No one underrates him, he should of won the ballon d’or with the talent he has but he’s too lazy to apply himself in a proper league and he’s a bellend
Who is the most underrated footballer in modern history?
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
Mauro Silva was thought of by many as the best CM in La Liga during his career, but it's rare to see him mentioned alongside other historical CMs.
Benayoun. Was edging on world class for a couppe of years, a mainstay in an excellent Liverpool side. Pretty much forgotten nowadays.
Most of these players aren't actually underrated. It's just that the person who thinks they're underrated is guilty of somewhat overrating the player in question - or has failed to notice that many actually do rate him highly (enough).
Fabregas for me. In terms of being given credit for being one of the best creative passers and midfield generals of his generation. He played in a very average Arsenal side which had severe weaknesses so didn't get the trophies because he was let down by lesser teammates. All the same he managed to become an assist king while for the most part to the best strikers. His assist numbers were insane in his peak yet our strikers were very wasteful. Not only that but Arsenal getting to a CL final is largely because of a very young teenage Fabregas. He also owned Vieira when we played Juve
He moves to Barce and he's basically played out of position in his time there. He has Xavi and Iniesta blocking his pass and he's played on the wing or as a false 9 or in different positions that didn't suit. He's a 8 or 10 but those positions were occupied. All the same his end product was elite when he was there. If he moves to Real Madrid he plays in his favoured position feeding CR7 and gets way more plaudits because he's played to his strengths
He moves to Chelsea while because of his hamstring injuries he's past his physical best. Despite this he nearly sets a PL record for assists (think he hit 19) which helped them secure the PL. Absolute feck up by Wenger in not bringing him back.
He moves to Barce and he's basically played out of position in his time there. He has Xavi and Iniesta blocking his pass and he's played on the wing or as a false 9 or in different positions that didn't suit. He's a 8 or 10 but those positions were occupied. All the same his end product was elite when he was there. If he moves to Real Madrid he plays in his favoured position feeding CR7 and gets way more plaudits because he's played to his strengths
He moves to Chelsea while because of his hamstring injuries he's past his physical best. Despite this he nearly sets a PL record for assists (think he hit 19) which helped them secure the PL. Absolute feck up by Wenger in not bringing him back.
Quality player.
Loved him here.
I’m not directly comparing him to Xavi career-wise, just that, like Xavi, he was head and shoulders above everybody in his respective league.
Similar in that they both controlled games, a trait impossibly hard to find, one only the most gifted midfielders can implement.
Yep, lots of comparisons to be drawn. I think in the same way you can forgive Rooney's failure to consistently score 20+ because he was as much a playmaker as a striker, Drogba gets away with it because he was a brilliant target man, 'support striker' and general strike partner. There were always at least one or two other forwards in Chelsea's squad who were scoring a lot of goals because of Drogba, so his overall contribution was somewhat hidden.
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i could watch him pass the ball all day. I love Guti too I think he was very underrated.
Guti. Amazing player.
Le Tissier
Carrick
Benzema
Fred
Lingard
Carrick
Benzema
Fred
Lingard
Kroos. I've always felt he is better than Modric and up to 2018, most people thought that too.Then the world cup run that Modric had with Croatia changed that perception despite the fact Kroos was better in he league that year too.
Oh he was still a top player if not the most prolific striker. Unplayable on his day.
It’s remarkable how much his reputation has dipped compared to the late 2000s. I think it’s down to the same perception that afflicted Rooney - the early bloomer who gets their peak years in at the start, but we end up recalling the comparatively underwhelming closing chapter to their career. I imagine once the dust settles on their time as players they’ll gain a more favourable appreciation of just how compelling their peaks were.
The same thing is going to happen with Hazard with many people not realizing that he was a starter for Lille when he was 17 and close to be the best player in the league at 18-19 years old. Someone like Hazard has played an awful lot of games yet his career trajectory is judged as if he wasn't a genuine wonderkid.
Gylfi Siggurdson gets my vote for this. That second goal against Spurs...what a technique the guy has.Surely no-one at a European super power like Real Madrid for a decade like Benzema should be nominated in thread, that's ridiculous.
Much more likely to be a steady eddie premier league guy who has existed for years in the Premier league.
He was always that more skilled than you'd think type, but I suppose he did go for about 40m to Everton a few years back, so expectations rose.
