Great players you have never seen play well

Northampton_Loyalist

Well-Known Member
I had TalkSport on in the motor on my way home tonight and they were talking about Kane and his lack of form. It got me thinking a little and I do not think I have ever seen him have a 'great' game. I have seen him play ok, not bad, average, good even but never 'great'. His stats and the regard he are held in mean that, pretty fucking obviously, me not having seen him have a great game does not mean he is not a great player but genuinely, if I was asked to describe him purely on minutes seen on the park, I would have him down as an average jobbing EPL striker.

I got to wondering if that was pretty common for people, particularly watching fewer foreign games maybe. Have you seen a player who is regarded as a great a handful of times and only seen 'meh' performances and maybe wondered if the hype was real?






*Just to be clear, because this is FF and not being clear leads to stupid arguments, I am NOT saying he is not a great player, just that I personally have only seen average any time I have seen him.
 
I had TalkSport on in the motor on my way home tonight and they were talking about Kane and his lack of form. It got me thinking a little and I do not think I have ever seen him have a 'great' game. I have seen him play ok, not bad, average, good even but never 'great'. His stats and the regard he are held in mean that, pretty fucking obviously, me not having seen him have a great game does not mean he is not a great player but genuinely, if I was asked to describe him purely on minutes seen on the park, I would have him down as an average jobbing EPL striker.

I got to wondering if that was pretty common for people, particularly watching fewer foreign games maybe. Have you seen a player who is regarded as a great a handful of times and only seen 'meh' performances and maybe wondered if the hype was real?






*Just to be clear, because this is FF and not being clear leads to stupid arguments, I am NOT saying he is not a great player, just that I personally have only seen average any time I have seen him.

Totally agree with Kane. I remember pundits gushing over him when he got top scorer at the World Cup a few years back, ignoring the fact that 4 of his 6 goals came against Panama and Tunisia.
 
The Bayern winger, Ribery.
Yep, him.

Totti and Seedorf for me too, always just looked bang average when I tuned in.

Totti was a bit like that boy Christie Celtic had. Wanted to do everything but nothing seemed to ever come off.

Seedorf gave the ball away just about every time he got it and is probably one of the most decorated players in history!
 
I’ve had pelters on here plenty of times before for this, but anyway, Zidane.
Was on Football Italia most Sundays and would almost always do nothing. Rarely ever scored for Juve either. He’d occasionally throw in a double drag back and the commentator would tell us that was why he was one of the best players in the world. But honest to god most weeks he was anonymous.
Fast forward to the Euro 2000 semi final and I was in Ayia Napa with 8 mates.
Telling them all of the above and how he was an over rated lady's front bottom.
And of course he was fucking outstanding and made me look like a fud, think he got 2 and just ran the show the whole night. Certainly got the winner with the penalty anyway.
He was a sublime player, and one of the best of that time, but I always felt he was way overrated until he went to Madrid.
Also tended to turn in his better performances for France too.
Sweaty monk looking bastard.
 
Timo Werner. Kept an eye out for him at the world cup and thought it was some sort of elaborate joke. Not much better at Chelsea anytime I've seen him, but his movement and running off the ball is admittedly top class. But I wouldn't bet on him scoring an open goal.
 
Ribery was the first name to spring to mind and it’s reassuring I’m not the only one in the thread to think so.

I only ever really saw him play at tournaments with France or in the latter stages of European competition but I can honestly say I never watched a match and remember him standing out
 
Andy Robertson.

I'm aware there's a reason Klopp plays him all the time for Liverpool but whenever I watch them play he's never really involved, maybe the odd game where he's contributed with an assist but generally speaking he's been "just OK" in the games I've watched.

And for Scotland, he's even worse when I watch them.
 
