Your most overrated footballer

harms said:
Like Giggs, he had stayed on the top level for so long that a lot of people only knew his older version and assume that this is how he was at his best.
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Yeah I think if I’m honest I’m probably guilty of that.

Plus even going back a good while I just don’t ever remember seeing a game with him and thinking ‘wow’ what a keeper.

I just didn’t see any games of him that justified the status he had. I’m sure he had those games.

But then on the flip side perhaps he was over endeared into people’s hearts from being around so long, and he played behind outstanding defences his whole career. So maybe it works both ways with the longevity.
 
Not that I saw him play much but I'm sure Paulo Rossi was a bit overrated. His lgendary reputation came from the 1982 world cup where he came back from suspension and proceeded to score a lot of goals in the latter part of the tournament to help Italy win the thing. He was being roundly criticised prior to the game against Brazil because he hadn't scored, nor played well it seems. His goals/games ration at the likes of Juventus was fairly mediocre (a 1 in 3 striker).
 
Pav1878 said:
:lol:

Scholes, Gerrard et Al were in excellent England teams and flopped

As much as I love Scholes, to say pirlo isn't in his league is laughable. Both fantastic and both world class
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You can laugh all you want but its obvious you dont know much about pirlo and have followed his flasy moments. Pirlo is not in the league of scholes and shouldnt even be discussed.

A great player but a luxury who played as a third in a three man midfield.

I dont blame you though internet and a few flashy performances have people believing pirlo was some maestro.
 
jackal&hyde said:
Phil Jones by far. He was a player with a mountain physique, he could head a ball, he could bully players of it, he could play football to the point he was played in midfield. I thought this might be one the best players ever for us and the comparisons to Duncan Edwards, that people like to make fun now, based on what i've read, were spot on. It was to good to be true, and it was. From the potential of a best in many generations to a, well, not so much.
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Injuries ruined him but he was an immense talent.
 
Marko Marin

Thought his talent was on level with Ozil, especially in the 09-10 season when Ozil went off the boil a bit in the 2nd half of the season and Marin picked up to keep Bremen in the hunt for a top 3 spot. Ozil took over towards the end but overall Marin did not seem at all well below Ozil.

Ozil leaving I think brought on to much pressure on him to be the playmaker and he couldn't handle the role. Ofcourse that wasn't meant to be the case as Bremen signed Arnautovic to be Ozils replacement but he failed miserably. Therefore Marin was moved centrally where he could not be as effective.

Marin-Ozil-Hunt was a brilliant front 3 to watch that season. Their match that season in the UEFA Cup against a Silva-Mata-Villa Valencia was a joy to behold, ultimately Bremen lost by just one goal.

Maybe if he moved clubs like when Ozil did he could've become a much better player rather than getting stuck at the declining Bremen.
 
Now?

Hazard - always thought he was a big fish in a small pond type and his time at Madrid so far is supporting that.
Neymar - a very good player, but some way short of the Brazil generation that went before him.


From the past:
Gerrard - Roy of The Rovers. Good to watch but not someone you can build a team around.
Pirlo - i wouldn't have said him if he hadn't already been mentioned but his reputation definitely skyrocketed in the last couple of years of his career. Still a fantastic player, just not quite that good.
Suarez - he was a flat track bully who did very little against the top teams, but is talked about as one of the best strikers in PL history.
 
strongwalker said:
Can we rename this thread to "players who moved from top club to top club and no one knows why"? Then I could name Demichelis
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Cancelo must be a good candidate atm, seems like he's only played about 5 games for Man. City despite their issues at left back and talk Barcelona want him now (they really like signing old Valencia players and then getting rid of them six months later).
 
shamans said:
You can laugh all you want but its obvious you dont know much about pirlo and have followed his flasy moments. Pirlo is not in the league of scholes and shouldnt even be discussed.

A great player but a luxury who played as a third in a three man midfield.

I dont blame you though internet and a few flashy performances have people believing pirlo was some maestro.
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Anyone with any ounce of sense would know that what you're saying is simply not true. Alas it is all about opinions and we obviously disagree on this one.

