Top 20 most underrated footballers of all time: who are they?

Football fans worldwide have very high opinions of famous footballers such as Maradona, Pele, Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo. These players receive the recognition they deserve for their club and national football contribution. However, there are numerous other underrated footballers who never quite receive the recognition proportionate to their skills and contributions.

Most times, these underrated players get overshadowed by bigger names in their teams or get the misfortune of playing for small or little-known teams.

20 most underrated football players of all time

Who is the most underrated footballer ever? Here is a look at the most underrated soccer players of all time.

20. Ronald Koeman - Barcelona

• Nationality: Dutch
• Date of birth: 21 March 1963
• Age: 59 years old (as of 2022)

Koeman was an exceptional defender during his days at Barcelona. His remarkable passing ability was up there with some of the best playmakers to ever grace the football pitch. Despite being a defender, he scored a whopping 227 goals in 652 games. Still, his name is barely mentioned amongst Barcelona greats.

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19. Wissam Ben Yedder - AS Monaco

• Nationality: French
• Date of birth: 12 August 1990
• Age: 32 years old (as of 2022)

The current AS Monaco captain has one of the best match-goal ratios amongst Ligue 1 players. He is renowned for his incredible pace, vision for goal, and remarkable passing skills. With more than 70 goals in 174 games, Wissam is among the French league's best players.

However, one almost never hears him mentioned amongst the likes of Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe, the other big names in the league and in world football.

18. Michael Carrick - Manchester United

• Nationality: English
• Date of birth: 28 July 1981
• Age: 41 years old (as of 2022)

After joining Manchester United from Tottenham Hotspur in 2006, Michael Carrick made his name as one of the most reliable midfielders in the Premier League. The now 41-year-old is also amongst the most decorated players in the history of the English top-flight league, with five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, and their famous 2008 Champions League trophy.

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17. Davor Šuker - Real Madrid

• Nationality: Croatian
• Date of birth: 1 January 1968
• Age: 54 years old (as of 2022)

Davor Šuker is amongst the best Croatian footballers of all time. For some reason, though, his name barely ever comes up in the list of Croatian football legends. Davor guided his national team to the second runners-up position in the 1998 World Cup and scored 45 goals in the 69 games he played for his country.

Besides his success in national football, he also won a league title and European Cup during his time at Real Madrid.

16. Gabriel Batistuta - Fiorentina

• Nationality: Argentine
• Date of birth: 1 February 1969
• Age: 53 years old (as of 2022)

Gabriel Batistuta was one of the greatest forwards of all time. He was renowned for his ability to score goals from pretty much anywhere on the pitch. Nicknamed 'Batigol,' the Argentine scored 300 goals in 494 competitive appearances for his club and 56 goals in 78 games for Argentina.

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He also won Copa America twice with his country and two league titles with his club. Still, his name is often overshadowed by other Argentinian footballers such as Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.

15. Andrea Pirlo - Juventus

• Nationality: Italian
• Date of birth: 19 May 1979
• Age: 43 years old (as of 2022)

Andrea Pirlo is inarguably one of the most prolific playmakers who ever lived. He was renowned for his flair on the pitch, physics-defying freekicks, and unbelievably precise passes. Pirlo was the embodiment of the beautiful game.

Still, his contribution to club football went largely unnoticed, partly because it was at the same time the legendary duo of Xavi and Iniesta that had everyone's attention in world football.

14. Gheorghe Hagi - Galatasaray

• Nationality: Romanian
• Date of birth: 5 February 1965
• Age: 57 years old (as of 2022)

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Hagi was undoubtedly one of the best Romanian players in the world during the 1980s and '90s. The player was so good that Romanian supporters nicknamed him Regele, which loosely translates to The King. He played as a creative playmaker and was renowned for his dribbling, technique, vision, passing, and shooting

13. Luis Muriel - Atalanta

• Nationality: Colombian
• Date of birth: 16 April 1991
• Age: 31 years old (as of 2022)

Since Muriel joined Atlanta in 2019, the Colombian has scored an incredible 51 goals in 110 games for the Serie A side. That is an incredible statistic, given the competitive nature of the Italian league. His agility, vision, eye for goal, and ability to dribble his way around defenders have earned him a regular starting place on the team.

