Your most overrated footballer

[Sandikan]

Agree without doubt. I also could never see the hype around Fabregas and Mikel. Thought they were average.

Surely there was never any hype around Mikel?! He was the absolute embodiment of average for a premier league player.

The young Fabregas for Arsenal was quality though. Popped up with a lot of goals and assists.

My old boss had a son who was best friends with Jack Collinson of West Ham, and he loved telling a yarn of how he was at his house the evening of playing Arsenal, absolutely knackered having "Not got anywhere near" Fabregas. One 3rd or 4th hand story, but not often you even have that from people you know!

 

[dalriada]

Your post was good until the last paragraph.

I don't doubt Pogba's talents as a footballer, and we don't know enough about his injury to say he's just stringing it out to avoid playing (which is what some people have implied), but the Mourinho time left us with expensive players who we seem to talk about for what they haven't done rather than what they contribute to the team. Subtract one from the other and you have an overrated player.

That doesn't mean Pogba isn't a better player than Anderson, just that you can be forgiven for overrating the latter at the start of his career because there were factors you couldn't predict. Pogba continues to be touted as a top player, but at Utd we have seen meagre evidence of it.

As far as Januzaj goes, he has wasted valuable years but he looks as if he's not going the way of Anderson and the talent is still clearly there.

 

[Mettaur]

1) Reina - I thought he was on par with Casillas and was angry that the Spain set-up preferred the latter.

2) Mata - I thought this guy will be good enough to help Moyes's Man Utd team to top 4.

3) Muller - I thought this guy will become one of the best players in the world after the 2010 World Cup.

 

[Gio]

I find the Riquelme hype a little puzzling, surely he should have done better for Barca if he was that good.

Right player, wrong time. As in he was the antithesis of a Van Gaal #10 who wanted a completely different type of profile in that position (see the pacey, hard-working and selfless Litmanen). That was the season Van Gaal crashed and burned, pushing Barcelona down towards the relegation zone, and making a right arse of it in all departments. Riquelme played half the season out on the wing - probably the last player who should be used out wide - and it was no surprise it didn't work out. A couple of years later at Villarreal I think he showed how good he was, bossing the league and Europe, almost winning the Champions League with a relatively small side, then oozing class for Argentina especially at the 2006 World Cup. But he needed to be the hub of the team, he was never going to fit in as a side-kick or adapt to a system manager like Van Gaal.

 

[Vooon]

Right player, wrong time. As in he was the antithesis of a Van Gaal #10 who wanted a completely different type of profile in that position (see the pacey, hard-working and selfless Litmanen). That was the season Van Gaal crashed and burned, pushing Barcelona down towards the relegation zone, and making a right arse of it in all departments. Riquelme played half the season out on the wing - probably the last player who should be used out wide - and it was no surprise it didn't work out. A couple of years later at Villarreal I think he showed how good he was, bossing the league and Europe, almost winning the Champions League with a relatively small side, then oozing class for Argentina especially at the 2006 World Cup. But he needed to be the hub of the team, he was never going to fit in as a side-kick or adapt to a system manager like Van Gaal.

Aha, that was enlightening. I've never understood him. Thanks!

 

[ValenciasDrilledCrosses]

Lewandowski. Let me preface this by saying he's currently the best striker in the world and has been in and around the top 5 for a long time. I and a lot of people I knew thought he was the 'perfect striker' when he was banging them in for fun at Dortmund and early on at Bayern. But honestly I think he gets found out in big games for not having that 'x-factor' and that ability to create goals for himself out of nothing against good opposition. As much as I dislike him, prime Suarez is far ahead in my eyes. Lewa has been insanely disappointing in the CL for Bayern the past few years, absolutely invisible sometimes. I don't care about hattricks against Dusseldorf when he can hardly get a touch against Liverpool.

I'll pick on another Bayern player, sorry to all the Bayern fans on here. I think Thiago is an absolutely gorgeous player and probably continue to overrate him. Over the past few years I can't get out of my head the idea that he's one of the best midfielders in world football because of some of his CL performances but noone I talk to seems to share that opinion. Maybe I'm crazy but the way he turns and moves on the ball out of pressure makes me melt without fail.

 

[TsuWave]

Hazard

maybe a bit harsh, but I always felt like Hazard was the most inconsistent supposed top player around

 

[Lay]

Seems people have two interpretations of what the OP said making this a weird thread. No one seems to have noticed though

 

[Klopper76]

Interesting seeing TAA pop up so much. I'd argue he's done incredibly well considering how few academy products actually make it at the top clubs in England nowadays.

 

[manutddjw]

In my opinion FIFA changed the way a new generation of fans view football where as long as you are perceived to have pace you’re automatically a good player because a good lobbed through ball to a pacy player equals automatic goal.

Go look at the transfer forum and see threads for players we should have no interest in Moussa Dembele, Traore, King. Yet people will advocate and the first thing mentioned is pace.

