De Gea was a starter in two tournaments for Spain and made terrible errors in both.
Great (or good) footballers who didn't make much impact for their National Teams
- Thread starter LawCharltonBest
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De Gea was a starter in two tournaments for Spain and made terrible errors in both.
Amazing he didn't get capped by France in the mid 2000s as they had likes of Boumsong as regulars in that period. Chimbonda also came from nowhere to make their 2006 World cup squad after a good season at Wigan so not like they only picked from CL clubs in that time.
Guess Arteta would also fall into that category, not a single Spanish call up even before 2008 when their midfield finally clicked and became unplayable for five years.
Easily as good as many of the defenders playing for the top Prem teams today
So he made an impact is what you’re saying?
Robbie Fowler. Prolific for 'Pool but only 26 games and 7 goals for England.
I’d just checked Wikipedia to post the same! I suppose Owen came along and eclipsed him. Same with Lee Sharpe and Giggs.
Andy Cole but then you understand as Shearer was the main man.
Marcelo had an underwhelming enough Brazil career considering some people consider him a GOAT left back. Best known for that abomination match 7-1 against Germany.
Trent Alexander-Arnold seems to be going that way the way his career has gone so far. No impact for England.
Marcelo had an underwhelming enough Brazil career considering some people consider him a GOAT left back. Best known for that abomination match 7-1 against Germany.
Trent Alexander-Arnold seems to be going that way the way his career has gone so far. No impact for England.
Giovane Elber would be an 100 million striker today, but couldn’t get a sniff in a stacked Brazil set-up. He would be their star man today up top.
Even though they used to be stacked, I was always surprised that di Canio never played for Italy. He was fantastic to watch and would easily play nowadays on his ability alone.
Even though they used to be stacked, I was always surprised that di Canio never played for Italy. He was fantastic to watch and would easily play nowadays on his ability alone.
I'm sure Vidic played for Serbia for years and years didn't he?
Cantona was great in blue, it just never really work out in the end but he definitely performed .
Not sure about his later years, but if I remember correctly it was either the World Cup 2006 or the qualifiers for it that put him on the map in the first place and probably got him the United move. Part of a defence that hardly conceded a goal
Seedorf.
Actually in terms of current players I'd say Zielinski has always been underwhelming for Poland compared to his Napoli form.
Carrick the obvious one for me. Midfield should have been built around him, he was ideal for international football. But no, had to keep Stevie G in the team to run around a lot and lose possession instead.
Few England strikers, Cole, Fowler, Wright, Ferdinand. Between them they scored 22 goals for England, the same as Crouch got on his own. Yet all 4 were far and away better strikers than him. Go figure.
Hansen would be an obvious one for Scotland.
Pretty much every Italian forward. For a nation that produced Baggio, Vialli, Vieri, Del Piero, Mancini, Totti, Signori, Ravanelli, etc, to have Riva with just 35 goals as their top ever scorer? Christ Robbie Keane and Lukaku have 153 combined.
Few England strikers, Cole, Fowler, Wright, Ferdinand. Between them they scored 22 goals for England, the same as Crouch got on his own. Yet all 4 were far and away better strikers than him. Go figure.
Hansen would be an obvious one for Scotland.
Pretty much every Italian forward. For a nation that produced Baggio, Vialli, Vieri, Del Piero, Mancini, Totti, Signori, Ravanelli, etc, to have Riva with just 35 goals as their top ever scorer? Christ Robbie Keane and Lukaku have 153 combined.
And he was awful, ask any Serb
How good was George Best for Northern Irealnd? On the face of it 37 caps and 9 goals isn't great.
Having said that, it's difficult to shine for smaller nations even if you're one of the top the players in the world. Another George, this time Weah "only" scored 18 for Liberia from 75 but that's enough to make him his country's all-time top scorer.
Of course Best wasn't just a goalscorer either. Definitely has fewer caps than a player of his ability should though, would assume through some of his off the field issues combined with injuries.
Having said that, it's difficult to shine for smaller nations even if you're one of the top the players in the world. Another George, this time Weah "only" scored 18 for Liberia from 75 but that's enough to make him his country's all-time top scorer.
Of course Best wasn't just a goalscorer either. Definitely has fewer caps than a player of his ability should though, would assume through some of his off the field issues combined with injuries.