Still, if you ask most football fans to name top players in the Italian league, Muriel's name will probably not come up.

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12. Georginio Wijnaldum - Paris Saint-Germain

• Nationality: Dutch
• Date of birth: 11 November 1990
• Age: 32 years old (as of 2022)

During his time at Liverpool, Wijnaldum was among the players holding the club's midfield and contributing significantly to its success. However, he remained one of the most underrated midfielders.

His success was overshadowed by the world-famous duo of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. At PSG, the trend continued. Despite Wijnaldum's immense contribution, his name barely comes up in a team that already has Neymar, Mbappe, and Lionel Messi.

11. Sergio Busquets - FC Barcelona

• Nationality: Spanish
• Date of birth: 16 July 1988
• Age: 34 years old (as of 2022)

Sergio Busquets is the perfect example of how a stellar player can go unnoticed when he plays in a star-studded team. Sergio became a Barcelona regular during its golden period. This was when Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and David Villa were all in their prime.

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The club used to demolish other clubs frequently and became famed for their tiki-taka brand of football. Barcelona won pretty much every club title possible, with most accolades going to the aforementioned players.

10. Ismael Bennacer - AC Milan

• Nationality: Algerian
• Date of birth: 1 December 1997
• Age: 24 years old (as of 2022)

Bennacer rose to prominence during the 2019 African Cup of Nations when he helped Algeria win the tournament. His $33 million move to AC Milan was a bit silent and did not attract the media attention one would have associated with such a high-profile player.

Bennacer has been instrumental in AC Milan's recent success, though you will barely hear his name mentioned in a team that has the likes of Brahim Diaz, Olivier Giroud, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He makes the list of the top 10 most underrated footballers of all time.

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9. Keylor Navas - Paris Saint-Germain

• Nationality: Costa Rican
• Date of birth: 15 December 1986
• Age: 35 years old (as of 2022)

For years, Navas has been an underappreciated player who has consistently delivered outstanding performances for both club and country. The Costa Rican first established himself at Levante before joining Madrid.

At Real Madrid, the Costa Rican has won three UEFA Champions League titles and the CONCACAF Player of the Year award twice, making him the first Costa Rican. Despite all these achievements, Keylor's market value is estimated to be a lowly $11 Million.

8. Federico Chiesa - Juventus

• Nationality: Italian
• Date of birth: 25 October 1997
• Age: 25 years old (as of 2022)

Before joining Juventus, the Italian midfielder was Fiorentina's best footballer. At Juventus, Chiesa has proved his worth and risen into one of Juventus' best forward in recent memory.

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However, he remains one of the most underrated football players, with his name barely mentioned with the likes of other great Juventus forwards such as Pavel Nedved, Gianluigi Buffon, and Alessandro del Piero.

7. Nicky Bu*t - Manchester United

• Nationality: English
• Date of birth: 21 January 1975
• Age: 47 years old (as of 2022)

During Nicky's tenure at Manchester United, the likes of Ryan Giggs and David Beckham were stealing all the headlines with their slick passing and magnificent freekicks. Nicky was often overlooked despite his incredible contribution to the team's success. He is, in fact, one of the most industrious midfielders the club has ever had.

6. Luis Muriel - Atalanta

• Nationality: Colombian
• Date of birth: 16 April 1991
• Age: 31 years old (as of 2022)

Muriel, a current Atalanta player, is one of the team's most consistent players. The Colombian forward caught the attention of numerous Serie A teams before his move to Atalanta. His career has, however, been quite injury-prone, making the prolific forward quite underrated.

