7 Great Footballers who never played in the Premier League
The Premier League is in its 27th season, since its foundation in February 1992, and is currently one of the most watched sports leagues in the world. It is broadcast approximately to 643 million homes and is watched by more than 4.7 billion people all around the world. It is a highly enticing affair, dividing fans over club loyalties and boasts of the second highest stadium attendance in a professional league in the world, behind the Bundesliga.
Since its start, the Premier League has been home to some of the best players of the World, whose presence has added glamour and quality to the league. Since the addition of the lucrative TV deals and broadcast rights, the spending power of Premier League clubs has increased by leaps and bounds and this has made the league even more attractive to football players around the world. Add to this the fact that it is the most watched and most followed league in the world and the Premier League would seem like it is the place to be for every football superstar. However, that is not the case.
The Premier League has been graced by some of the most talented footballers in the world, however, there are also some immensely gifted ones who never set foot here and today we look at 7 great footballers who had offers on the table, but opted not to join the Premier League.
#7 Kaka
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, commonly known as Kaka, is one of the most loved Brazilian footballers in the planet. He was the last player to have won the prestigious Ballon d'Or before the Messi-Ronaldo monopoly, back in 2007, the same year he won the FIFA World Player of the Year. His list of personal honors is long, endless and glittery. He won the FIFA World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and announced himself to the world.
Kaka started his club career at Sao Paolo and before the start of the 2003/04 season, secured a move to AC Milan. He played there for 6 years, scoring 95 goals from 270 games and it was here that he mesmerized the world with his dribbling ability and technical game. At Milan, Kaka won the Serie A, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and Supercoppa Italiana. It was arguably the greatest phase of his career.
By the summer of 2009, Real Madrid had come calling, however, Kaka’s time at the Spanish giants was less pleasant, owing to injuries that affected his game. In the 4 years at the Bernabeu, Kaka scored 29 goals from 120 appearances, winning the La Liga and the Copa Del Rey.
In September 2013, Kaka moved back to Milan for a year before joining Orlando City in the MLS in January 2015. He had a brief loan stint at his first club Sao Paolo in the middle, before ultimately hanging his boots in December 2017. He had played 75 games in the MLS, scoring 24 goals and registering 22 assists.
It is surprising that none of the Premier League giants had attempted to bring such a talented player to the league. It was rumored that Manchester United and Arsenal were interested in him, however, a move never materialized. Kaka had revealed last year that he had rejected a move to Manchester City in 2009 due to uncertainties in squad building process. The Brazilian remains one of the greatest players ever to not have played in the premier league.