 

[Infordin]

Pirlo because he controlled the game against an awful England team but otherwise did what many overrated Italian players do and performed pretty well in the best teams in a slow, poor quality league.

This argument would be more valid if Pirlo didn't win 2 UCL trophies and a World Cup.

 

[Infordin]

The thing about Zidane is that there is a misconception regarding his inconsistency. The reason people complained about it is that he gave the impression that he could always deliver a 10 but seemed perfectly happy to just give a 7 rated performance. Zidane wasn't a player that would fluctuate between 8 and 4 but 6 and 10, he always remained at the top end, he was always one of the best performer on the pitch. I have seen Messi and Ronaldo have more terrible games than Zidane. The actually knock against Zidane concerns his temper for a playmaker he was a bit too susceptible to get booked or red carded.

There's no way that Messi had more terrible games than Zidane. Messi very rarely, almost never has any terrible games. Even in a typical bad game from Messi, he is still one of the most influential players on the pitch.

I would agree that the 2013-2020 version of Cristiano Ronaldo has plenty of bad games, and they usually come in patches.

 

[JPRouve]

There's no way that Messi had more terrible games than Zidane. Messi very rarely, almost never has any terrible games. Even in a typical bad game from Messi, he is still one of the most influential players on the pitch.

I would agree that the 2013-2020 version of Cristiano Ronaldo has plenty of bad games, and they usually come in patches.

Messi has a fair amount of subpar games every year where he somehow scores a goal or has an assist in a genuinely underwhelming game. I watch almost all Barcelona's games and it's actually what makes him so different, he seems able to push himself only once or twice in a game and totally make the difference on that one action.

 

[JPRouve]

In my opinion FIFA changed the way a new generation of fans view football where as long as you are perceived to have pace you’re automatically a good player because a good lobbed through ball to a pacy player equals automatic goal.

Go look at the transfer forum and see threads for players we should have no interest in Moussa Dembele, Traore, King. Yet people will advocate and the first thing mentioned is pace.

I have watched Dembélé, he isn't particularly pacy, it's actually the rest of his game that allows him to be productive. He isn't particularly tall, pacy or powerful.

 

[harms]

When I was a lad Denis Law was my idol. He was The King to every utd supporter in the 60's. They used to say if his name was on the team sheet it would put an extra 10,000 on the gate. He was a showman. An entertainer who scored many spectacular goals for us. Did we overrate him. Reckon it's up for discussion!

Well, if you didn't compare him to Pelé, I doubt it. He's very much appropriately rated, probably even underrated when general fanbase is concerned, an astonishing player and the greatest striker to play for United.

 

[dablem_10]

1. Obertan - I was still young and i didnt understand fully what makes good player. I saw flicks and tricks, some speed, that must be talent winger. I never understood why he didnt get more chances. In the end it showed that he was neither good dribbler nor footballer

2. All south americans in Slovak or Czech league when i was young. I thought Brazilians are automatically better footballer. Even the 4th tier in this region would have better technique than most of the league, but most of them were not better players than local ones.

3. Also when i younger and was doing czechoslovak website of united, i tend to overhype few match wonders from premierleague, because they were young and english. Who remembers Leroy Lita, David Whealer or always wanted return of Shawcross back then (2007).

4. Semih Kaya - when i first saw his compilation from Galatasaray i thought he would play in top team in few years. The opposite side is truth, he cant make it in worst Sparta Prague team in 30 years.

 

[njred]

The most overrated player of all time was Beckham. One of the few manc players I liked, but who doesn’t like Beckham. He was responsible for bringing millions of fans to love the sport and was a great player but overrated. Great crosser of the ball, great vision and good free kicks. Not fast and couldn’t beat a man or defend. Yet he is known to be the most overrated player ever to play the game.

 

[Paxi]

Seems people have two interpretations of what the OP said making this a weird thread. No one seems to have noticed though

They do.

And some posters did notice in the first or second page. I was going to make the OP a bit clearer to understand, but by then I just thought the thread took on a life of it's own and so I just left it as is.

 

[DVG7]

Welbeck. I really bought into the whole "defensive striker" thing, especially after his man-marking job on Xabi Alonso and the miraculous start of the 2011/12 season. But that was all Fergie.

Anderson. I had believed in him way longer than I should've. That game against Chelsea in a Cup should've been the turning point #184...

Thiago. I still have a soft spot for him and probably rate him a bit higher than his simply "very good" level that he seemed to settle on.

Regards Thiago, a friend of mine claims his brother coached Alphonso Davies when he was younger in Canada, and still keeps in touch. He apparently asked Davies who the best player at the club was and he said Thiago, not even close.

 

[harms]

Regards Thiago, a friend of mine claims his brother coached Alphonso Davies when he was younger in Canada, and still keeps in touch. He apparently asked Davies who the best player at the club was and he said Thiago, not even close.

