and realizing they had never seen a British player like him, pretty much jumped the gun in anointing him the next big thing. Having a similar body type, pace and power to Ronaldo, yet not actually having the actual skills that make Ronaldo really stand out. Hearing people talk about him really annoyed me back in the day. It felt like people didn't actually understand the off the ball movement, anticipation, two footedness, finishing and sheer will it took to be Ronaldo.

 

[Forest Red]

James Maddison - a sulky bluffer - who waves his arms around and falls over.

 

[paraguayo]

Adriano- . considering his talent, I never quite rate him on the tier of Ronaldo R9. He was clearly inferior and not in the class of young R9 for sure.

But who the hell rates him in the tier of R9??

 

[Stacks]

To answer off the top of my head:

Van Dijk: nowhere near as good as he's made out to be

Xavi: I'll get stick for this, but he's seen by many as a GOAT midfield contender. I think he was excellent but not to that degree.

Lahm: Again, very good player. But hyped up to ludicrous levels- there are plenty of people who put him above Dani Alves which is ridiculous imo.

How you pick the best CM of all time saying this nonsense.?

 

[kaiser1]

What a kind of logic is that?. If he scored a 2 yard tap in but lost the ball every time he got after the goal, does that mean he still had a good game just because he scored?.

The winning goal for the 2002 world cup by Ronaldo was a tap in after a Kahn spill. Tap ins require the player to anticipate and be there to tap in

 

[mshnsh]

Zidane is overrated. His recognition is based on a few big games that's it. He was never consistent. I'd say Iniesta in his prime was better but never gets mentioned amongst the greats whereas Zidane's name rolls off the tongue of most people.

 

[tjb]

Zidane is overrated. His recognition is based on a few big games that's it. He was never consistent. I'd say Iniesta in his prime was better but never gets mentioned amongst the greats whereas Zidane's name rolls off the tongue of most people.

I actually think the opposite.
Think Zidane is fairly rated, he was a superstar and was at one point the best player in the world.
I think Iniesta is slightly overrated. I think Xavi was the star midfielder. Xavi was fantastic prior to Pep's arrival, whilst Iniesta was on the fringes. I believe that being able to play off of Xavi led to Iniesta being regarded as being better than he actually was.
If Iniesta played for most other teams, I don't think he would be as recognized as he currently is. His game relies too heavily on factors that not every team has. Where Xavi creates the setting, I feel that Iniesta requires the setting to perform. I don't think you can ever make that statement about Zidane.

 

[thekman]

Absolutely!

The hype around him at one point was laughable.

He fully deserved the hype given how his play essentially made Leicester's pretty average centre backs look borderline world class with his protection. He was Man of the Match in the Champions League for two semi final legs and a final, an astonishingly hard feat for someone to achieve whose not an out and out scorer. His workrate and anticipation for the ball stood out so much that he was given a nickname based on it appearing like there were two of him. He might not be that player as consistently anymore but the hype was 100% justified, he was undoubtedly the real deal.

 

[MexicanCowboy]

Of the current ones I'll go with Jack Grealish. Ever? Pelé IMHO. Most of his goals were in friendlies and he won the world cups with the best side at the time even without him. Those Brazil's national teams were insane

 

[Forest Red]

Of the current ones I'll go with Jack Grealish. Ever? Pelé IMHO. Most of his goals were in friendlies and he won the world cups with the best side at the time even without him. Those Brazil's national teams were insane

But he single handedly (literally) won Escape to Victory. Surely Michael Cain is the most overrated footy player ever?

 

[SirReginald]

Agree with:

- Drogba (very good for few seasons but he seems to be remembered now as a Ronaldinho level impact player)

- Tevez (was good but nothing more - a little underwhelming as a goal scorer)

- Lampard - was great at shooting but don’t think all around play was as good as other top midfielders. Just scored so many that’s difficult to disregard him.

Disagree with:

1. Modric - insane player who is not flashy as some compatriots and tends to get overlooked.

2.Viera - ahead of his time. Would love to see him in our current midfield.