For me he is one of the best ever. The world's best coaches and players have tended to agree.
 
shamans said:
Injuries ruined him but he was an immense talent.
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I think so. It has become a stick to beat SAF with but people forget what a player he was. A shame. Someone like Smaling, not 10% of the potential Jones was, is seen a a good defender and Phill as a joke.
 
njred said:
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.
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Knew someone would bring up his name. I genuinely believe that Beckham is among the most underrated and underappreciated players. Technically, he was on a different level, possessed intelligence, composure and ability to hit a dead and live ball as cleanly as one can imagine.
 
anant said:
Knew someone would bring up his name. I genuinely believe that Beckham is among the most underrated and underappreciated players. Technically, he was on a different level, possessed intelligence, composure and ability to hit a dead and live ball as cleanly as one can imagine.
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Don't forget his workrate and temperament. Perfect player to have in big games.
 
Andre Shurrle - everytime I saw him play I thought he was a great player that should be playing for a top team. Obviously pro coaches didn't agree as Shurrle never really settled anywhere and has ended up being a journeyman.

Ibrahim Afellay - I also rated highly. But stats prove me wrong

Anderson - I was convinced every year that he'd step up a level and become the heart of our midfield.
 
Infordin said:
Interesting how Italian players are considered overrated despite proven international success (final every 6 years from 1994-2012, the World Cup in 2006). Meanwhile Gerrard, Lampard and Scholes never did anything for England and yet they are legends?

Totti was world class at Euro 2000 and good at World Cup 2006. His international career is hands down better than any English player in the 21st century. His club career was unfortunately hampered by being loyal to Roma. Pirlo was world class at the 2006 World Cup and 2012 Euros. His international career is legendary. At club level he was a key player for 2 Champions League winning sides.

Why should Pirlo and Totti be rated any lower than Scholes, Gerrard, or Lampard?
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I mean, the obvious response to this is that you’re placing far too much stock in 7 international performances which come around every 4 years.
 
11101 said:
Neymar - a very good player, but some way short of the Brazil generation that went before him..
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I have to disagree.

I think Neymar would get into both the 2002 and 2006 squads.
 
Hatem Ben Arfa : I followed him since he first appeared as a teenager in the french TV show "A la Clairefontaine". For so many years I was sure that he was going to be the best player in the world and that next year, everything will click. Even when when he was at Newcastle I still had high hopes for him. I was deluded, he never changed and was probably a better player at 18 than now.
Nicolas Anelka : After his two goals at Wembley, like everyone I was convinced that he was going to be our next Ronaldo. I hate that he became that kind of false 9, with delusions of grandeur thinking he was more a playmaker than a finisher. It's crazy to think now that most people rated him higher than Thierry Henry at the beginning of his career.
Abou Diaby : I still have a soft spot for him, I clearly massively overrated his rare vey good performances, and forgot all his very average games. Injuries didn't help, but in hindsight, he never had a consistent run of good games. I still think that he was a very unique player.
Ozil : I'm a sucker for elegant players, and he is one of them, but it's hard to accept that he's way past his 2010 - 2014 performances. I overrated him for a very very long time (until last year I'd say).
 
Lynty said:
I have to disagree.

I think Neymar would get into both the 2002 and 2006 squads.
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In the squad yes, but there's no chance he starts in 2002 ahead of the 3 Rs and in 2006 his favoured left spot was occupied by Ronaldinho at his absolute prime.
 
RUCK4444 said:
Yeah I think if I’m honest I’m probably guilty of that.

Plus even going back a good while I just don’t ever remember seeing a game with him and thinking ‘wow’ what a keeper.

I just didn’t see any games of him that justified the status he had. I’m sure he had those games.

But then on the flip side perhaps he was over endeared into people’s hearts from being around so long, and he played behind outstanding defences his whole career. So maybe it works both ways with the longevity.
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I know that it's a highlights compilation, but it's structured in a way that sequences from a same game go one after another. And this is pre-peak Buffon! Even now €52 million for a keeper sounds a lot, imagine paying this much in 2001 — and he was worth it.

 
Infordin said:
Pirlo is the only player in history who was voted MOTM in both the World Cup semifinal and then final. No one else has that honour, not even Pele or Maradona. He was also voted third best player of the 2006 tournament, behind Zidane and Cannavaro. He assisted the winner against Germany and the crucial equalizer against France.

Pirlo is the only midfielder of the last 15 years who I consider to be (perhaps) on the same level as Xavi and Iniesta.

But each to their own, I guess.
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Perhaps my view of him is narrow but it seems a shared view. I thought he could do wonderful things and was incredible with time on the ball either from set pieces or in the Italian League but I personally don't believe he is the reason those teams were successful and I believe he is overhyped. His all round game wasn't as good as many other CM's in my view.

