Players you don't rate as highly as others

Joga Bonito

The Art of Football
Joined
Jul 14, 2014
Messages
8,270
So who are these players that are generally held in high esteem by others, whom you don't particularly rate (as highly relatively).

I'd go with Redondo and Schnellinger.

On the flipside I'd for Hierro and Bergomi - players whom I probably rate higher than the consensus.
 
Jairzinho. A fantastic player that would fit right in most of my teams with the direct style and physicality on top of his technical excellence, but he's often mentioned in the same breath as Garrincha and for me he's not in the consideration for the best right winger of all-time at all. He obviously benefits a lot from being a part of arguably the greatest team of all-time (and performing brilliantly in that tournament). I'd place him somewhere around Robben, which is still quite high in my book.

Messi aside, for me it would be something like that:
T1: Garrincha, Best
T2: Matthews, Figo
T3: Finney, Robben, Hamrin, Jairzinho

I also thought that I rate Zidane lower than most but now I'm not sure, at least in the drafts somewhat he fell out of fashion. At least I know my stance on 2 key comparisons, for me, Ronaldo is the best player of their generation and Platini is the best ever French #10, although in both cases Zidane runs them close.
 
I'd go with Redondo
:mad: But on a serious note, he is a rare combination of world class ability on the ball in terms of both passing, movement and dribbling and excellent defensive nous which would rank very highly among holding midfielders. In terms of achievement he was the heartbeat of a Madrid team that wasn't as talented otherwise as their future galacticos versions and propelled them to 2 CLs in 3 years, that too in a very competent era. Singlehandedly dominated the treble winning of Scholes and prime Roy Keane.

Maybe it's his NT career that doesn't stack up with others, had that poor performance vs Romania and in 98 had a manager who excluded him because he didn't cut his hair. That was a great Argentina team and he was at his peak as well and could have gone all the way.

Or perhaps that his career was cut short due to injuries.

One of you needs to do a compilation on him, will be a great watch.
 
Luis Enrique. I often see team sheets with him and ask myself „what is the point?“.

Don‘t want to go on about German players much between I already hinted at how several players are seen very different in Germany compared to the draft company.

The big one is Schweinsteiger though. Not that I don‘t love the guy or that I don‘t rate him. He is just always used as a modern Gentile to stop opposing number 10s based on his history vs Messi. That completely disregards the rest of his career, that would be like always using Charlton as a marker because he marked Beckenbauer out of a game once. I also don‘t like him much as the DM in a 433 like some sort of Busquets, in his prime he was clearly never the most defensive midfielder (except for the 2014 world cup maybe, but that was a weird formation with 4 CBs and 4 central midfielders). At Bayern he was always part of a double pivot or a 3 man midfield with a destroyer next to him like van Bommel, Gustavo or Martinez.

He is much more Luka Modric than Casemiro if you want and no one would use Modric to mark a number 10 out of the game.

Not a case of me not rating Schweinsteiger. I just think the way he is used is misrepresentative of his style. Could have maybe started a different thread for those kind of cases.
 
One of you needs to do a compilation on him, will be a great watch.
There are quite a few of those on youtube (I'll have to search through my subscriptions as there's just too many Redondo videos in the general search)





 
The big one is Schweinsteiger though. Not that I don‘t love the guy or that I don‘t rate him. He is just always used as a modern Gentile to stop opposing number 10s based on his history vs Messi. That completely disregards the rest of his career, that would be like always using Charlton as a marker because he marked Beckenbauer out of a game once. I also don‘t like him much as the DM in a 433 like some sort of Busquets, in his prime he was clearly never the most defensive midfielder (except for the 2014 world cup maybe, but that was a weird formation with 4 CBs and 4 central midfielders). At Bayern he was always part of a double pivot or a 3 man midfield with a destroyer next to him like van Bommel, Gustavo or Martinez.
I actually agree, despite the fact that one of those misuses was, obviously, our recent Pep's side. But, to be fair, it was an experiment and we needed someone quite unique for that role, who was a fantastic passer of the ball as well as a great defensive presence and was direct in his approach unlike, say, Busquets.
 
