Most overrated players in history?

Right I want everyone to name me the most overrated players in history - good ones!

After watching 'Legends of the Premier League', I would have to say - Eric Cantona.

I have watched him on youtube (being to young to see him) and many programmes featuring him and all I can say is that he was really good but not 'great' or world class. Bearing in mind that the best players of the 90's included Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, Carlos, Maldini, Cafu, Baggio etc. Yet, the EPL and all of the media fawners make him out to be some sort of magician with the ball, a master of football. When, lets face it, he was un-reliable and ok - nothing special.

Few statistic:

• played just 414 professional football matches.
• Scored just 131 goals in 369 appearances (club football)
• Scored just 7 European goals
• 45 caps for France; 20 goals

Doesn't scream legend to me, nor does it scream world class. The guy was obviously a bit crazy aswell, battling mental demons and what not, highlighted by the fact he retired at just 30, not to mention his infamous kung-fu kick:smiley-laughing002:.

Give me yours, preferable a controversial one :icon_mrgreen::smiley-laughing002:

 

The 'watched him on youtube' sums this up.

Eric Cantona was an absolute genius.

 

Cantona is a good shout. He is often made out to be one of the best players to have played in the Premeirship and that when he's not.

Id say Ryan Giggs

 

Defining a player like Cantona by his goalscoring record completely ignores what made him a football genius.

 

Well I have plenty of old vhs's of him (used to love Man United) but can you honestly say he was as good as he was made out?

His statistics are poor, his European form is poor and yet the English will have you believe he was one of the best footballers of the 90's. He is a cult legend who was great at football, however who would you rather: Larsson or Cantona?

 

Being a genius doesnt mean your great though. Id say Berbatov was better than Cantona, Cantona probably seemed better as he played in England at a time when the other best strikers were Mark Hughes, Chris Sutton, Young Shearer, Dion Dublin, Sheringham, Les Ferdinand, Ian Wright, Stan Collymore and guys like that.

He isnt as good as Van Persie, Aguero, Tevez, Rooney, and many others.

 

Great shout. Scholes is miles better for me.

Well take out the statistics and he wasn't 'legendary', they never had trouble replacing him, nor was he influential in Europe. I honestly don't believe a few good moments make a player a genius.

 

Ashley Cole is thee most over-rated player in history over here.

 

I know what you mean but I've never heard him being talked about in the upper echelon of players, he is one of the biggest reasons for Man United's rise to dominance.

He was a genius, of that there is no doubt but on a scale of the way Riquelme was considered.

 

It was just when is was watching that programme on ESPN Classics - its cringey how they speak of him. And the amount of Man United fans who spout his 'greatness' is unreal.

Agree, he was amazing and a 'troubled genius' but more on the level of Riquelme as you say, rather than the likes of his fellow countryman - Zidane.

 

Never :smiley-laughing002: Best left back of the past decade - don't you know

 

I wouldnt even class him alongside Riquelme.

Id put him alongside players like Beckham, Van der Vaart, Berbatov, Ginola, Djorkaeff, Di Canio, Ravanelli and the likes.

 

Maybe a tad over-rated but he is certainly a world class Left-back.

 

I don't think Cantona was over-rated at all.

That United team was built around his genius, and his knack for moments of unexpected brilliance. He won them a lot of games.

Prime example being the Cup Final vs Liverpool in 96. Think it was his first game back after his ban, and he netted the winner.

The guy was a talisman, and the figurehead of England's biggest club at the time.

 

Naw Giggs was brilliant IMO



Rio Ferdinand was/is pish. I think he's a big donkey but so many United fans think he's brilliant

 

Xabi alonso

 

The era he was in he was far and away the best player in England, the Man united team was built around him and they were very succesful for that reason.

There is a reason he got voted United's greatest ever foriegner, he really put them back on the map but he isn't in the top players - there was a reason why he didn't go to France 98 and why the 99' treble winning squad happened without him.

From 91-97 he was peerless in Englnd though.

 

Alonso is amazing and didn't get the praise he deserved

 

I dont think Giggs was.

Ljungberg and Pires were both better than Giggs when they were all at their peaks. Giggs again like Cantona is spoken about like hes one of the best players to have played in the Premiership.

Who would you rather have in your team though Zola, Mata, Silva, Pires, Ljungberg, Hazard, Ronaldo, Robben or Giggs, me peronally id say Giggs was the worst out of all them.

 

Does anyone else think Zola was a bit overrated aswell? :icon_mrgreen::smiley-laughing002: