Top 5 super subs in football currently
Sometimes in football, plan A just isn’t enough. On certain occasions, players on the pitch may not be enough to get the job done, forcing the manager to turn to plan B.
A correct substitution can change the dynamic of a football game and turn the momentum the other way.
Substitutes or 'super subs' have had some of the greatest impacts on football matches in history.
Be it Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer coming on in Barcelona in the 1999 Champions League Final or Georginio Wijnaldum scoring two goals as a substitute to launch one of the best Champions League comebacks of all-time against Barcelona.
The current world of football has its fair share of super subs and today we are going to take a look at the top five of the lot.
#5 Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)
There isn’t a lot of cheer around the Bernabeu at the moment, with Real trailing Atletico by 10 points in the league.
However, one of the bright sparks for Madrid, as they go through this rebuild, has been Vinicius Junior.
Vinicius has been quite effective off the bench for Madrid this season, managing three goals and assists so far as a substitute.
The Brazilian scored the winning goal against Valladolid and provided the assist for Rodrygo’s winner against Inter in the Champions League from the bench.
Vinicius Jr. is still only 20 and has a long way to go to justify his price tag, but his performances off the bench this season will please Zidane and may help cement his place as a regular starter in the side.
#4 Olivier Giroud (Chelsea)
Olivier Giroud will be remembered as one of the greatest super subs in the history of the Premier League.
Few players have been able to make as big of an impact as the Frenchman off the bench.
Only Jermain Defoe has more goals in the history of the Premier League as a substitute than the 34-year-old Frenchman.
Giroud is the perfect number two striker and has used his hold up play, aerial prowess and finishing ability to great effect when chasing a goal in the dying embers of a game.
All of Giroud’s Premier League goals this season have come after having started the game, but he has managed two goals from the bench in all competitions for Chelsea and France this season.