For me, controversy incoming, R9. All-time great player but a great defence is never given a look-in against him. The assumption is he will always score at least one. A classic argument is look what he did to Nesta. Now IIRC he did that once, not repeatedly. That Batistuta made Baresi look rubbish once would not be given nearly the same weight.
 
If I had to quickly think of a couple of them from the tier 1?

Zico and Santamaria.
 
:mad: But on a serious note, he is a rare combination of world class ability on the ball in terms of both passing, movement and dribbling and excellent defensive nous which would rank very highly among holding midfielders. In terms of achievement he was the heartbeat of a Madrid team that wasn't as talented otherwise as their future galacticos versions and propelled them to 2 CLs in 3 years, that too in a very competent era. Singlehandedly dominated the treble winning of Scholes and prime Roy Keane.

Maybe it's his NT career that doesn't stack up with others, had that poor performance vs Romania and in 98 had a manager who excluded him because he didn't cut his hair. That was a great Argentina team and he was at his peak as well and could have gone all the way.

Or perhaps that his career was cut short due to injuries.

One of you needs to do a compilation on him, will be a great watch.

I do rate him but just not as highly as others. Gerson would be another one for instance as I think his 1970 WC performances are somewhat overrated.
 
I'd go with Redondo and Schnellinger.

On the flipside I'd for Hierro and Bergomi - players whom I probably rate higher than the consensus.
Agree with these. Would like to see someone sell Schnellinger though to prove he's better than what I've seen suggests. I don't remember Redondo being as highly rated in the 1990s and early 2000s. Always seen as class, but not a notch above the other CMs of the era where he seems to have gravitated towards, online at least.
For me, controversy incoming, R9. All-time great player but a great defence is never given a look-in against him. The assumption is he will always score at least one. A classic argument is look what he did to Nesta. Now IIRC he did that once, not repeatedly. That Batistuta made Baresi look rubbish once would not be given nearly the same weight.
To be fair to Bati/Baresi, the latter pretty much shut him out continuously for several years until Batistuta finally got the better of him when he was a greying and doddery old man.
 
I definitely don't rate RvN as high as most on here but admittedly I hate more than any other United player so there is that. Oddly I always liked Keane more than RvN.

In general I think the 2nd tier Germans get overrated in drafts but again, I have a close German friend irl so maybe that's some rival bias too as recently I want Germany to lose.

For underrated I'd say everyone from that key player draft is a good shout (Elkjaer, Bergkamp and co). It often feels like the perception between Elkjaer/Bergkamp level and say Uwe Seeler is an 80 to 40 disparity in quality when for me its more like 75 to 65 or 70 to 60.
 
I don't remember Redondo being as highly rated in the 1990s and early 2000s.
A particular Scot who had just won the treble a few months ago remarked about him having magnets in his boots. Not bad. :p

The best comparison for me would be Modric. Madrid would be at least -5 CL without these two, and Modric had far better team around him.

Serie A was the best league in late 90s and La Liga, especially Madrid, wasn't going through a great phase yet you had Madrid win 2 CLs in 3 years during that era. Taking that Madrid team to those wins is a fantastic achievement for me.
 
Jairzinho. A fantastic player that would fit right in most of my teams with the direct style and physicality on top of his technical excellence, but he's often mentioned in the same breath as Garrincha and for me he's not in the consideration for the best right winger of all-time at all. He obviously benefits a lot from being a part of arguably the greatest team of all-time (and performing brilliantly in that tournament). I'd place him somewhere around Robben, which is still quite high in my book.

