Great players you have never seen play well

I do feel there hasn’t been a top player in years who’s taken a major international tournament by the scruff of the neck and made it their own.

Messi and Ronaldo are the most obvious examples where every World Cup and / or Euros rolls around with everyone expecting them to show why they’re the two best players of their generation and it never seems to happen.

Messi made a decent fist of it when he helped steer Argentina to the WC final in 2014, but it was difficult to say he was head and shoulders above everyone else and certainly never dominated the competition in the way Maradona had in ‘86.

It’s the same for Ronaldo. Even when they won the Euros in 2016 he watched most of the final from the sidelines and could never have been said to be the standout player of the tournament up until then.

You probably have to go back to the original (and best) Ronaldo in 2002 for the last time a top player absolutely bossed a tournament.
 
He looks more like a serial killer than a top player
I thought he was absolutely awful at the Euros and couldn't believe he was still one of the first subs off the bench. Must have had something on Mancini. Goal record is impressive though for Torino.
 
Kingsley Coman.

Won the league title the last 8 seasons in a row across 3 countries for PSG, Juventus and Bayern Munich. Even scored the winner in the CL final two seasons ago.

Never really looked anything special to me in any game I have watched him play despite having played for three unbelievable club sides by the time he was 19 years old.

Also has 34 caps for a top class French international team.
 
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.
Jesus Christ , where do you even start with this.
 
Agreed, I was never big on Seria A but watched a lot of Italy and Roma in Champs League, and can't ever remembering going 'wow' played well at times but not what I was hoping for.
619 appearances for Roma, 250 goals.

I never rated him, always felt let down watching him play on TV.

Clearly he was class, but he never blew me away the way Del Piero did for example. (very similar stats).
g
 
First one that came to mind was Havertz.

I know he scored the winner in the CL final but never watched him and went 'wow, that boy is a player'.
 
You couldn't have been at Ibrox in 2007 then? Sensational that night. One of the great visiting performances.
Remember everyone talking about him on the bus. Boys going to be the best CF in the world etc etc.

Had a half decent career since:)
 
Kane for me, any time Ive seen him play Ive never seen him do anything special and he always looks like he couldn't score in a brothel
 
The Bayern winger, Ribery.

He was the first person that came to mind for me as well.

Ribery sensational between 2012 and 2014. If it wasn’t for Messi and Ronaldo he’d have collected a Ballon D’or or two.

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.

I remember that season. Apparently Ribery was 'robbed' of it, just because Bayern won a lot of trophies. Also despite the fact that on the other wing, Robben was much better than him that season.
 
I do feel there hasn’t been a top player in years who’s taken a major international tournament by the scruff of the neck and made it their own.

Messi and Ronaldo are the most obvious examples where every World Cup and / or Euros rolls around with everyone expecting them to show why they’re the two best players of their generation and it never seems to happen.

Messi made a decent fist of it when he helped steer Argentina to the WC final in 2014, but it was difficult to say he was head and shoulders above everyone else and certainly never dominated the competition in the way Maradona had in ‘86.

It’s the same for Ronaldo. Even when they won the Euros in 2016 he watched most of the final from the sidelines and could never have been said to be the standout player of the tournament up until then.

You probably have to go back to the original (and best) Ronaldo in 2002 for the last time a top player absolutely bossed a tournament.

With all due respect, you must've been asleep for the Copa America this year where Messi basically dragged Argentina to the final. Top scorer, top assists, top in just about every other measurable stat as well.
 
Griezmann. Even had a documentary done about him named 'The Making of a Legend' for some reason. Never done anything on an individual level for me.
 
Seedorf was the big player I rarely saw play really well in the obvious limited number of games I saw.

Maybe I was a jinx for him.
 
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.
I like the stat that Cantona has played against Rangers 3 times and has been beat every time.
 
I like the stat that Cantona has played against Rangers 3 times and has been beat every time.
I thought Cantona was bloody magnificent and while I was very happy to see him have a quiet game against Rangers, I’d have loved to have seen him firing on all cylinders against someone… like Celtic :D
 
Griezmann. Even had a documentary done about him named 'The Making of a Legend' for some reason. Never done anything on an individual level for me.

Finished top 3 in the Ballon d'Or rankings I think although I kinda agree. Would never class him in the absolute top bracket of players. Always seems to perform well for France though.
 
Nicolas Anelka. Seemed to be highly thought of? Was just a troublesome journeyman to me.
 
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.
Francesco totti
 
That's exactly who I was going to say.
Maybe he just played well in the games I didn't see! I just don't get the hype he gets.
Couldn't believe it when he was nominated for the Ballon D'or a few years ago!
His Bayern buddy Roben not far behind. Hard worker yes, played with heart on sleeve yes, but always looked a bit of a headless chicken.....epitomised by the great chance he missed to win Netherlands the World Cup Final against Spain. A true great would have finished it. Cue Iniesta shortly after.
 
I thought Ibrahimovic was absolute dung every time I watched him up to a certain point in his career and then he seemed to turn awesome. Neymar I never got the fuss about. Don't get me started on Grealish.

There's been a few for Scotland who never seemed to replicate their club form. Dalglish certainly but Gary MacAllister drove me nuts with endless poor set pieces when he could put the ball on a two bob bit for his club sides, Brian McClair was awful in a Scottish shirt and through to Andy Robertson these days. Guys like Hansen and Souness were immense for Liverpool and then were no more than decent for the national team. In fact, there's a running theme here... Scotland are generally pish.
Has McClair ever really been branded by anyone as a great player? Hard worker maybe, good professional maybe but never heard of him referenced as a great.
 
Griezmann. Even had a documentary done about him named 'The Making of a Legend' for some reason. Never done anything on an individual level for me.
Yes. Incredible money spent on that guy. Saw him in the Wanda once and the best I can say is that he was on the pitch and his team beat Bilbao.
 
I have seen Messi 4 times in the flesh and never seen him score. Can’t be many in that position.
 
Kenny Dalglish was a name that sprang immediately to mind. I was never overly ìmpressed whenever I saw him live. Then I'd watch him on TV highlights being brilliant.
 
Please stop this thread it's like a convention for crackpots o_O

It's not really TBH, you have just missed the jist of the thread.

A lot of people don't have the time, interest or passion to simply consume endless hours of football and have have maybe only seen a lot of these players play a couple of times.
 
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 thought similar about Seedorf but I watched him against the filth years ago and he was absolutely different class. His boots seemed to be made of velcro. The tramps couldn't get near him.

Playing against them is not a barometer of a great player a know, but he was so effortlessly good.
 
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.

was just about to post same. He is plop, and vaaaastly overrated. When he plays for Scotland he has this arrogance in interviews etc. which he doesn't back up on the pitch. ever.
 
With all due respect, you must've been asleep for the Copa America this year where Messi basically dragged Argentina to the final. Top scorer, top assists, top in just about every other measurable stat as well.

Ah the Copa America.....the Europa Conference League of international football.
 
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.
Not sure youve been clear enough here.... Are you saying he's Finnish?
 
Dida the ex Milan and Brazil goalkeeper. He won Seria A, 2 Champions Leagues and the World Cup but I thought he was fckn rubbish whenever I watched him.
 
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