Like I said earlier, I probably “agree” with you that I too, expected a little more from Carrick to be considered “world class” at that point, but he was a damn good player and I wouldn’t really use his England NT career to judge him or anyone else. I mean, they shifted Scholes out to the left and paired Gerrard/Lampard as CM partners at one point.
As for “deferring” to his superior teammate Scholes, I doubt many would argue that Scholes was world class (not United fans anyway - again suffering from the NT syndrome) but they played different roles and it’s a bit like saying “Busquets deferred to Xavi” who was much more superior. He was a valuable member of a team who reached 3 UCL finals in 5 or so years iirc.
Michael Essien - had repeated knee injures not done him in I'm more or less positive he'd be thought of as one of the 5 best midfielders in the history of the PL; he was on course prior to getting hurt if you ask me. Almost singularly able to dominate matches from midfield given his combination of ludicrous physicality and overlooked quality on the ball.
It all went wrong when he bought that knock off calculator from Dixon's.
the fact he’s not rated is because of the injuries though. So he’s not underrated as he ultimately didn’t have a great career. Doesn’t matter what his potential was. I agree if he didn’t get those injuries he could have had a phenomenal career. A player I really wished United had signed.
Makélélé
Albertini
Deschamps
Redondo
Navas
K. Schmeichel
Marquinhos
Giroud
Benzema
Albertini
Deschamps
Redondo
Navas
K. Schmeichel
Marquinhos
Giroud
Benzema
Yeah that's fair enough - suppose it depends on whether you're focused on a player being underrated from a peak vs. career standpoint! Seems like this thread is mostly trending towards the latter so I agree that Essien probably doesn't belong in the conversation on that basis.
I do not understand this reference but knowing you I'm sure it's spot on! Will always argue that he didn't give himself adequate time to recover and that compounded his injury issues - I recall him coming back for a big CL match against Valencia and playing 120 minutes at right back in his first game back from a knee strain. He also rushed back from two ACL tears to be back playing after 6 months or so - definitely unwise given what we know from modern sport science!
In some way Nicklas Bendtner - Bendtner was not underestimated by ... Bendtner himself, on the contrary. But because he behaved so immaturely, he has been underestimated and ridiculed by many. But he was actually pretty good when he was on top. He scored 24 goals for Arsenal and 30 for his national team. He had a good timing in front of goal. A monster in the air.
I always thought he was ruining his career because of immaturity. But that's not all. He has starred in a series following Bendtner and his girlfriend. And I actually think he's downright unintelligent. It is meant in all seriousness. He is obviously not retarded, but really, really "slow" (is my impression). But his football talent was far greater than his career.
I always thought he was ruining his career because of immaturity. But that's not all. He has starred in a series following Bendtner and his girlfriend. And I actually think he's downright unintelligent. It is meant in all seriousness. He is obviously not retarded, but really, really "slow" (is my impression). But his football talent was far greater than his career.
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Rui Costa - what a player, loved watching him play. Never see him really mentioned these days, one of the best number 10s of the last 30 years.
David Beckham
Valeron, Rui Costa, Rai, Djalminha
Won't forget his performance vs England at Euros in 2000. Took a Sunday stroll through that midfield.
Guess you can put in
Huntelaar
David Villa
Milner
Huntelaar
David Villa
Milner
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From our old , current or ex United players by United fans on here I say.
Van der Sar (not hold up as high for our defensive record as our other defenders and keepers)
Evans ( Did a great job to win many titles yet people wanted him gone)
Valencia (Looked down upon since he was no Ronaldo, but forgetting the great job he always did)
Jones (everyone calling him thrash after the injuries, but forgot the player he used to be and what he has done for us)
AWB (Playing regulary and doing a great job, but people want to replace him)
Lingard (talked down all the good he done for us after some poor years)
Lukaku (talked as a donkey even though we ended in second and reached Fa cup final during his first year and he scored a fair amount of goals)
Young (changed his role, but always have done a great job defensivly and got a nice cross in him. No Ronaldo though in terms of scoring goals so gets looked down upon just like Valencia)
Fellaini (Hated since Moyes brought him, but did a great job as a squad player and impact sub)
Lindelöf (always talked about as the problem even though he has mostly played well and is a very modern and useful defender.