Messi aside, for me it would be something like that:
T1: Garrincha, Best
T2: Matthews, Figo
T3: Finney, Robben, Hamrin, Jairzinho

I also thought that I rate Zidane lower than most but now I'm not sure, at least in the drafts somewhat he fell out of fashion. At least I know my stance on 2 key comparisons, for me, Ronaldo is the best player of their generation and Platini is the best ever French #10, although in both cases Zidane runs them close.
Its not really underrating Jairzinho though, I think the tiers you have assigned them are fair.
On Zidane though I believe with conviction that he has gone through the swing of from overrated to underrated. I don't know about the rest of the Cafe but in drafts he is definitely become just another #10 who would be stopped by any decent DM against him. I think he is the best french player as well, although its really really close between him and Platini. I am not the only one to have this view though, I remember seeing a program on SBS where Giggs (played against Zidane), Matthaus (played against both) & Lineker (Played against Platini) unanimously decided that Zidane was the better player.
 
Last edited:
A particular Scot who had just won the treble a few months ago remarked about him having magnets in his boots. Not bad. :p

The best comparison for me would be Modric. Madrid would be at least -5 CL without these two, and Modric had far better team around him.

Serie A was the best league in late 90s and La Liga, especially Madrid, wasn't going through a great phase yet you had Madrid win 2 CLs in 3 years during that era. Taking that Madrid team to those wins is a fantastic achievement for me.

Also, people rave about how Laudrup starred in Barca beating Real 5-0 in 93/94, and then he switched to Madrid and reversed the score, while forgetting that Madrid bought Redondo in the same season as well.
The Modric comparison is a good one - don't think he is seen as on Redondo's level, albeit he's still writing his story.
 
Its not really underrating Jairzinho though, I think the tiers you have assigned them are fair.
On Zidane though I believe with conviction that he has gone through the swing of from overrated to underrated. I don't know about the rest of the Cafe but in drafts he is definitely become just another #10 who would be stopped by any decent DM against him. I think he is the best french player as well, although its really really close between him and Platini. I am not the only one to have this view though, I remember seeing a program on SBS where Giggs (played against Zidane), Matthaus (played against both) & Lineker (Played against Platini) unanimously decided that Zidane was the better player.
Agreed. Gone from over to under. I used to be one of the most vocal at emphasising how he wasn't as consistent in the domestic game as a few other stars of the era. But when that gets used against him relative to players from this era, who play for teams amassing 90-100 points a season in an uncompetitive domestic environment, it wears a little thin.
 
Ya, was just curious why as his body of work and ability is right up there for me.

Which are the CMs that you rate higher than him?

Agree with Gerson but I don't think anyone rates him highly.

Will reply to this later in detail when I get more time.
 
Agree with Godin, not that he’s not an excellent defender.
 
Agree with Godin, not that he’s not an excellent defender.

Yeah there was one poster who said he is better than Santamaria. I am not even sure if Godin is better than Vidic, whose reputation seems to be at an All-Time low after all those imaginery beatings he took from the likes of Ronaldo and Romario.:nervous::lol:
 
Why do you not rate Sammer and Godin as highly or think they are overrated by others?

Agreed with Cannavaro and Elkjaer but the former is rated somewhat fairly in draft circles I'd say.

Sammer's peak was way too short. 1995-97. He was a not a defender before that and was injured after that. Having watched the CL and Euro highlights, I just don't think he was as influential as in running the game as many seem to think. He had a knack for running up and scoring goals, but did they dominate the game or were clearly the stronger team, I think no. He certainly made an impact no doubt, but was it worth a Balon d'Or? Was he really the heir to Beckenbauer? I don't think his lack of longevity does not lets us make a informed decision.

Godin, good defender, but a limited one. His talents are enhanced with Atletico's tactics. I'd call him a old school classic CF who's there to defend. Nothing more, nothing less. His lack of pace is papered over by the rest of team and the tactics. I'd rank him a shade below Picchi if he was playing in earlier era. Best CB of this era, perhaps...but this is an era where we don't have any great CBs.
 
Just quoting these from a earlier discussion:

Discounting Maldini, as a complete defender I'd rate them like:

1. Nesta, Thuram
2. Rio, Cannavaro, Stam
3. Campbell, Carvalho, Chiellini
4. Terry, Godin, Ramos, Puyol
5. Everyone else

1. Maldini, Nesta
2. Thuram
3. Cannavaro, Rio, Stam, Godin
4. Campbel, Terry
5. Puyol, Lucio, Thiago Silva
6. Samuel, Pepe, Chiellini, Montero
7. Sergio Ramos, Pique

Something like this.

