30 most overrated footballers of all time
Many footballers adore adulation and demand respect. These star players earn more money in a month than most of us can imagine of earning in a lifetime. They even appear in multiple photoshoots, shampoo commercials and sing up a ton of endorsement deals. They grab supermodels, luxury cars and mansions as big as any five-star hotel. But, are they really that good?
Let us take a look at some of the overrated footballer’s that we have seen through the decades:
30) Luis Nani
Recruited by Manchester United in 2007 during the legendary Ferguson era, United’s Nani had a huge potential to become a highly successful player in the future of world football. With the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009, Luis Nani was backed to become ‘the next Ronaldo’ at Manchester United soon. The similarities were uncanny...both Nani and Ronaldo were Portuguese, playing as wingers, both arriving from Sporting CP at a very young age. He did anything but reach the milestone set up by Ronaldo…infuriatingly inconsistent and lack of motivation, the reason for his failure could also be due to the dawning realization that he is nowhere near Ronaldo.
29) Joe Hart
The shot-stopper showed amazing keeping abilities as a youngster but as years progressed, Joe Hart has had it easy, with defenders like Vincent Kompany, Bacary Sagna, Pablo Zabaleta and Nicolas Otamendi by his side.
Hart has never been challenged for his spot in the playing XI as the cash-rich Manchester City have never thought about investing in a decent keeper, until now.
The English keeper is a great player on paper, but the story is completely different on the pitch. His lack of focus and composure have cost Manchester City and England innumerable games in the past. With Claudio Bravo completing his move to the Etihad, it may be game over for the Englishman.
28) Radamel Falcao
Once regarded as the next big thing in football, the Colombian forward has had a miserable couple of years in England. After a successful career with Porto and Atletico Madrid, Falcao made a big money move to AS Monaco.
After a couple of impressive performances, Falcao began to lose his form and lost his place in the starting XI to youngster Anthony Martial. Manchester United acquired the services of the Colombian on a loan deal in 2014. Falcao scored only four times in 26 appearances under Louis van Gaal and could only muster up a solitary goal for Chelsea in ten games.
Adding up to his poor form were a series of nasty injuries. He lost a lot of confidence and never regained his abilities. His goalscoring record with the English clubs is a joke and appears to be a player on the wane.
27) Alberto Aquilani
In 2009, on the eve of a £17 million move, the cream of the crop in world football were lining up to declare the Italian’s greatness. The likes of Rafa Benitez, John Arne Riise, and Francesco Totti heaped praise on the Italian on the back of his transfer.
However, the next six years were miserable for Aquilani. Lacking physicality and good technique, Alberto soon found himself starting as a substitute. First team appearances were few and far between. To rub salt into the already deep wounds, Aquilani suffered severe injuries on a regular basis and failed to live up to his expectations.
26) Georgi Kinkladze
If there was a player who built his reputation on a single goal, it was the Georgian midfielder. His goal for Manchester City against Southampton was top notch. Apart from that, he scored only 21 times in 122 appearances for the Blue Eagles.
After his disappointing spell in England, Kinkladze was signed by Ajax to replace Jari Litmanen. When there was a change in manager during the Georgian’s move, things went downhill. He was never utilized by Jan Wouters (Ajax’s then new manager) and was offloaded to other clubs. Kinkladze never really settled at a club again.