3. Scholes - if anything he is a little under appreciated outside England.

4. Bale - as good as Ronaldo in his prime years.

I don’t think you watch Lampard or Drogba that much to consider them over rated.
For instance, name a player that’s been able to physically dominate 2 CBs at the same time in the past 30 years besides Drogba. You’ll struggle to find one.

Lampard I can’t be bothered to debate but what I will say is that since many fans rated Gerrard and Scholes higher I’d argue that you could only consider Lampard overrated by purely Chelsea fans. So again he isn’t over rated.

Tevez was actually better for United in the same period he was at the club than Rooney. There I said it. Wouldn’t say he is over rated though. Most people think of him as a good player and nothing more.

 

[Toshey]

Most of you are heavily overrating your ability to comment on footballers.
Better cease your attempts, it’s getting embarrassing.
This thread is heading in “no footballer ever was actually great” territory

 

[Theonas]

Serie A was still a top notch league in his time there.
He played there from 2004 to 2012;
Juve, Milan and Inter together played 5 CL finals and 3 semis from 2003 to 2010.

He still did not transfer that form or help his teams get to CL semi finals and finals. It got to the point where he needed to move to Barcelona to have a slice at the big cake only for it not to work out and he goes back to Inter. It just seems unfair to put players like that in the same category of the likes of Lewandowski, Henry or Suarez for example, players who performed at the very biggest stage and been essential parts in winning the biggest and most competitive trophies. The Serie A might have produced finalists but the league itself was not very competitive. There was the Juventus scandal those years. Milan were basically resting their team since April if you remember to focus on the CL, something we were directly affected by in 2007. And Inter had that magical year where they defied the odds and had the best season in their history. That doesn't mean that there was any point in time where Italian clashes were of the same caliber as the Spanish ones from 2010 to 2016 or the English ones in the late '00s or currently. The last period of overall Italian dominance was in the '90s.

 

[Red the Bear]

He was by no means a bad player or anything like this. But his peak was relatively short and throughout huge parts of his career, he simply wasn't that great. I think he gets overrated due to his physical style. But I also admit that he was played out of position for many years.

Personally, I rate Lahm as the best full back I have ever seen. He is generally very highly regarded, even though I guess I rate him a bit higher than most people would. One of my all time favorite players.

That's a fair assessment, he was truly a great player, you lot were lucky to have him.

Think your a bit harsh on shewinsteiger , as you said yourself played out of position and when not so he was easily one of the best around.

I don't think they were comparable peak for peak. I think the only peak that matches Henry in the league is Suarez 13/14.
Drogba was an insanely great player and I do think he's comparable to Aguero and Rooney.
However when you have a player that for a few years was legitimately considered the best player in the world by many giving your some of the best seasons we have ever seen in the league for 5 consecutive seasons ( with his down years being comparable to most top strikers best years), then we're talking different level here. Even Shearer doesn't get in that top tier of forwards ( Henry, Ronaldo, Cantona and Suarez).

Here's the thing though I think Henry actually gets a bit over rated at times, don't get me wrong he was a force of nature but his big game record was patchy and to be honest aside from that Madrid goal in the CL I think he did feck all on the Continental stage.

He also massively benefited from a team that was basically built around him while Chelsea straight up played with contempt toward the offensive part of the game at times.

I still rate henery ahead but I think it's not that unfair to say Drogba 2009 season is up there with the best pl season out there and I believe the gap between Drogba and Henry isn't as big as you make it out to be.

 

[led_scholes]

Verrati
Raul
Evra: on this forum.
Valencia: for 6 years he was unable to cross or do something usuful in attack. The last good attacking run in a game was in 2012 against Liverpool. After that he was painfully average.
Totti: Great player but I don't think he was world class for a big period.

 

[TenonTen]

Zidane is overrated. His recognition is based on a few big games that's it. He was never consistent. I'd say Iniesta in his prime was better but never gets mentioned amongst the greats whereas Zidane's name rolls off the tongue of most people.

No, Iniesta is the one overrated. Never the main guy, always the sidekick. Xavi was the one who ran games. Zidane was talismanic and had a star quality Iniesta never possessed.