Overrated players I say
Zlatan (for what he did for us he is overrated I think. We ended too low in the league and his Europe league impact is overrated since he got injured and missed the key rounds)
Vidic (compared to Rio and out other defenders he has been hyped too much)
De Gea (not anymore, but people used to call him best in the world)
Tuanzebe (hyped up to be first choice when not proven)
Bailly ( a bit harsh, but people want to start him over Lindelöf based on mainly hype from being injured)
Cavani (fantastic player like Zlatan, but have actually not done much for us)
Greenwood (Lots of hype, but his impact is not that great overall yet. People hype him up to be another world beater, but he has not proven to be one yet)
Van der Sar (not hold up as high for our defensive record as our other defenders and keepers)
Evans ( Did a great job to win many titles yet people wanted him gone)
Valencia (Looked down upon since he was no Ronaldo, but forgetting the great job he always did)
Jones (everyone calling him thrash after the injuries, but forgot the player he used to be and what he has done for us)
AWB (Playing regulary and doing a great job, but people want to replace him)
Lingard (talked down all the good he done for us after some poor years)
Lukaku (talked as a donkey even though we ended in second and reached Fa cup final during his first year and he scored a fair amount of goals)
Young (changed his role, but always have done a great job defensivly and got a nice cross in him. No Ronaldo though in terms of scoring goals so gets looked down upon just like Valencia)
Fellaini (Hated since Moyes brought him, but did a great job as a squad player and impact sub)
Lindelöf (always talked about as the problem even though he has mostly played well and is a very modern and useful defender.
Overrated players I say
Zlatan (for what he did for us he is overrated I think. We ended too low in the league and his Europe league impact is overrated since he got injured and missed the key rounds)
Vidic (compared to Rio and out other defenders he has been hyped too much)
De Gea (not anymore, but people used to call him best in the world)
Tuanzebe (hyped up to be first choice when not proven)
Bailly ( a bit harsh, but people want to start him over Lindelöf based on mainly hype from being injured)
Cavani (fantastic player like Zlatan, but have actually not done much for us)
Greenwood (Lots of hype, but his impact is not that great overall yet. People hype him up to be another world beater, but he has not proven to be one yet)
What the hell?
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Maybe you buy the hype too.
Not only did I buy the hype. I bet my apartment and placed my wife's life into the hands of the mafia.
Vidic and DDG are both fecking class. And then some.
Of course they are, but it was overhyped vs underhyped.
Just my opinion that Van der Sar got least credit for our sucess over the title years and Vidic most. Evra, Rio more fair amount of credit.
Also Evans little credit for when he played instead of Rio too.
With De Gea he was great for us, but terrible for Spain so saying he was best in the world over stars internationally seemed a bit crazy.
Neuer, Navas, Lloris won more big titles and performed very well for club and country for years.
Vidic has every right to be hyped the way he was and De Gea WAS the best gk in the world for a couple of years so technically those who said so were right (then).
You are proving my point. De Gea got hyped up like crazy, but in CL he failed for us and also for Spain. How is that best in the world for someone objective?
In LVGs first season he was very good and Real wanted him, but he still had clear flaws in his game.
I don't care who's hyped and who's not. Probably half of the players I value most are ridiculed on here. Have my own eyes to see and yes, he was the best. Actually at some points it wasn't even close, can't believe that anyone would disagree but hey.
Players no one mentioned yet
Tadic (because he never played for top clubs)
Dzeko (I don't think people realise how good his scoring record is, 50 or more goals scored in 3 different top level leagues)
Verratti (maybe it's me, but I think he's been one of the best midfielders in the last ten years and gets hardly mentioned as such)
Vidic (obviously not here, but outside of Man utd fans I think people don't rate him as high as they should)
Johan Micoud (do people even remember him nowadays?)
Lucio (Thiago Silva of his generation)
Tadic (because he never played for top clubs)
Dzeko (I don't think people realise how good his scoring record is, 50 or more goals scored in 3 different top level leagues)
Verratti (maybe it's me, but I think he's been one of the best midfielders in the last ten years and gets hardly mentioned as such)
Vidic (obviously not here, but outside of Man utd fans I think people don't rate him as high as they should)
Johan Micoud (do people even remember him nowadays?)
Lucio (Thiago Silva of his generation)