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Every player from every England team after 1966
I would say Alan Shearer is one - he had a long career but the only season he did really well for England was 96. And yes he scored 30 goals - but Haaland has 31 for Norway at the age of 24 - and he is also miles behind Harry Kane
He didn’t score for all of 1995 for England strangely, was quite a goal drought. He also retired at 30 from England, probably would have got closer to the records if he played until 34 or 35 although Owen was emerging then and eventually Rooney.
Andy Cole, Carrick, Collymore, Nigel Martyn, Fowler, Pallister?
By what logic did Drogba not have 'much of an impact for the national team'? He played 105 games for Ivory Coast and is their nation's all time top goalscorer with 65 goals. Didi was also their captain for 8 years.
Granted they didn't actually win anything during his international career but if that's the requirement to 'have an impact' then there's very few players who have.
Vidic's national team career had been shocking after he moved to United.
He disrupted the atmosphere in WC 2006 and was described as a primadonna by several team mates.
Gave away a needless penalty against Ghana in WC 2010.
Missed a crucial penalty against Slovenia in Euro 2012 qualifying, after which he retired from international football.
To this day, no one knows why he even took it.
He disrupted the atmosphere in WC 2006 and was described as a primadonna by several team mates.
Gave away a needless penalty against Ghana in WC 2010.
Missed a crucial penalty against Slovenia in Euro 2012 qualifying, after which he retired from international football.
To this day, no one knows why he even took it.
RvN was another one who never was very dominant for Holland - sure he scored quite a few goals but usually against mediocre opposition in low importance games.
......despite all his goals against Luxembourg....
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Glen Hoddle
Tony Currie
Alan Hudson
Charlie George.
Tony Currie
Alan Hudson
Charlie George.
Redondo would be the main one for me.
World class midfielder with less than 30 caps for Argentina.
Mainly down to politics, mind you - he was quick to distance himself from the disfunctional shit show that was the Argentine national team in the 90s.
Turned down a call up to the 1990 world cup squad at 21 years old because he didn't want to go if he wasn't going to be in the starting line up.
Played on the 1994 World Cup but Argentina were knocked out by Romania in the first knockout round. That would be his last meaningful games for the national team.
Didn't play for Argentina from 1994 to 1999, making himself unavailable for selection for due to disagreements with the manager Pasarella - who among other things, banned his players from having long hair. Redondo obviously refused to cut his hair. So too did Claudio Caniggia. Pasarella is a homophobe who also banned earrings and gays from the squad FYI.
Was recalled to the squad once Bielsa took over in 99, but retired after 2 games to focus on the last of his club football career.
World class midfielder with less than 30 caps for Argentina.
Mainly down to politics, mind you - he was quick to distance himself from the disfunctional shit show that was the Argentine national team in the 90s.
Turned down a call up to the 1990 world cup squad at 21 years old because he didn't want to go if he wasn't going to be in the starting line up.
Played on the 1994 World Cup but Argentina were knocked out by Romania in the first knockout round. That would be his last meaningful games for the national team.
Didn't play for Argentina from 1994 to 1999, making himself unavailable for selection for due to disagreements with the manager Pasarella - who among other things, banned his players from having long hair. Redondo obviously refused to cut his hair. So too did Claudio Caniggia. Pasarella is a homophobe who also banned earrings and gays from the squad FYI.
Was recalled to the squad once Bielsa took over in 99, but retired after 2 games to focus on the last of his club football career.
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Might get a kick in the nuts for this but Rooney. Yes he was top scorer before Kane broke the record. But the man's tournament record is poor and I think he has 1 world cup goal.
He scored a single goal in the World Cup (2006 and 2010) and zero in the Copa America because he never played one. That's a bit shocking for a Brazilian Balon d'Or winner.
Roberto Mancini.
People abroad maybe don't realize how good he was as a player - dude had Totti-like vision, Del Piero-like pace and the tackle of a holding midfielder, plus he oozed charisma and leadership on the pitch.
Born in 1964, he did wonders with the U21 in 1984, with a perfect timing to break in the senior NT for WC 86, which was in transition after '82 and badly needed quality upfront.
But he was very temperamental off the pitch, had a nasty fit with the coach in a friendly, never bothered to apologize and was completely ignored until we changed coach for Euro 88.
Did a very good tournament there, then he had issues with the new coach as well, was still called for WC 90, but that team was stacked and one-season wonder Schillaci further reduced the space for all the other forwards, so he didn't play a single minute.
