5 Most Underrated Footballers in recent times
Who are the most underrated footballers in recent times? Some players go through their footballing career without getting the flowers they deserve.
In this article, we look beyond the usual glitz and glamour of the headlines to present some players who rarely made the headlines or made them during their careers.
The game of football is usually about goals and trophies, as such, players who rarely score goals because of their positions on the field are often left out of the headlines.
Why Some footballers are underrated
There are a handful of reasons why some players who possess palpable talent go through their careers without due recognition.
Firstly, some players play in a star-studded team where other star players get all the highlights and make the headlines after each match.
For example, playing as a defensive midfielder or a defender in a team featuring world-class talents like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar would starve such players of highlights.
The headlines would invariably be about these star players who are often in pursuit of one record or the other. Players like Casemiro and Busquets rarely made headlines in their heydays because of the calibre of talents in their respective clubs.
Secondly, loyalty. Some world-class talents choose to stay loyal with some average clubs without the budget to compete for trophies.
Some stay with these average clubs for long without winning major trophies, as a result, they are often left out of the discussion of great players due to lack of silverware.
Thirdly, some players don’t just have the luck. They do all the right things and tick all the boxes but some fans don’t think them good enough.
Also, read: Where Does Lamine Yamal Ranks among the Best Teenage footballers of all Time
Many underrated footballers suffer these fates. Some are of their own making while in other cases, they are helpless.
5 Most Underrated Footballers
This list of the most underrated footballers in recent times focuses on players who were or have been active in the last two decades.
The list includes some world-class players who made headlines but not in commensurate proportions with their talents. So, we thought they were underrated and not well recognized.
5. Mousa Dembele
The Belgium midfielder is one of the most underrated players in recent times. Strong, athletic, energetic, astute, you name it, Mousa Dembele has got it all.
The energetic midfielder first caught the eyes of football fans in 2010 after signing with Fulham from Dutch Ligue. He spent two years at Craven Cottage before making a move to another London-based team, Tottenham Hotspur.
While at Tottenham, Dembele was a joy to watch, the Belgian bossed the midfield in several matches, moving from box to box to detect the tone of games.
His performance for the club earned him several call-ups to the Belgian national team, making over 80 appearances for his country.
Sadly, the midfielder is rarely in discussions of midfield greats because of a lack of silverware. Mousa Dembele 9 years in England playing for teams like Fulham and Tottenham.
These teams never won any major trophy during his time at the clubs, thus, people doubt his greatness because of his lack of silverware.
4. Isco
Isco also ranks among the most underrated footballers in recent times. The Spaniard just never gets enough praise for contributions to his team.
He first showed signs of greatness in 2009, when he played at the U17 FIFA Youth Championship in Nigeria. The tournament opened the door to Iscos’s football career.
Young Isco had a lot of potential and was tipped for greatness. He rose to fame under Pelegrini’s Tutelage at Malaga, where he led the Spanish club to a dramatic run in the UEFA Champions League.
His amazing run with Malaga earned him a deserved move to Real Madrid. At Madrid, the midfielder had moments of ups and downs and never really cemented his place as a first-team regular.
But in his defence, Isco’s lack of regular game appearances had nothing to do with his quality. It was basically an issue of internal competition and compatibility.
Madrid had world-class midfielders like Modric, Kroos, Casemiro, and James Rodriguez. It was difficult for the Spaniard to get regular game time in such a team.
Also, there were talks about his compatibility with Cristiano Ronaldo who didn’t score many goals with Isco playing just behind him.
Isco is highly underrated and this could be attributed to hard luck because the midfielder seems to do everything right.
He won lots of trophies with Real Madrid and never really gets the shouts he deserves.
He is currently at Real Betis, winning games for the team and leading a title push, but rarely gets due recognition for his talent
3. Sergio Busquets
Playing the defensive midfield role with perhaps, the greatest midfielders in the history of the game has been the undoing of Sergio Busquet.
He won lots of trophies for club and country but rarely saw his name in the headlines of dailies. Busquets formed a midfield trio with Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta for Spain and Barcelona.
When discussing the midfielders in the triumphant years of Spain and Barcelona, the headlines were usually about Xavi and Iniesta, relegating Sergio Busquet to the background.
Busquet won multiple Ligue titles as well as three Uefa Champions Ligue with Barcelona but never made it into the FIFA Pro 11. The man who is largely credited with redefining the defensive midfield role was hardly recognized despite his immense talent.
2. Ilkay Gundogan
Gundogan has won it all in club football. Gundogan was part of Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund team that won the 2011-12 Bundesliga title.
The German midfielder signed with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and won five premier league titles. He also won the Uefa Champions League with the English team.
Gundogan is a dependable player, always giving his best whenever is called upon to help the team, but the gentle German star is never truly appreciated, making him one of the most underrated footballers in recent times.
1. Angel Di Maria
Di Maria is one of the finest wingers in the history of the sport. The Argentine has been a great asset to his clubs and country by showing up in the big matches.
The tricky midfielder played a huge part in Argentina’s Gold Medal match of the 2008 Olympic game against Nigeria, scoring the lone goal in the final.
He also scored the lone goal in the 2021 Copa America Final to hand Argentina their first Copa America trophy after a 28-year wait.
Di Maria is a player in the big games. In 2022, he scored the first goal in a dramatic World Cup final against France.
He also won the Spanish Ligue and Champions League with Real Madrid, but the Argentine star never really got the level of exaltation he deserved.
For instance, Di Maria has never finished in the top three of the Balon d’Or or FIFA the best awards. Such an underrated player.