 

[tjb]

That's a fair assessment, he was truly a great player, you lot were lucky to have him.

Think your a bit harsh on shewinsteiger , as you said yourself played out of position and when not so he was easily one of the best around.

Here's the thing though I think Henry actually gets a bit over rated at times, don't get me wrong he was a force of nature but his big game record was patchy and to be honest aside from that Madrid goal in the CL I think he did feck all on the Continental stage.

He also massively benefited from a team that was basically built around him while Chelsea straight up played with contempt toward the offensive part of the game at times.

I still rate henery ahead but I think it's not that unfair to say Drogba 2009 season is up there with the best pl season out there and I believe the gap between Drogba and Henry isn't as big as you make it out to be.

Henry was essentially Mbappe with Pogba's strength and technique. He had everything you would want in a forward, he was a good finisher, creative, lightening quick, had great balance and had so much flair. In his time, he was far and away the best player in the league....in a league that included some of the greatest premier league players in history. Arsenal as a team did not do too well in Europe, partially due to Wenger's lack of adaptability. However, he was very good at the 98 world cup, Euro 2000 and 2006 World Cup; not at his best, but very good. I see where you are coming from in terms of the pace of the team and exploiting the counter attack, but I feel at the time, he could also have done it in the Italian League. Imagine him in AC Milan's 4312, having the entire left hand side to himself. He would have absolutely destroyed teams there too. Would he have been great in La Liga, maybe not as good as he was in the Premier League due to not getting the opportunity to use his pace as much as he would have liked, but he had so many other skills that he would still have been world class.

Drogba spent the 2004 to 2006 period of his Chelsea career competing with Gudjohnson and Crespo for the starting role. He wasn't the superstar that Lampard was in that iteration of the team. He only became the Drogba we remember from the 2006-2007 campaign. He was very good that season, but I would argue that Eto'o, Torres, Rooney and Villa were better strikers than him at that time. He then struggled with injuries and adapting to different managers ( which isn't a great sign for versatility) before becoming an absolute weapon under Ancelotti. However, that form was for only 1.5 seasons. Eto'o and Rooney both had better overall careers than him. I would place him and Ibrahimovic around the same level. He get's slightly overrated as a result of being the key figure in Chelsea's best moments. He's one of their 3 greatest players, for a fanbase that grew rapidly in the period he was at the club. Henry literally had a 24 goal 20 assist season. That is ridiculous. That is not even the best Premier League season he had.

 

[Quagmire Maguire]

Rice
Foden
Rashford

 

[KirkDuyt]

I once made a thread saying Totti was overrated. Haven't been booed of stage that loudly since my high school play.

If you pay 96 million for Antony, he's overrated.

 

[P-Ro]

Veratti is overrated and Kovacic is underrated. They are essentially the same player. If you did a Veratti to Chelsea and Kovacic to PSG swap no one would notice any difference.

 

[Gringo]

Agree on the Ruben Dias shouts. He's a handsome bastard I'll give him that which might make him look better than he really is. That Germany game in the Euro's really put a light on him on how lost he can look. Next to Pepe he looks like a little boy.

I'm flabbergasted at the Kante mentions. I don't know the stats but he must have the highest turn over percentage of any player. The way he reads the game and can nick the ball off an opposing midfielder and start an attack is a joke, I've never seen a player like him. No one is saying he's technically brilliant. But he's so good you can play a midfield 2 vs a 3 and have an extra forward instead of a midfielder. He's a cheat code.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Rice
Foden
Rashford

Madness. Start watching him properly.

 

[tentan]

Zidane - Inconsistent perhaps? Shouldve help Madrid dominate world football but didn't.

 

[Dominos]

Scholes overrated?

Bloody hell. If anything It’s quite the opposite

I don't think he's overrated but to be fair, every time I've ever heard Scholes discussed it's for everyone to point out how underrated he is. It gets to the point where you wonder who it is that's meant to be underrating him.

To me Lampard, Gerrard and Scholes achievements got eclipsed by their European counterparts - Xavi, Iniesta, Modric and Pirlo. These players had standout international tournaments, and some were controlling games at Champions League level that their English counterparts never really did. Anyone placing Scholes above his European counterparts is probably overrating him.

