Most Underrated Players Ever

I think it's very fair to say Iniesta's shooting ain't great. For me it's always been his biggest weakness. Very much like Modric in the way they play. Fantastic passers of the ball, incredible dribblers...but they lack goals.

 

Oh wow yeah that last kick of the ball against Chelsea was a work of art, right in the top corner, couldn't have been hit more sweetly. Don't know why folk think he can't shoot.

@PaulM1888 As much as I admire Zidane and all his natural grace and big game ability I don't think he had the overall command of games that Xavi had. Xavi was like the centre of the clock in the tiki taka system. Could change games tempo at his leisure. Scholes said he was the best he played against I think. Or was it the other way round?

If you think that's tripping, you'll love to know I think Iniesta is better than Zidane. He has a totally different type of grace but it's even more beautiful to my eyes. He's also a big game player.

 

He's scored some big goals, aye. But he averages less than one goal every 10 matches (much like oor Scott Brown).

I know it's not his job to score goals but I've always seen him as a more attacking Xavi, and Xavi averaged more goals than Iniesta. His shooting isn't on par with the rest of his game.

 

Zidane is the best player France have ever produced..

An unbelievable player who also did it when it counted. Took Brazil apart in the final and scored and also champion's league like the screamer at Hampden..

Just 2 instances..

 

@Mcguire1 You might be right (well you are about Brazil and the Hampden goal was beautiful) but I think a lot of people will be arguing for Platini.

 

I actually don't think Xavi and Iniesta are that similar. I would say Xavi was a most similar to Pirlo and Scholes just quite a bit better than them and more of a complete player.

Iniesta I think is more similar to actual playmakers/attacking players, would compare him to a much better version of Aimar or Rui Costa. I think Iniestas best time for Barca was when he played on the left of a front 3 back when they played Keita beside Xavi and Busquets sitting under Guardiola. Keita stabalised them a bit as he was more box to box than Iniesta and made them better defensively and Iniesta was freed up to create off the left.

 

It'd be interesting to see if a french poll has been done for that, or just in general..

 

Well here's a couple of stats to get it started. It looks to favour Platini.

• Thierry Henry (1997-2010, 123 caps, 51 goals) ...
• Raymond Kopa (1952-1962, 45 caps, 18 goals) ...
• Michel Platini (1976-1987, 72 caps, 41 goals) ...
• Zinedine Zidane (1994-2006, 108 caps, 31 goals)

Oh the Bleacher Report has a top 5 and it's Zidane at No.1 with Platini at No.2

I would imagine this is because Platini only won the Euros and Zidane led France to two world Cup finals and if it wasn't for the most perfectly executed headbutt off all time they might have won two. So his goal difference doesn't matter as much as the importance of them.

 

Platini was probably unlucky, im sure he missed the 1986 World Cup with injury or played with an injury. Had he been fit France would have had a very good chance of winning it and he'd likely have gone down in history the way Maradona did as the one compared to Pele. As he'd already been world class for a decade, won the Balon D'or 3? times was pretty much seen as the best player in Eurpe for years won everything and the Euros but never put the icing on the cake of the World Cup, Maradona did and the rest is history.

 

@ILoveTheCeltic That could be true, I remember reading that a while ago, the amount of Balon d'Ors he won, I think he might even have prevented Dalglish from receiving one.

He was particularly gifted in the passing department I believe although his shooting must've been alright too according to those stats. I think they are regarded like Holland in 78 or Hungary in 58? as one of the best teams not to have won the World Cup. Oh yeah and Brasil in 82.

Did Argentina put France out in 86? I thought Platini would've been getting on a bit by then?

I think Maradona's legend has a lot to do with him apparently single handedly winning Serie a with Napoli. Although I'm sure like the Argentina team there was a lot of quality surrounding him. Folk seem to forget that about Argentina in 86 as if they were all rubbish.

I don't know why Napoli didn't win the European Cup though if they were that good.

Maradona was I'm very sure a much better player than Platini. Only Europeans were eligible for the Balon back then.

 

Aye, although South America awarded their own player of the year too in their version of the Balon D'or. Zico won it 3 times and Maradona only 2.

Zico, Maradona and Platini were all pretty similar players, smaller players, playmakers but goalscorers not strikers but not midfielders, number 10s, freekick experts, class dribblers etc probably hard to pick them apart at the time apart from Maradona probably more explosive and a dribbler where Zico and Platini were more passers.

Zico should have won the 82 World Cup with Brazil never, Platini could have won the 82 or 86 and never and Maradona did get his hands on the 86 one so got remembered more, probably also helped his stature that he was seen as a mad character also.

World Soccer Magazine also gave a World Player of the Year and Platini won it twice, Zico once and Maradona once.

 

No way am I having Xavi, or any other central midfielder, is better than Zidane.

 

Better central midfielder than Zidane, no way in * better as an attacking midfielder though.

 

@ILoveTheCeltic Maradona was bonkers that's for sure. I don't know any other player who would have produced that hand of * goal so well disguised. It was just so amusing it was against England.

Aye Zico was a phenomenal player. Had a great shot on him. That Brasil team played lovely football. I didn't realise they had a similar award over there. Interesting Zico won it more times. I think everyone knew Maradona's game was enhanced with 100% purity Mafia cocaine He was quite addicted to it at one point I'm sure, which would've had a negative impact on his game. But it would've been positive before that.

Then he had to go and take some ephedrine at the USA World Cup and tell the whole world he was off his face by screaming down a camera. Madman.

They reckon drugs are going to hit football big time now they're getting quite sophisticated at hiding them and there are hardly any checks. I wish they would make them more thorough so we don't have to get as para as a cycling fan. Or a Russian fan of any sport.

Such small margins can decide who wins a World Cup too. I'm still convinced Nuer totally over reacted when he smashed into Higuain nearly knocking him out and Argentina should have got a pen. However it won't affect my judgement of Messi whether he wins a World Cup or not. The Copa America has been particularly cruel to him. That's Sampaoli for you. And Messi's one fault, his penalty taking.

Well I'm saying it so you're going to have to come to terms with it being a possibility. Of course it's purely opinion, I think Zidane was a master. Looks like he's going to be a successful manager too.

 

Gascoigne above Larsson, what's that all about!

 

Aye, its not of as much significance now as we see every player every week if we want.

Back pre 90s though with their being barely any TV coverage the only time people got to see players was International tournaments so most opinions were based on very few games. Pele is pretty much seen as the greatest as he won 3 World Cups despite those 15-20 or so games he played at World Cups being the only games anycunt seen him play

Like the mid 80s, you may have considered Maradona the best in the World, you'd only see him 5/6 times on TV even them some of those games only highlights but you'd have heard about him and maybe read about him in football magazines. Now there are people from Norway and China who have watched 400+ 90 minute games of the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.

 

When you think of it, if TV coverage now was still the same as it was 30 years ago theres a good chance Zidane would be currently classed as the best of all time. 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000, Euro 2004, World Cup 2006 he played great or had stand out moments at those tournaments and was flashy enough to catch the eye in every game he played. That added to his goal in the CL final would probably have been enough to cement him as the best ever if it was 30/40 years ago and those games/moments were all anyone really seen of him.