For me for the defenders who peaked in the last 20 years (which takes Maldini out of the list):

1. Nesta
2. Thuram
3. Rio, Cannavaro, Godin, Thiago Silva
4. Campbell, Stam,
5. Lucio, Terry, Carvalho, Chiellini, Puyol, Montero, Ayala
6. Boateng, Ramos, Vidic
 
To be fair to Bati/Baresi, the latter pretty much shut him out continuously for several years until Batistuta finally got the better of him when he was a greying and doddery old man.

True but still one great performance against a defender doesn't tend to hold that much weight in a discussion with the exception of Ronaldo it seems
 
I am not the only one to have this view though, I remember seeing a program on SBS where Giggs (played against Zidane), Matthaus (played against both) & Lineker (Played against Platini) unanimously decided that Zidane was the better player
It was a close one though. Going by their categories (goals, free kicks, legacy etc.), Zidane had been better, but that really depends on which categories you use for comparison. I obviously don't have anything against those who choose Zidane over Platini, it's a fair opinion as it's a very close one.

As I said though — I believe that recently he became underrated, which a few years back I thought to be impossible.
 
Raul. An excellent forward during his peak, but i always thought he was quite lucky to be the local golden boy, or he would have been sold much earlier when his goalscoring dropped down to 15 goals a season at best.

Makelele. World class in a very limited role even by defensive midfielder standards. Not deserving of the later hype that centred around needing a player like him to hold a midfield together.

Rinat Dasaev and Igor Belanov would be my picks for most often overestimated Soviet players.
 
Ramos and Marcelo. I like their style of playing football as it is very exciting but they are not that good at defending. Especially Marcelo - he is really good as offensive players, but a lot of people just ignore his defensive weakness. He profits so much of playing with Kroos/Modric/Casemiro/Varane.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oneniltothearsenal
Raul. An excellent forward during his peak, but i always thought he was quite lucky to be the local golden boy, or he would have been sold much earlier when his goalscoring dropped down to 15 goals a season at best.

Makelele. World class in a very limited role even by defensive midfielder standards. Not deserving of the later hype that centred around needing a player like him to hold a midfield together.

Rinat Dasaev and Igor Belanov would be my picks for most often overestimated Soviet players.
Yes ! he'll be mine most overrated defensive midfielder as well. Not that he was not good as a purely defensive midfielder but he almost provide nothing in any other phase of the game other than pure defending almost playing as a third CB. It bothers me to no end when anybody prefers him over more rounded DMs like Tardelli, Tigana or Keane.
 
I am not even sure if Godin is better than Vidic, whose reputation seems to be at an All-Time low after all those imaginery beatings he took from the likes of Ronaldo and Romario.
History will forget that — but Vidić will still be a P&G draft winner :drool:
 
History will forget that — but Vidić will still be a P&G draft winner :drool:
:lol: Tbh it was my fault as well when I talked him down massively in your match against Tuppet, because I rate Koscis very very high. Next in line after van Basten high that is.

Credit to you for winning the whole thing with him against some incredible forward lines.:)
 
Luis Enrique. I often see team sheets with him and ask myself „what is the point?“.

Don‘t want to go on about German players much between I already hinted at how several players are seen very different in Germany compared to the draft company.

The big one is Schweinsteiger though. Not that I don‘t love the guy or that I don‘t rate him. He is just always used as a modern Gentile to stop opposing number 10s based on his history vs Messi. That completely disregards the rest of his career, that would be like always using Charlton as a marker because he marked Beckenbauer out of a game once. I also don‘t like him much as the DM in a 433 like some sort of Busquets, in his prime he was clearly never the most defensive midfielder (except for the 2014 world cup maybe, but that was a weird formation with 4 CBs and 4 central midfielders). At Bayern he was always part of a double pivot or a 3 man midfield with a destroyer next to him like van Bommel, Gustavo or Martinez.