I do think however that Scholes probably had more potential in him if he'd played in the right type of a team. A tactically astute possession based technical team would have suited him to a tee, I know they're different eras but a prime Paul Scholes in a Pep team would have been a sight to behold. Scholes spent a lot more time in a more gung-ho counter attacking team, playing in a 2 man midfield and by the time we became more tactically astute in Europe he was well into his 30s.

 

[Red the Bear]

I don't think he's overrated but to be fair, every time I've ever heard Scholes discussed it's for everyone to point out how underrated he is. It gets to the point where you wonder who it is that's meant to be underrating him.

To me Lampard, Gerrard and Scholes achievements got eclipsed by their European counterparts - Xavi, Iniesta, Modric and Pirlo. These players had standout international tournaments, and some were controlling games at Champions League level that their English counterparts never really did. Anyone placing Scholes above his European counterparts is probably overrating him.

I do think however that Scholes probably had more potential in him if he'd played in the right type of a team. A tactically astute possession based technical team would have suited him to a tee, I know they're different eras but a prime Paul Scholes in a Pep team would have been a sight to behold. Scholes spent a lot more time in a more gung-ho counter attacking team, playing in a 2 man midfield and by the time we became more tactically astute in Europe he was well into his 30s.

I think bashing him over for the lack of European trophies compared to the others is a bit harsh he still won 2 and let's be honest we got incredibly unlucky here and there.

He was great in the league for many years and that should count, in fact he was more consistent there compared to someone like xavi who was really hit and miss before finding his feet with the arrival of pep.

 

[Dominos]

I think bashing him over for the lack of European trophies compared to the others is a bit harsh he still won 2 and let's be honest we got incredibly unlucky here and there.

He was great in the league for many years and that should count, in fact he was more consistent there compared to someone like xavi who was really hit and miss before finding his feet with the arrival of pep.

It wasn't lack of European trophies, 2 Champions Leagues is not be sniffed at. I just think some others achieved a greater peak at that level when it came to dominance and consistency.

 

[NoPace]

I do think however that Scholes probably had more potential in him if he'd played in the right type of a team. A tactically astute possession based technical team would have suited him to a tee, I know they're different eras but a prime Paul Scholes in a Pep team would have been a sight to behold. Scholes spent a lot more time in a more gung-ho counter attacking team, playing in a 2 man midfield and by the time we became more tactically astute in Europe he was well into his 30s.

I think Gundogan is a similar player just not quite the same passer or long shooter and a bit better of a ball carrier. So yeah, considering Gundogan is so good he keeps Bernardo Silva out of the team you’re probably talking about City’s 3rd or 4th best player after KDB and fighting with Dias, Cancelo and Haaland in their group of first choice whenever healthy options who aren’t really challenged for their place (it is possible Haaland might be a bench option in a big game to play with a false 9 but if he scores 40 goals in all competitions then I wouldn’t really hold that against him).

 

[NoPace]

Verrati
Raul
Evra: on this forum.
Valencia: for 6 years he was unable to cross or do something usuful in attack. The last good attacking run in a game was in 2012 against Liverpool. After that he was painfully average.
Totti: Great player but I don't think he was world class for a big period.

Raul is a tough one because he would be an awkward fit on most teams now that most everyone plays one up top. Would he have become an attacking midfielder or just play as a wide forward off the right in the half space? Or as a 9 who drops deep a ton?

 

[General_Elegancia]

.

But who the hell rates him in the tier of R9??

During that time, they had a lot of people who rated him as Ronaldo's successor or that he could be as great as R9. Tbh, I never rated him quite highly even when he was in Parma or Inter days.

 

[El__Jingo]

Bale over rated

absolutely outstanding for his country, Led us to a Euro Semi final aswell as our first WC , won countless champions leagues.. and that season he had for spurs he was absolutely outstanding. other than ronaldo hes probably the best winger the prem has seen . Absolutely baffling for anyone who thinks hes over rated.