The English Premier League gave us a huge number of prominent players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, and Luis Suarez. But, as is often the case, many have not been able to be remembered even in spite of a good game on the football field. In this article, we will remember the stars who deserved more during their careers.
1. Mustapha Hadji
Hadji deserved greater fame. At Highfield Road, Hadji immediately became the favorite of the crowd, and it is logical because the Moroccan almost single-handedly turned his team’s attack into one of the best in the country. Thanks to him, the most important victories over Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Arsenal were achieved. But he did not help Coventry avoid relegation.
After his club was relegated, Hadji moved to Aston Villa, but there he gradually began to lose his shape.
2. Bryan Roy
In the nineties, the Premier League became very multicultural, and a whole army of legionnaires poured into England. Everyone remembers Eric Cantona and Jurgen Klinsmann, but the Dutchman Bryan Roy is not particularly remembered.
A fast winger who also played as a forward, Roy was part of the Netherlands national team at the 1994 World Cup, where he scored one goal. Immediately afterward he surprised many by moving to Nottingham Forest.
Roy’s signing was a life-changing one: he played well with Stan Collymore, Steve Stone, and Ian Vaughan. With such a line-up, the team stunned everyone in the Premier League.
At the end of the season, Roy had 13 goals in 37 appearances, while Nottingham was in third place.
In 1995, Collymore moved to Liverpool, but Roy stayed at the City Ground. His career in England came to an end in 1997, when he agreed to the invitation of Hertha.
3. Dean Ashton
When it comes to the best English strikers, Wayne Rooney, Darren Bent, Jermain Defoe, and Peter Crouch are immediately remembered. To that included, Dean Ashton, the Crewe star, who scored 74 goals in 177 appearances before his appearance in the EPL, where he played against Norwich.
At Carrow Road, Dean became the favorite from the very first minute – he immediately scored. But, as is often the case, even his seven goals were not enough to save the Canaries from relegation.
In January 2006 he returned, this time to West Ham, who paid 7 million pounds for him. Here he scored six in 16 matches and helped the team to reach the FA Cup final, where he also scored.
In the same year, Ashton received a call-up to the England national team, but a terrible injury hampered him. In fact, this is the reason why he did not become a real star. Subsequently, Dean found himself in the infirmary. He is still a hero for the fans of the Hammers.
4. John Carew
John Carew’s name is remembered by fans of Valencia, Roma, and Lyon. However, it was at Aston Villa that he played the most matches for – 131.
And even though he wasn’t a terrific goalscorer, Carew was always popular. The striker scored 13 goals in his first season, becoming the top scorer of Birmingham, who finished sixth.
The Norwegian continued to score further, becoming the club’s top scorer three times (15 and 17 goals respectively). In Norway, he managed to become a cult figure because not a lot of players at that time were playing at the highest level.
Yes, there was a case of Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer, but in general Norwegian players flourished at the local level. Because of Carew Norwegian casinos were constantly featuring Aston Villa in the betting schedule. Companies were tired of chasing foreign clients and were solely focusing on local clients. Thus they were offering some of the best odds bonuses for Norwegians. It was a very interesting move.
Unfortunately, in 2010 he began to have injuries, as is often the case. Carew began to appear on the field less and less often, and they stopped talking about him. Even a transfer to Stoke City did not help.
5. Rob Lee
Surprisingly, a player who has appeared on the field in the APL 280 times and scored 34 goals has been completely forgotten. But at the time, Rob Lee was a real Star of Newcastle.
Lee moved to the Magpies before the formation of the EPL. Thanks to his goals, the Magpies finished third in the standings.
In the 1994-95 season, Lee scored 14 goals. He became Player of the Month in November. Soon he was called to the England team. Lee played six seasons for Newcastle, becoming captain. Lee quit football at the age of 40.
6. Michu
Michu is often called a one-season footballer, but at Swansea, he was so good that the fans do not forget him. And they’ll never forget.