Messi. Don’t watch football outside of Rangers and any time I’ve sat down to watch Barcelona in the latter stages of the Champions League or a World Cup, he really has never impressed me that much. He might have scored the odd or had a nice piece of skill or whatever, but I’ve never actually seen a game live, for 90 minutes on TV and he’s never left me thinking how the hell did he do that? Seen his highlights reel plenty of times and am in no doubt of his talent, but whenever I watch a game his in live, I’ve never been left speechless.
 
I don’t watch much English football but I think I’ve seen Mo Salah score once and never play well.

He seems to run amok every other time.
 
Messi. Don’t watch football outside of Rangers and any time I’ve sat down to watch Barcelona in the latter stages of the Champions League or a World Cup, he really has never impressed me that much. He might have scored the odd or had a nice piece of skill or whatever, but I’ve never actually seen a game live, for 90 minutes on TV and he’s never left me thinking how the hell did he do that? Seen his highlights reel plenty of times and am in no doubt of his talent, but whenever I watch a game his in live, I’ve never been left speechless.
Put the rod away.
 
Messi. Don’t watch football outside of Rangers and any time I’ve sat down to watch Barcelona in the latter stages of the Champions League or a World Cup, he really has never impressed me that much. He might have scored the odd or had a nice piece of skill or whatever, but I’ve never actually seen a game live, for 90 minutes on TV and he’s never left me thinking how the hell did he do that? Seen his highlights reel plenty of times and am in no doubt of his talent, but whenever I watch a game his in live, I’ve never been left speechless.
I can't see many biting :D :D
 
Ribery sensational between 2012 and 2014. If it wasn’t for Messi and Ronaldo he’d have collected a Ballon D’or or two.
 
Messi. Don’t watch football outside of Rangers and any time I’ve sat down to watch Barcelona in the latter stages of the Champions League or a World Cup, he really has never impressed me that much. He might have scored the odd or had a nice piece of skill or whatever, but I’ve never actually seen a game live, for 90 minutes on TV and he’s never left me thinking how the hell did he do that? Seen his highlights reel plenty of times and am in no doubt of his talent, but whenever I watch a game his in live, I’ve never been left speechless.
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That Belotti for Torino and Italy. Rumours of all top English clubs being after him and watched him at the Euros and he looked like he's never seen a ball in his life. Couldn't even do basic things right.
 
In terms of live football, one for me would be Ronaldinho. Saw him live three times for three different clubs and thought he was just good each time.

One of my favourite ever in general though and saw him have plenty sensational games at the highest level on TV.
No way.

He was the reason I watched Spanish football for the duration of his time in the league, he was incredible.

I suppose live games are a different story though. I can just barely remember any bad games during his peak at Barca when they were on the telly every single week.
 
That Belotti for Torino and Italy. Rumours of all top English clubs being after him and watched him at the Euros and he looked like he's never seen a ball in his life. Couldn't even do basic things right.
Yeah, he’s regressed in the last few years partly due to his blind loyalty to Torino.

Should have moved years ago.
 
Eric Cantona at Ibrox for Leeds.. he had single handedly demolished Liverpool in the Charity Shield and I was nervous about him coming up against Rangers.. I thought he was really quiet in the first match.

I saw Shaun Wright-Phillips play for Chelsea a number of times and thought has was gash. Utterly lazy and couldn’t see what the fuss was about at all.
 
Lewandowski. Only ever seen him score tap-ins against German farmers or not score at all for Poland. I really dislike Bayern and avoid watching them if at all possible so this may be why.
 
If we are talking players that we’ve seen in the flesh then I’ve seen Thierry Henry 4 times in the flesh and he’s been rotten every time. He was a wonderful player that I enjoyed watching on the TV many times but was utterly abysmal every time I saw him live.
 
Ribery. I remember he was rather bitter one year when Messi beat him to the balon dor,
I think he scored about 15 goals compared to messi 60 odd that season.
 
Dragan Mladenovic.

Touted as the bastard love child of Robert Prosenecki and Zinedine Zidane. Wasn't convinced to be honest.
 
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