Iconic XI of legendary players who flopped in the Premier League
For the last couple of decades, the Premier League has emerged as the toughest destination to play in Europe. It has set the benchmark high with its fast tempo and rough physicality. Even the best players take time to adjust and often find themselves put in the extra yard in training.
Surviving in the Premier League among the best of the best takes consistency. It is special to become a fan favorite and have chants after a player echoing in the stadium but that honor is not for everyone.
Big name players failed to scale to heights in the Premier League
Many players arrive in the English top flight with a proven reputation, but not everyone hits the ground running immediately. Sometimes it is too late before a player can level up to meet the demands of the Premier League and is offloaded by the clubs.
No matter how big a name you are on the teamsheet, no performance means no football for you. From highly rated youth prospects to proven world-class players, everyone has been treated equally harshly in England.
Many have had their reputations in serious trouble after their stints in the Premier League. Others, however, took the failure seriously, upped the ante and made out special careers for themselves that gave them elite status in football.
Without much ado, here is a Premier League XI of legends that failed to reach the expected standards in England.
GK: Victor Valdes
It all really went south with Victor Valdes at Manchester United, didn't it? He signed as a free agent back in 2015 from Barcelona and initially his arrival did make a lot of noise. After all, this was a player who had served Barcelona for 12 years and was undroppable in goal.
Valdes was not just a great shot stopper but immense with his distribution from the back and very comfortable with the ball at his feet. All qualities that the Premier League never witnessed from the Spaniard in front of its eyes.
21 caps for Spain
World Cup
π₯³ Happy 40th Birthday to Victor Valdesβ¦
ποΈ 536 games for Barcelona
πͺπΈ 21 caps for Spain
π World Cup
π European Championship
πππ Champions League
ππππππ La Liga
ππ Copa del Rey
𧀠Where does he rank in terms of all time great goalkeepers? https://t.co/WLnGY0zQUP
He made more appearances for the Red Devils in the U21 Premier League (3) than he made for their senior team in the top-flight (2). He had disagreements regarding the philosophy of the club and the final months of his United career ended in shock exile. He was even banished from the squad photo.
He later joined Middlesbrough as a free agent and retired in 2017.
RB: Maicon
Maicon was competing toe-to-toe with Brazilian compatriot Dani Alves in the national team at one point. This should give the unaware a fair idea of how good he was. Manchester City thought they had made a steal of a deal by signing the right-back for just β¬3.75m.
A four-time Serie A winner and Champions League winner with Inter Milan, Maicon's spell with Manchester City only lasted a year. He was on the wrong side of the 30s, and spent a considerable amount of time on the treatment table. He featured only in nine Premier League matches.
Inter Milan's Maicon was a beast. One of the best attacking right-backs to play football.
A defending powerhouse who was also a menace in attack! ππ₯
https://t.co/UZQ7aSlGC5
The Brazilian could not displace the team's first choice fullback Pablo Zabaleta and left for Roma after that brief spell in the Premier League.
CB: Jerome Boateng
It really hurts when you see one of your former players go and become a big-time winner and that is somewhat the case with Jerome Boateng. If Manchester City had stuck with the centre-back, he could have turned out to be a bargain buy at just β¬12.5m given the heights he reached.
The German had his struggles with injuries but he hardly played as a centre-back in England. Roberto Mancini often used him as a fullback, playing him either on the left or right. After spending the 2010-11 season in the Premier League playing out of his natural position, he decided to head home to Germany.
Jerome Boateng ππππππππππππ https://t.co/HiDB3DygwG
He was signed by Bayern Munich and served the Bavarians for a decade-long period. The German defender won nine Bundesliga titles, two Champions League titles and two Club World Cup trophies during his time with the Bundesliga giants.
CB: Gerard Pique
The one that got away? It's difficult to guess whether Gerard Pique could have gained 'great' centre-back status if he continued in England. It was arguably one of the poorer decisions made by Manchester United as the Spaniard went on to become a club legend at Barcelona.
In a four year spell that saw the defender leave on a one-year loan to Real Zargosa, he made only 12 appearances in the Premier League. It would be harsh to say that Pique was bad in the English top-flight, he was still in his developing phase.
Gerard PiquΓ© is the greatest CB of all time. Agree or respectfully fuckoff #JusticeForArmyStudents https://t.co/bz1RjVqIDb
However, there were a few games where he was really left sweating badly. Sir Alex Ferguson thought he did not need to see more of him. Pep Guardiola brought Pique back to Barcelona and the rest, as they say, is history.
LB: Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Even the best players can't do much when played out of their natural position. It's a shame that when Arsenal signed Giovanni van Bronckhorst they did not utilize him as a left-back and wanted him to flourish in midfield.
During his two full seasons he made 65 appearances for Arsenal, 21 each in two English top-flight campaigns before leaving for Barcelona. He did win the FA Cup and Premier League but as an individual his performances did not really stand out.
Arsenal signed Gio van Bronckhorst on this day in 2001. What a strike this was. https://t.co/AXJ9CaNn1y
It was in Spain and for the Netherlands national team that he really made it big as a left-back. His strike against Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup will always be remembered as one of the best World Cup goals.