10 Most Underrated Players Of The Last Decade
03 May, 2020
Superstars such as for example Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have already been mentioned a lot over the last 10 years, but listed below are 10 players whose brilliance has sometimes gone beneath the radar since the start of decade, including probably the most prolific scorers in recent memory.
We are being used to reading and talking about famous brands Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar, but there are plenty of players across the world who aren't always given the respect they deserve, starting with Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani.
At the turn of the entire year, only Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Ronaldo and Messi had found the trunk of the net on more occasions in Europe compared to the Paris Saint-Germain striker during the last 10 years, but will not always find himself mentioned in discussions about the very best forwards in world football.
Cavani has become his club’s leading goalscorer of all time with 200 goals in 301 matches since arriving in 2013, though his three years at Napoli before joining PSG are also worthy of recognition, after striking 104 times in 138 games for the Neapolitans.
While his efforts may sometimes go unnoticed, the 33-year-old is without a doubt among the best strikers Europe has observed in the last decade, and has a rather large trophy cabinet to show for it too.
Another top notch footballer supporters sometimes tend to overlook is Santi Cazorla, whose injuries sadly forced his time in England to come quickly to an end prematurely. The Spanish midfielder, who spent six years at Arsenal from 2012 to 2018, had an array of skill in his locker, and could very well be as technically gifted as anybody.
The 35-year-old was also part of Spain’s 2008 and 2012 European Championship-winning sides, but was unfortunate to lose out on the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa because of a back injury. At that time, Cazorla was playing for Villarreal, who he returned to after his spell in the Premier League.
Real Madrid No. 9 Karim Benzema has also quietly achieved status in the overall game without ever really being considered among the best players in the world, while Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta could fall into this category, given his consistency since coming to the Blues in 2012.
The right-back has played just 25 times for Spain through the years, which feels like a little considering his years of prominence in the arguably the strongest league on earth. For all he won at FC Barcelona, his club teammate Pedro is apparently undervalued too.
The winger scored big goals in big games during his time at the Spanish giants, and celebrated plenty trophies in arguably the club’s greatest era before joining Chelsea in 2015, while he also won both the World Cup and European Championship this decade.
Liverpool midfielder James Milner may also be probably the most underrated players of the last 10 years - click on through the gallery to see more stars who fall into this bracket.
Source: www.soccerladuma.co.za
TAG(s):