The Spaniard moved to the Welsh club from Rayo Vallecano in 2012, costing them just two million pounds. He had already scored 15 goals in La Liga, but he still exceeded all expectations. In the 2012-13 season, Michu scored 18 goals – only Robin van Persie, Luis Suarez, Gareth Bale and Christian Benteke were better off. He was the author of the first goal of the season and scored in the semifinals and the League Cup final.
Swansea’s player of the year, Michu has been a transfer target for Tottenham and Liverpool. To scare off other teams, Swansea put a price tag of 35 million pounds on their star.
In the new season, injuries prevented Michu from scoring more than two goals. Now no one remembers him except the fans from Swansea.
7. Patrik Berger
We remember Berger primarily thanks to Euro 1996, where the young and bright Czech national team shined. The team reached the final but lost to Germany.
Patrik Berger was very visible in that line-up: the attacking midfielder had already had a season at Borussia Dortmund, but after the move to Liverpool everyone started talking about him.
And his debut did not disappoint: Berger perfectly fit into the culture of the Reds. He scored nine goals for Liverpool. In September 1996 he was named the best player of the month in the EPL.
The line-up, which also included Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman, is called “Spice Boys” in England, and what is most surprising is that Berger himself stayed at Liverpool until 2003.
Berger left Anfield in 2003 due to injury, but remained in the Premier League, playing for Portsmouth and Aston Villa. He remained 12 seasons in England – and no one talks about him.
8. Olivier Dacourt
Leeds United in the late nineties are a legendary team. The team was full of talent and ambitions! It seemed that the semi-finalists of the Champions League were doomed to become one of the leading teams of England, but instead, they collapsed to the bottom. This, however, did not affect the reputations of Jonathan Woodgate, Harry Kewell and Alan Smith. But for some reason, no one remembers Olivier Dacourt.
The restless and hard-working midfielder initially played for Everton, but after the scandal moved to Ligue 1, and then returned to the Premier League, Leeds, which paid 7 million for him.
Together with Lee Bowyer and David Batty, Dacourt really blossomed. But the dismissal of coach O’Leary affected his status. It was not possible to reach an agreement with the new boss Terry Venables, and in 2003 he made a move to Roma. In the 2008-09 season, there was a short return to the EPL, but almost no one noticed it.
9. John Arne Riise
Even though Liverpool were not as good as the current one, it is impossible to deny the coolness of the Reds. Under the leadership of Gerard Houllier and Rafael Benitez, Liverpool won numerous trophies, including the FA Cup and the Champions League. And one of the main actors was the Norwegian John Arne Riise.
The defender and winger went to Liverpool for just 4 million pounds, and he immediately started playing. In his debut season, he scored seven goals, including Arsenal and Manchester United.
For six seasons, Riise was irreplaceable, and the fans simply adored him. Particularly popular was its heavy-duty impact.
Despite his status, the arrival of Fabio Aurelio has jeopardised his place of footing. Shortly thereafter, the Norwegian agreed to move to Roma.
In 2011, Riise returned to the EPL as a Fulham player, where he spent three seasons. In total, he took part in 321 matches in England and scored 21 goals.
10. Georgi Kinkladze
Now Manchester City are one of the strongest clubs in the world, but in the nineties, it was not so. The Georgian star cost City two million pounds. Perhaps, few would argue with the fact that he was the best in that line-up.
Kinkladze did not know English at all, but that did not prevent him from making miracles on the field. In midfield, he was a real king, and his goal against Southampton can still be called one of the best in the history of the Premier League.
Perhaps, Kinkladze is rarely remembered primarily because he spent so little time in the EPL – the whole season. He stayed at the team, for which he was very grateful to the fans, but the reputation of the player did not help.
Famous City fan Noel Gallagher considers Georgi Kinkladze the greatest player in the club’s history and it is difficult to argue with him.