Well, that depends on how you rate players. Thiago is probably the most technically gifted player at the Bayern squad and he can do pretty much everything with the ball. I would expect him to showboat a lot during training as well. I don't think that Lewa can do as many things with the ball as Thiago, for example (although there's no doubt that the former is a better player).

edit:

as I expected:

 

[DVG7]

Well, that depends on how you rate players. Thiago is probably the most technically gifted player at the Bayern squad and he can do pretty much everything with the ball. I would expect him to showboat a lot during training as well. I don't think that Lewa can do as many things with the ball as Thiago, for example (although there's no doubt that the former is a better player).

edit:

as I expected:

I was of the opinion Thiago would be the best midfielder in the world at some point, he seemed to have the world at his feet. the injuries tell half of the story but you get the impression he has never really pushed himself to become world class.

he was probably the best under 19 and under 21 player I’ve seen in my lifetime.

 

[Luke1995]

When Leicester won the title I thought Wes Morgan was a world class defender

 

[Paxi]

Thiago was amazing I thought. Tenacious, decent tackle, technically sublime, a real goal threat - really an all rounder. But he never really reached the heights I expected him to reach - probably because being rejected by moyes and giggs really fecked with his confidence obviously. What could have been..

Here's a video of Thomas Muller showboating in training. Clearly Alfonso knows nothing.

 

[SpyLuke10]

Isn't it about who you as an individual overrated, and not others? In which case, it would be a players that you had a soft spot for, at the expense of reality.

oh shit. idk then tbh. maybe Januzaj? Maybe Ramos actually, used to rate him so highly at one point that it was borderline like he was the goat defender.

 

[strongwalker]

I remember watching the 2006 World Cup desperately wanting United to buy Tim Borowski.


I'm glad we didn't buy Tim Borowski

As any manager will tell you it is a gamble to judge a player on one tournament performance *cough* Renato Sanches *cough*

 

[strongwalker]

Regards Thiago, a friend of mine claims his brother coached Alphonso Davies when he was younger in Canada, and still keeps in touch. He apparently asked Davies who the best player at the club was and he said Thiago, not even close.

A lot of people including myself say the same thing. As someone who grew up watching players play top football who were seriously challenged when asked to keep the ball in the air more than 5 times it is baffling what level of technical skill is available today even for goalkeepers and CBs, watch Thiago for 5 minutes of training in a field of Robben, Ribery, James, Coman, Gnabry.. He's just on another level.
I can understand those who call him overrated because he often plays well but leaves you with the notion that even when playing well he underperformed given his potential.

 

[Davs]

Quaresma. In my eyes this kid was Ronaldo 2.0 for a while, until I came to my senses.

 

[CM]

Ribery. Never felt his performances on the big stage matched his reputation within the game, and he was fortunate to be banded together with a vastly superior player in Robben for much of his career.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

Gerrard.

 

[RedRob]

Marcelo Salas, mostly because I never actually saw him play. Teletext was dropping daily headlines that United were signing him imminently (in the days before the transfer window), so 8 year old me was convinced this bloke would score weekly hat tricks.

For a completely different reason, Fellaini around the time we signed him. I remember making a post on this forum saying he could be "our Busquets", with his ability to destroy play, particularly since our SAF-spiritual-successor Moyes knew how to get the best out of him. Then I stopped seeing the Everton highlights and started seeing the more frequent disasters. Never did get round to eating humble pie on that one - RedCafe, you were right.

EDIT: One more, Arda Turan. A taxi driver once convinced me when he was still in Turkey that he could turn the tide for any team. This was Salas all over again.

 

[SilentWitness]

Every Everton player. We all do it and it's difficult not to put your own players a level above they actually are.

Probably Barkley though most recently. Sad that he didn't make the most of it as he had the ability to get to the top.

 

[Vidyoyo]

Hazard for sure. One good game in 5.

 

[IRELANDUNITED]

Dennis Bergkamp. Good player, but his record ain't all that. Arsenal fans think he was some kind of god.

I always thought this too

 

[freeurmind]

Thinking of recent United players: David De Gea
Chris Smalling
Fred

 

[SilentWitness]

Theodor Gebre Selassie.

Just remembered this bloke who looked unbelievable at one of the Euro tournaments (Thought he would get snapped up by a top CL club instantly) and has gone on to have an underwhelming career with Werder Bremen.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Porborsky - one great goal and a shit haircut and he was on everyone’s radar. Unfortunately we got stuck with him, thank goodness for Beckham.

Very likeable chap by the way, but completely overrated.

 

[Sayros]

Denilson, I thought he would be the next great Brazilian. Alexandre Pato is pretty close as well, he seemed to have everything to be a world beater, didn't count on him going to the R9 playboy school as soon as he got to Milan.

I was also pretty excited about Kakuta from his youth days and how he seemed to be an even quicker Robinho, turns out not so much...

 

[ROFLUTION]

Tevez. 19 goals in 63 matches for us.

 

[matherto]

Same here. I had always admired Welbeck with his composure in front of goal

Eh?

 

[romufc]

Sterling