He is much more Luka Modric than Casemiro if you want and no one would use Modric to mark a number 10 out of the game.

Not a case of me not rating Schweinsteiger. I just think the way he is used is misrepresentative of his style. Could have maybe started a different thread for those kind of cases.

How is Uwe Bein rated in Germany?. He looks an absolutely world class creative player from what i've seen of him, maybe the most impressive German passer after Netzer but reputation wise seems quite obscure. I get the impression he was a bit unlucky with the injury at WC90 and then not fitting into Vogts tactical ideas much afterward?
 
Yeah there was one poster who said he is better than Santamaria. I am not even sure if Godin is better than Vidic, whose reputation seems to be at an All-Time low after all those imaginery beatings he took from the likes of Ronaldo and Romario.:nervous::lol:
I’d vouch for that. Take any random sample of footage of Santamaria or Godin and it’s the former who is most likely to be at fault for goals conceded. Other factors to consider in terms of overall influence, but only one winner I can see in defensive nous and organisational ability.
 
How is Uwe Bein rated in Germany?. He looks an absolutely world class creative player from what i've seen of him, maybe the most impressive German passer after Netzer but reputation wise seems quite obscure. I get the impression he was a bit unlucky with the injury at WC90 and then not fitting into Vogts tactical ideas much afterward?

His reputation is obscure because in Germany there are two types of legends. National team legends, adored all over Germany and remembered for decades. The other type are club legends, who are only celebrated / remembered by the fans of the clubs and have little nationwide stardom. There are like zero players who only ever shined for their club and are appreciated everywhere, like Henry is a big star all over England or how rival fans think highly of Scholes despite his relative failure with England. This has to do with the little amount of foreign star players playing in Germany and with the cultural importance and the success of the national team.

Uwe Bein lacked the big national team career because he played at less successful clubs and because he played at the same time as Thomas Hassler. Bein was one of the Top2 playmakers in Germany, but Hassler was better, he was among the best playmakers in the world for many seasons. Bein also was over 30 years old after 1990, so it made sense for the National Team to not have him as the future playmaker.

Bein is a club legend for Eintracht Frankfurt, he was part of their best team ever (with Okocha, Yeboah, Bum Kum Cha etc). He is a Bundesliga legend for sure, being one of the best players of the late 80s/early 90s. So great player with great ability, but he gets forgotten a bit because Germany had too many great players in practically every era (except for WW2 era and 1998-2005).
 
How is Uwe Bein rated in Germany?. He looks an absolutely world class creative player from what i've seen of him, maybe the most impressive German passer after Netzer but reputation wise seems quite obscure. I get the impression he was a bit unlucky with the injury at WC90 and then not fitting into Vogts tactical ideas much afterward?

Aye, I ended up watching bits and pieces of him when making some GIFs of Andreas Moller's earlier career and I was impressed. On a similar vein, how is Heinz Flohe rated in Germany @Don Alfredo ? He looked brilliant from what I've seen, although I was biased towards him immediately after reading his unfortunate life story.

I’d vouch for that. Take any random sample of footage of Santamaria or Godin and it’s the former who is most likely to be at fault for goals conceded. Other factors to consider in terms of overall influence, but only one winner I can see in defensive nous and organisational ability.

I'd second that also. I've been underwhelmed by Santamaria from what I've watched.
 
I’d vouch for that. Take any random sample of footage of Santamaria or Godin and it’s the former who is most likely to be at fault for goals conceded. Other factors to consider in terms of overall influence, but only one winner I can see in defensive nous and organisational ability.

I'd second that also. I've been underwhelmed by Santamaria from what I've watched.

I'll have to add that defending in the W-M of the 50's was much harder than defending in a modern 4-4-2 though. You don't have any cover, every mistake, even a little one, leads to a goalscoring chance. Yet the likes of Santamaria and Wright still managed to stood out.

Although, given the choice, I'd still pick a modern defender over them.