There are many legends in football, but there will always be those who consider their fame undeserved. Here are the 10 most overrated players in the history of football: from Pelé and Roberto Carlos to Neymar and Coutinho. Get your pitchforks ready, it's going to be controversial!
Football is a game around which there is always a lot of controversy. Loyal fans are ready to hoarsely defend the greatness of their idols, but there are also those who consider their fame undeserved. Compiling a list of the most overrated football players in history is a thankless and even dangerous task. But we decided to take this bold step. Here are 10 players whose achievements and status, in our opinion, are a bit exaggerated. Don't blame me, legends are just our humble opinion. So get your pitchforks and tomatoes ready, let's begin!
From Hulk and Nakata to Scholes and Neymar
Our hit parade opens with Hulk, a formidable Brazilian who however only played 47 games for the national team, scoring 11 goals. He played little in the top European leagues, limiting himself to Porto and Zenit. But the attacker has been in China for four years now: this path cannot be defined as grandiose, as the mostbet italia website states.
In 9th place is Japanese idol Hidetoshi Nakata. The midfielder won the Scudetto with Roma, but he never became the protagonist in Italy. Then comes Paul Scholes. Yes, yes, many consider him a genius, but why then did the midfielder receive only 2 selections in the Premier League team of the season and settle for the role of left winger in the English team?
The seventh line belongs to Neymar. Perhaps the Brazilian is too young for such a list, but he still does not justify the title of the most expensive player in history. Just like his Barça teammate Coutinho, who, after a brilliant game against Liverpool, gave up and didn't even impress Bayern.
The top 5 included Manchester City fans' favorite of the 1990s, Georgiy Kinkladze. But, honestly, the Georgian was remembered more for his flashy feints than his actual performances. However, 1 season in the Premier League and 3 goals in Derby are not enough for a legend.
Iconic, but not great?
Claude Makelele took fourth place. Yes, the Frenchman was named after the position, but was he the strongest midfielder even in Chelsea's history? Number 3: Roberto Carlos. The Brazilian took phenomenal free kicks, but he often forgot about the quality of the defense. He is effective, but not always effective.
Silver in the anti-rating goes to public favorite David Ginola. The Frenchman won the Premier League's best player award in 1999, but in 8 seasons he scored only 22 goals there. Not much for a star winger.
Well, we have courageously and politically incorrectly called… Pelé the most overrated football player in history! Yes, the Brazilian has 3 world titles and 1281 goals. But at the 1958 and 1970 World Cups he was not the main star, and in 1962 he lost almost everything due to injury. King scored most of the goals on tour, freight trains and the state championship, and in clubs he played only for Santos and New York Cosmos. Maybe not as big as commonly believed?
Of course, our list is a matter of discussion and not the ultimate truth. Each of these players has crowds of fans ready to fight for their honor and achievements. But, you have to admit, sometimes it's interesting to look at familiar things from a new, albeit controversial, perspective. The main thing is to remember that even when we criticize our idols, we pay tribute to them: after all, for the sake of “overrated” players they will not break spears and write indignant comments. This means that these players still deserve a lot of attention, albeit ambiguously.