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5. Gerard Moreno - Villarreal

• Nationality: Spanish
• Date of birth: 7 April 1992
• Age: 30 years old (as of 2022)

Gerard Moreno is, without a doubt, one of the most underrated footballers in 2022. The Spaniard reached his peak in 2019 when he won the Zarra trophy. Moreno scored 18 goals for Villarreal in 2019 and improved on that feat the following season with 23 goals and seven assists, helping Villarreal to the 2021 UEFA Europa League title with his final goal.

4. Danny Ings - Aston Villa

• Nationality: English
• Date of birth: 23 July 1992
• Age: 30 years old (as of 2022)

In 2014, Danny was instrumental in Burnley's promotion to the English Premier League. When he moved to Southampton, he quickly earned his spot in the starting lineup and went on to score 22 goals and register two assists in 2019.

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This made him the third player in Southampton's history to reach 20 Premier League goals in a single season.

3. Tomáš Souček - West Ham United

• Nationality: Czech
• Date of birth: 27 February 1995
• Age: 27 years old (as of 2022)

Tomáš Souček is one of the most consistent and outstanding players for West Ham United and his national team, the Czech Republic. Despite being a defensive midfielder, his attacking and defending abilities have elevated him into one of the most prolific box-to-box midfielders. Despite his skill and achievements, Souček is still one of the most underrated footballers in the Premier League.

2. Raphael Guerreiro - Borussia Dortmund

• Nationality: Portuguese
• Date of birth: 22 December 1993
• Age: 28 years old (as of 2022)

Raphael Guerreiro was part of the Portuguese team that won EURO 2016. He is quite versatile and can play as a left-back, left midfielder, or left wing-back. He is renowned for his strength, balance, and pace with and without the ball. Guerreiro is undoubtedly one of the best left-backs in the world. The talented Portuguese is inarguably one of the most underrated footballers in Europe.

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1. Edouard Mendy - Chelsea

• Nationality: Senegalese
• Date of birth: 1 March 1992
• Age: 30 years old (as of 2022)

Mendy is inarguably one of the best goalkeepers in the world right now. The Senegalese international arrived in London as a complete unknown from Rennes to solve Chelsea's goalkeeping problem and has since been outstanding. He was a key figure in Chelsea's second Champions League triumph.

He became the first African goalkeeper to hold the UEFA Champions League trophy and won the UEFA goalkeeper of the year award. Still, few fans can name Mendy as part of a list of the world's best goalkeepers.

Who is an underrated player?

In sports, if a person or thing is underrated, it means that most people do not recognize how good that player really is.

Who is the humblest footballer?

Sadio Mane is widely regarded as the humblest footballer today. He plays for the Senegal national team and Bayern Munich in Germany.

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Who is the cheapest footballer ever?

Tony Cascarino holds the unenvious title of the world's cheapest player. His move from Crockenhill FC to Gillingham FC in 1982 was allegedly worth a few sheets of corrugated iron.

Who is the most underrated midfielder?

Andrea Pirlo is undoubtedly the most underrated midfielder of all time.

Who is the most expensive footballer of all time?

PSG's Neymar is football's most expensive player. His move from Barcelona to PSG was worth a whopping €222 million.

Which teams did Andrea Pirlo play for?

He played for the Italian national team. Club-wise, Pirlo played for AC Milan, Juventus, and New York City FC.

Which is the best footballing country?

According to the latest FIFA ranking, Brazil is the top footballing country with 1841.30 points. It is followed closely by Belgium in second and Argentina in third.

The modern-day footballing world is quite vibrant, with numerous high-profile players who are loved by fans all over. Still, many other prolific but underrated footballers never receive the recognition they deserve because of the clubs they play for, their teammates, or the competitiveness of their leagues.

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READ ALSO: Sadio Mané's bio: net worth, wife, awards, houses, cars, charity

Sporstbrief.com recently published an article about Sadio Mané, one of the most prolific Senegalese footballers of all time. Besides representing his national team, Sadio also plays as a forward for the German football giant Bayern Munich.

Sadio has amassed considerable wealth in addition to global acclaim for his skill in the field. He is also involved in a variety of charitable activities. Read on to find out more about the world-famous player.