After that, he had further frictions with the coach, Baggio took the scene, so he was left at home to make room for Zola in '94 and never ever considered again. Speaking of which...
Gianfranco Zola.
No need to remind how good he was to PL fans, and unlike Mancini he was the sweetest dude to work with.
His problem was of timing and missed opportunities.
For WC '90 he was 24, but believe it or not he was in his first season in Serie A. And he hadn't played much because he was the reserve of Maradona at Napoli. Looked fantastic when he played, but Italy had already Mancini in his prime and up-and-coming Baggio as trequartista, and they weren't even first-teamers as the coach preferred and AM, Giannini, in that role. So, no call.
Following season Maradona fell to his demons and he started to carry Napoli and got eased in the NT. Played a couple games in the Euro qualifiers, scored in one, but that stacked Italy somehow managed to not qualify. So, no Euro.
Comes WC '94, he get the call but now it is Baggio prime time, so he's a reserve.
He get a chance to change his destiny in the first KO round when he get subbed in during extra-time against Norway.
But eight minutes later the referee decides that it'd be fun to gift him a straight red for a non-existent foul, and that's the wrap of his tourney.
After WC '94, Sacchi had a big fall-off with Baggio, so the keys of the house went to Zola.
Italy entered Euro 96 as a favorite, and he had a great chemistry with striker Casiraghi. Assisted him to win against Russia in the opening game, then Sacchi overthought a massive turnover for second game against the Czechs and we unexpectedly lost, with him not starting.
That left us in need of a win in the last game against Germany.
He plays well, ze Germans just sit and defend, but finally we can move the score with a penalty, which he takes and misses.
Zero a zero, and Germany can celebrate sending us home for the first time ever.
He turned 30 next season and moved to PL, which was seen as a retirement league down here back then, how times change, so that was the wrap, at the dawn of the Totti Del Piero era.
People abroad maybe don't realize how good he was as a player - dude had Totti-like vision, Del Piero-like pace and the tackle of a holding midfielder, plus he oozed charisma and leadership on the pitch.
Born in 1964, he did wonders with the U21 in 1984, with a perfect timing to break in the senior NT for WC 86, which was in transition after '82 and badly needed quality upfront.
But he was very temperamental off the pitch, had a nasty fit with the coach in a friendly, never bothered to apologize and was completely ignored until we changed coach for Euro 88.
Did a very good tournament there, then he had issues with the new coach as well, was still called for WC 90, but that team was stacked and one-season wonder Schillaci further reduced the space for all the other forwards, so he didn't play a single minute.
After that, he had further frictions with the coach, Baggio took the scene, so he was left at home to make room for Zola in '94 and never ever considered again. Speaking of which...
Gianfranco Zola.
No need to remind how good he was to PL fans, and unlike Mancini he was the sweetest dude to work with.
His problem was of timing and missed opportunities.
For WC '90 he was 24, but believe it or not he was in his first season in Serie A. And he hadn't played much because he was the reserve of Maradona at Napoli. Looked fantastic when he played, but Italy had already Mancini in his prime and up-and-coming Baggio as trequartista, and they weren't even first-teamers as the coach preferred and AM, Giannini, in that role. So, no call.
Following season Maradona fell to his demons and he started to carry Napoli and got eased in the NT. Played a couple games in the Euro qualifiers, scored in one, but that stacked Italy somehow managed to not qualify. So, no Euro.
Comes WC '94, he get the call but now it is Baggio prime time, so he's a reserve.
He get a chance to change his destiny in the first KO round when he get subbed in during extra-time against Norway.
But eight minutes later the referee decides that it'd be fun to gift him a straight red for a non-existent foul, and that's the wrap of his tourney.
After WC '94, Sacchi had a big fall-off with Baggio, so the keys of the house went to Zola.
Italy entered Euro 96 as a favorite, and he had a great chemistry with striker Casiraghi. Assisted him to win against Russia in the opening game, then Sacchi overthought a massive turnover for second game against the Czechs and we unexpectedly lost, with him not starting.
That left us in need of a win in the last game against Germany.
He plays well, ze Germans just sit and defend, but finally we can move the score with a penalty, which he takes and misses.
Zero a zero, and Germany can celebrate sending us home for the first time ever.
He turned 30 next season and moved to PL, which was seen as a retirement league down here back then, how times change, so that was the wrap, at the dawn of the Totti Del Piero era.