I apprerciate what he was good at, it just isnt as well rounded as others.
 
anant said:
Knew someone would bring up his name. I genuinely believe that Beckham is among the most underrated and underappreciated players. Technically, he was on a different level, possessed intelligence, composure and ability to hit a dead and live ball as cleanly as one can imagine.
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I have to agree with that. I've been watching a lot of reruns during this shutdown. Beckham was top class, you forget how good he was at times. Away from his crossing and set pieces, his work rate was excellent. This talk that he didn't beat players or had pace, he didn't need to, his crossing was so good he didn't need to beat you to swing it in. His finishing when needed was also very composed. I think Beck's superstar lifestyle detracts from how good a player he was. As you say, he was underappreciated for his ability, if anything, certainly not overrated in my opinion.
 
DWelbz19 said:
I mean, the obvious response to this is that you’re placing far too much stock in 7 international performances which come around every 4 years.
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Pirlo's club career is easily on par with Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard... in fact it is better.

Totti spent his entire career playing for Roma, who were inferior to even Gerrard's Liverpool were. Despite this, Totti captained Roma to the Scudetto in 2000/01 at the age of just 24, beating Zidane's Juventus in the process. That was a phenomenal achievement that is frequently overlooked.
 
Pav1878 said:
Anyone with any ounce of sense would know that what you're saying is simply not true. Alas it is all about opinions and we obviously disagree on this one.

For me he is one of the best ever. The world's best coaches and players have tended to agree.
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Which coaches and players? Thats something I often mention as to why he's overrated. Most pundits and coaches do not rate him as high as the players he is compared to.
 
Welbeck...thought he'd push on similar to how Rashford has but instead he just got gradually better at being injured and tripping over his own feet.

In terms of who other people overrate, Jadon Sancho and by an absolute mile. People talk about him like he's the next Messi. I don't get how you can even judge if he's good enough to play for a top team at the moment.
 
Bogdannn said:
What are you on about ?! :confused:
Bergkamp was brilliant. He missed many games due to fear of flying.
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87 goals in 315 PL appearances. Meh.

Like I said, good player but not a great, hence ‘overrated’.

As for the fear of flying thing, I think we have to treat that similarly to if he was really injury prone. What use is a player if he can’t even get on the pitch?
 
MikeUpNorth said:
87 goals in 315 PL appearances. Meh.

Like I said, good player but not a great, hence ‘overrated’.

As for the fear of flying thing, I think we have to treat that similarly to if he was really injury prone. What use is a player if he can’t even get on the pitch?
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Regarding his goal tally, take into account the fact that he was not a striker. And he didn't have that much of a team at his disposal.
As for treating his fear of flying in the same way as being injury prone is silly. We must judge him based on what he did when he actually played.
As far as I'm concerned, Bergkamp is top 20 of all time.
 
MikeUpNorth said:
87 goals in 315 PL appearances. Meh.

Like I said, good player but not a great, hence ‘overrated’.

As for the fear of flying thing, I think we have to treat that similarly to if he was really injury prone. What use is a player if he can’t even get on the pitch?
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Have you actually seen Bergkamp?
 
MikeUpNorth said:
87 goals in 315 PL appearances. Meh.

Like I said, good player but not a great, hence ‘overrated’.

As for the fear of flying thing, I think we have to treat that similarly to if he was really injury prone. What use is a player if he can’t even get on the pitch?
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Did he not travel by land/sea to a lot of the away matches?
 
Bogdannn said:
Regarding his goal tally, take into account the fact that he was not a striker. And he didn't have that much of a team at his disposal.
As for treating his fear of flying in the same way as being injury prone is silly. We must judge him based on what he did when he actually played.
As far as I'm concerned, Bergkamp is top 20 of all time.
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Yeah, top 20 of all time Arsenal players.

Van Persie was a better player than Bergkamp.
 
Steven Gerrard for me.

Good player, worked hard, versatile and generally useful while also being capable of a great strike from time to time, but looking at it from a consistency point of view especially over his league career, he was never able to deliver the kind of influence over a sustained period of time that would take a time to a league title.

I would never have him in the conversation for the best PL CMs such as Scholes, Keane, Lampard or Vieira, players who actually dominated the opposition time after time and controlled games in order to constantly get results.

I'd also say that Alonso overshadowed him when the two played together and it was possibly Liverpool's best season in the PL before Klopp.
 
Karel Poborsky and it was because he done a job for me on the 1997 FIFA Soccer Manager. Back then I thought he was the best in the world.
 
Thierry Henry, no chance was he best prem league player ever, he went to Barcelona and was anonymous.
 
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